David Beckham looks forward to life after retirement, Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Beckham was lost in his thoughts as he gazed across the indoor track at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre. He had overseen a training session with 170 children and had arrived two hours early.

''I was brought up five minutes down the road,'' he said, gesturing in the direction of the reservoir that separates this new facility and Chingford Foundation School. ''Kids love stuff like this but, for me, it's also personally exciting. To see this here now is inspiring. It's like the feeling when you first get taken to a football match and you walk out and see the pitch.''

Days like this one have become an increasingly common aspect of Beckham's life. After 22 years, 115 England caps and 10 leagues titles across four countries Beckham is now entering a new chapter of his life as a ''former'' professional footballer. His main priority is his family as well as the ambition to inspire young people to lead more healthy lives.

As a professional athlete, the work ethic of Beckham was a bigger asset than his popularity as a player, which is why he is the perfect ambassador for Sainsbury's Active Kids campaign. ''It is a big part of what I want to do now,'' he said. ''I pick things like this because I know how inspiring it is for kids when athletes from past and present turn up, talk to them and be part of their day.

In May, he announced his retirement. He also admitted to his friend Gary Neville that he felt it was the right moment to step out of the limelight. He is now 38 years old and the medical staff previously suggested that he has the physique to play into his 40s. But Beckham is content with this decision.

''A decision like that, I was always going to second guess myself,'' he said. ''I was always going to question whether I was going to make the right decision or not. But I think you always do that as an athlete, you always feel like you can play on when you can't. That's the passion behind the athlete.''