Cricket legend Ian Botham’s son ready to bowl NI over with new wellness clinic

Liam had promised his father a trip to the iconic Crown Bar after the official opening of ACCA Longevity Clinic, which offers leading edge technology used globally in sports recovery and wellness.

What began as an idea in February 2023 became a reality tonight in Belfast’s Franklin Street, with services including cryotherapy, hyberbaric oxygen therapy, vitamin injections and a far-infrared sauna on offer.

“This isn’t all about just people getting an injury; this is longevity,” says Liam, who made Holywood, Co Down, his home two years ago.

“That’s a really, really important point to get across because it’s longevity but also making people feel great so they can go out and do what they want.”

While its services will attract athletes — and the equipment has been put through its paces by some of Northern Ireland’s greatest prior to opening — the focus of Liam and his co-founders, Jonathan Doherty and Tracey Eisen, is also on businesses, hoping what they offer can optimise staff wellbeing. Looking back on his time playing professional cricket, Liam’s proud dad said: “In those days, you’re sports orientated — you had a hamstring or an injury, you treat it. Now, it’s prevention rather than the cure.”

He described the clinic as “quite amazing”.

“There’s the physical side and there’s the mental side. The mental side is that you go into one of those [rooms] and it’s just you and you can just settle things down and relax, chill out. It could be the best half hour of your life. I can only see positives.”

Belfast is the first ACCA Longevity Clinic, with plans in place to open other locations over the course of the next year.

“[Wife] Lisa has friends within the cosmetic world and you can see that’s booming here for everybody — not just for the ladies, for the men as well,” says Liam, who has over 30 years’ experience in the sports industry.

“You’re seeing a different attitude. I’ve seen nothing that would deter me from having our first clinic.

“Because we are ahead of the game with what we’re doing, we want to make sure that we keep ahead of the game. And there’s nothing that worried me, and in a way we know this is going to work in Belfast because of the response we’ve got. If you can do it here, you can do it anywhere.”

His father is so impressed with Liam’s venture that he plans to send some of his Durham County cricketers, a company of which he’s chairman, to experience the equipment.

“If you’re part of a team and you are coming up to a big game and you get someone who gets an injury three weeks before, what do you do? It’s not a case of cutting corners, it’s a case of using the modern-day science,” he says of the treatments available.

Though retired from professional sport, father and son have an understandably keen interest in the second Ashes Test which begins on Wednesday. Coming after England’s two-wicket defeat against Australia at Edgbaston in the opener, both are excited at what’s to come.

“Cricket needed a boost; it needed something to happen to it,” says Ian Botham of the England game.

“What the England team have done with ‘Bazball’ (aggressive and fearless tactical approach) is taken it to the next level and they are playing extremely aggressive, attractive cricket.

"That’s brought people back in. I’m all for it.”

He praises England Test captain Ben Stokes for the five-day opener. Son Liam agrees, calling Stokes “brilliant”.

“How often would you sell out a ground for three days? We sold it out for five days at Edgbaston. It’s fantastic and it’s bringing people back into the grounds by playing this way,” says Lord Botham.

“Some would argue that a few of us have been playing that way for a while. Collectively as a unit, it’s entertaining, it’s fantastic. What they do now is they put bums on seats and they don’t send everyone to the bar.

“Sometimes after two hours you’re falling asleep, it’s time to go to the bar. But these guys now, once you get your seat, people don’t want to leave because they don’t know what’s around the next corner.”

The sporting legend feels it’ll be a “very tight” series and that “punches will be exchanged” during the remaining Tests.

“Australia scraped home; it was a scrape home. I thought the way they [England] declared and the way they threw the ball up into their court was aggressive. Australia were sitting back at home thinking we got that one out of the way, are they going to keep on doing this to us? And the answer is yes, we will.”

“It was the last thing Australia was expecting,” says Liam of Stokes’ declaration of England’s first innings. “What a spectacle of cricket.”

Lord Botham wants to encourage those with an interest in the sport, opening the gates of Durham County’s cricket ground at 4pm so schoolchildren could watch the matches. In doing so he challenges the view that cricket is an elitist game and his actions have led to spectators becoming players.

“I can assure you I have never played for an elite side in my life,” he says. “The guys I’ve played with have been characters, been leaders — but elite? No. Most of us came from second modern school backgrounds — in those days those schools played cricket.”

“My biggest gripe is the school sport system,” says Liam. “Every kid should be playing at least an hour of team sport per day, not individual. An hour doesn’t include the playground… it will solve so many issues.”

Liam’s settled well into life in Northern Ireland applauding the friendly inhabitants.

“And good Guinness,” he finishes.

“Speaking of which…” begins Ian Botham.

Ah yes, that celebratory pint — well earned.

ACCA is open for walk-in or booked appointments and personalised programmes. More information can be found at www.accalongevityclinic.com

This article was amended to say Liam a co-founder rather than a partner of ACCA Longevity Clinic