Education
He was educated at Christ College Brecon.
He was educated at Christ College Brecon.
In 1983 he toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions whilst playing for London Welsh Reconstruction Finance Corporation. A centre, he also played club rugby for Newport Reconstruction Finance Corporation. He made his Welsh debut on 1 November 1980 against the All Blacks at Cardiff and immediately a couple of bone crunching tackles had the crowd chanting his name at the age of only 19. He also played rugby league, turning professional on 13 April 1986 when he signed for Whitehaven in Cumbria. He went on to play for Leeds, Carlisle Border Raiders and finished his rugby league at Salford in 1993.
He taught at Christ"s College, Canterbury, New Zealand and coached the 1st XV in 2008.
As of 2012, Ackerman teaches Physical Education at Street Patrick"s College, Silverstream, New Zealand. Ackerman is currently the coach of the Silverstream 1st XV rugby team, leading the team to victory at the 2012 Wellington Premier 1 Finals.