'Cheerleading completely changed my life'

Murdo Searle first tried cheerleading while studying at university

A man who started cheerleading while at university says the sport has "completely changed" his life.

Murdo Searle said he "absolutely fell in love" with the sport after first trying it while studying at Saint Mary's University in Twickenham.

After leaving education Mr Searle said he had an uncertain future and decided to set up his own cheerleading club in Plymouth in 2018.

Mr Seale said it has given him a job which is "genuinely so fulfilling" where he helps people "achieve their goals and dreams".

'It's just insane'

Mr Searle left university with a degree in professional and creative writing and a qualification in training people in cheerleading.

"I didn't know where I was going in the future and what I wanted to do," he said.

"I thought, 'I don't have a job, but I wanted to create a cheerleading club' so I could keep doing it."

He started Plymouth's Chaos Cheerleading in 2018 and has seen his membership rise from about five people to more than 100.

"It's just insane, this has completely changed my life," he said.

"I went to uni and walked away with so much more than I could have gambled by doing cheerleading.

"I help kids all the way to adults achieve their goals and dreams and I absolutely love it.

"Genuinely it is so fulfilling as a job and I think I never could have imagined doing something like this in the long run."

'Fully recognised sport'

Sport England officially recognised cheerleading as a sport in March.

Mr Searle said he thought the decision was "amazing".

"I think a lot of people hear cheerleading and immediately think that's not really a sport", he said.

"Now it is a fully recognised sport, it just shows how much hard work and commitment, everyone across the UK have put it to get it recognised.

"I think a lot of people don't realise the intense workout that it is.

"If you haven't tried it, you need to try it because it's good fun as well."