Kelly: Has there been a turning point? It’s not been a straightforward linear journey. Your journey has been different to most footballers – from Hereford, Hull, then to the Premier League, winning a European trophy and with England. Is there one moment you can pinpoint that you think, actually, that’s where it all changed?
Jarrod: Probably when I got rejected from Cardiff before I went to Hereford because I went on trial to Cardiff for about six weeks and at the time I thought ‘Right my local team Hereford’s not got anything for me to have that path.’ I’ve gone to Cardiff, thought ‘I’ve done really well for six weeks and they’ve said no as well’. So I was kind of like ‘This is it now then… it’s not going to be.’
But then I think that rejection from Cardiff and then Hereford and then starting back up just made me appreciate it so much more. In the end I was just enjoying playing football because I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know if it was just going to end and I was playing at Hereford and I thought ‘It can’t get much better than this.’ I was happy with that. Then a few things happened.
I moved to Hull at 17, which was a big lifestyle difference. Three and a half hours away from home was absolutely horrendous but those things have all helped me off the pitch and then it helps you on the pitch as well. But I think if you can mature as a person off the pitch, it helps you.
So, a few things have happened, but I’d say that Cardiff rejection… I thought ‘This was the end, so let me be appreciative of playing when I can.’
Kelly: You’ve played in some huge matches already in your career. Which match, if you could relive one, would you play again?
Jarrod: I think one that sticks with me the most was probably the Europa Conference League final. I had never been involved in any sort of final before. Coming out, getting to the stadium a couple of hours before, going out to look at the pitch as you do, and it was packed.
That feeling of the final whistle going and you’re on the pitch… there’s a replay on YouTube that me and my dad watched the other day of the whole game… after the game ended I think the camera went to me and I had the biggest smile on my face, dropped to my knees and it was just like, the feeling of that, what it meant for us as a group, what it meant for the fans as well. I think that was such a great day.
Kelly: Did you say you and your dad were watching the whole game back recently?
Jarrod: Yeah.
Kelly: That shows you how much it means.
Jarrod: Yeah, he always watches it. He’s into rowing and canoeing, so he’s got a rowing machine and he’ll send me a picture of an hour and 29 minutes and it’s just the whole game. I’ve never watched it before. You knew how it’s going to go but I was still watching a little bit nervous and I’m thinking, ‘I know how the game goes, why am I so nervous?’ I can’t really remember the game fully. It’s been two years now, so to watch it from like two years on in a different way was a weird feeling but I loved watching it.
Kelly: Let’s talk a bit more about Jarrod Bowen the person. You’ve mentioned your dad multiple times already, so let’s start there and family and what it was like in the Bowen household growing up. Take me into a typical day.
Jarrod: Probably a similar upbringing to what most people have. I have a younger brother and sister, so I was the eldest child. They always said I was the favourite child because I was the first born – that’s still a thing. But I loved playing football. A very sporty family. My dad played rugby and football as well. My mum worked at the school that we grew up at. She still works there and that was kind of our life really.
Kelly: You must be the poster boy if your mum’s at the school. You must be like a local hero.
Jarrod: Like I said, my mum, when she comes down, she brings this whole box of things. She says “someone just asked me if…” and she’s the nicest woman in the world, so she will never say no to anyone, so she comes down with this box of stuff and I’ll sign it for everyone. It might be for a raffle or something like that. I’ve grown up in that area, still know pretty much everyone in that area, been to that school, so for them to want my things as well I think it means a lot to me for people to want to put me on the walls and want my signature.
Kelly: I want to know a bit more about your dad. He was an ex-footballer, and he played semi-professional. Is that correct?
Jarrod: He played for Conference-level Forest Green, Worcester… those sorts of teams… Hereford for a couple of years.
Kelly: Is it correct that you still follow his pre-season training routine that he does with you?
Jarrod: Yeah, well… this summer was the first time where I didn’t get called up for England, so I had a five/six-week period. I went home for three weeks I think it was, and we were training on the famous potato fields every single day, so I had a full pre-season with him. This season, my brother was doing it with me, my sister was doing it with me, even Dani [Jarrod’s wife] came out a few times and did it.
Kelly: Was she doing it as well?
Jarrod: Yeah, if you looked at it you would’ve thought, ‘What the hell is going on with this group of people?’ My dad was the kind of instructor, so to speak. It was like his boot camp, we called it, but it was just us running around this potato field and I thought ‘If anyone sees us, they’re going to think what is this? What are this group of four people doing?’ But we did it and it’s something I’ve done throughout my career, so I wanted to do it, and we did it.
Kelly: Does he come to West Ham games? Does he travel?
Jarrod: As much as he can, yeah.
Kelly: It’s far.
Jarrod: Yeah, it’s far, but he tries to come to as many games. He’s already thinking about the Sunderland game. He’s going to drive his camper van.
Kelly: I’m glad you’ve brought the camper van up because I wanted to talk to you about that. That camper van went to the Euros, didn’t it?
Jarrod: Yeah, the camper van went to the Euros! That was him, my brother, my two best mates. They all had a go at driving it. My two best mates were awful at driving it! I think they nearly wrote the camper van off, driving on the different side.
