United Kingdom Culture and Society: Sports
General
The people of the United Kingdom have a long and rich sports legacy. A variety of international sports, in their modern forms, originated from the UK.
Today, the government administers sports programs through five sports councils, which play an important role in promoting in funding sports. The government initiatives on sports also include a "Sports Cabinet," which helps to identify strategic priorities for sports. The country boasts some of the finest and best-equipped sports facilities in the world and plays host to many famous national and international events. Many sportspersons, both men and women, have made an indelible mark in the sporting arena of the world.
Among the major team sports in the United Kingdom that operate high profile professional leagues, cricket is the official national sport and a very popular summer game that enjoys immense popularity in England and Wales, while soccer ranks as the most popular sport in the country. Rugby is also popular, particularly in the north of England and Wales, where it is considered a national past time. Gaelic football (a cross between rugby and soccer), hurling, and field hockey are popular sports in Northern Ireland. Major individual sports including golf, tennis, boxing, snooker, squash, rowing, horseracing, track and field, and motor sports are also highly popular and have a loyal following. Tennis rules the sports scene of the nation during the high profile Wimbledon championships but otherwise tends to remain a low-key sport despite the fact that the game was born in the UK. Professional leagues also exist in other sports like basketball and ice hockey but these have relatively smaller spectatorship and lesser media attention. Several other less-popular sports, particularly traditional sports like shinty (similar to field hockey) and hurling, both of which originated in Scotland, are low profile and have amateur leagues.
Individual Sport Participation
In keeping with the latest trends in developed countries to attach importance to health and physical fitness, Britons too have begun to invest time in sports and fitness-related activities. Surveys reveal that nearly a fourth of the population regard physical activities as an important attribute to staying healthy and nearly two-thirds of the population participate in some fitness-related activity at least once a week. Women, in particular, have taken to fitness regimens and activities in a big way. The feel-good factor, stress relief, healthy competition, and social activity associated with sports and fitness activities are largely responsible for this new trend. In terms of frequency of participation, walking (as exercise) tops the charts, with nearly 46 percent of the adults doing it on a fairly regular basis. About 35 percent of adults participate in swimming while a fifth of them participate in yoga, aerobics, dance exercise, cycling, and cue sports.
Among men, the top sports in order of participation include cue sports (billiards, snooker, and pool), cycling, swimming, soccer, and golf. Angling is also very popular with over three million people engaging in it on a regular basis. On an average, the proportion of women participating in at least one sport or physical activity is much lower than that of men and women’s activities seem to center more on walking, yoga, aerobics, swimming, and cycling. Young people (under the age of 30) have traditionally been the key players in sports participation and tend to engage in team sports to a higher degree than older people, partially due to the fact that this group has fewer responsibilities, more leisure time, and greater spending capacity than those over the age of 30. Estimates show that youth participate in sports-related activity for at least 30 minutes a day. Among teenagers, participation in sports on an individual level has declined in keeping with the alarming trend emerging in many developed countries, and this has been ascribed to the increasing popularity of sedentary activities such as watching television and playing video games.
Britons generally go to either private clubs or public leisure centers to play sports. Rough estimates put the public leisure center membership at 2.46 million and the number of centers at around 4,270. Although the local authority administers these public centers, shifting consumer priorities and financial necessities have forced many of them to take on private-sector managements and generally shift closer to the private club model. There are also many indoor sports halls in the country that offer tennis courts, tracks, Astroturf pitches, floodlights, and changing rooms. Many park playgrounds provide elaborate equipment to suit different age groups and include basketball nets, five-a-side soccer fields, multi-activity courses, climbing walls, and seats. Some of these parks and playgrounds have fallen into disuse and many of them, particularly the outdoor fields, have lost out to non-sporting development. However, of late, there has been a concerted effort by the authorities as well as private agencies to revive these neighborhood play areas that could provide the perfect setting for people to relax, play sports, and socialize. The Big Lottery Fund (a grant-making organization of the UK government) released nearly £150 million (over US$303 million) to local authorities in 2005 to fund projects to create, develop, and improve play spaces in the country.
Outdoor play in the UK traces back to the Victorians, who built many public parks in the country with an aim to encourage recreation and exercise among the growing urban population of Britain. Thousands of people play soccer in parks and playgrounds purely for fun and people, particularly in the countryside, play cricket on village greens on weekends from April to August. Scotland, traditionally regarded as the home of golf, boasts over 400 golf courses.
Private Sports Clubs
Health clubs and gyms have become a highly popular concept in the UK and the desire to socialize is as much a motivation to join as the need to stay in shape. In fact, club and gym memberships are almost twice that of church or religious memberships. Moreover, several major sports provisions brought about by government legislation in the past decade has resulted in an increase in the number of public leisure centers and greater corporate investment in private health clubs.
The criteria that define qualification for membership to private clubs vary greatly depending on the type and status of the club. Prospective members may be required to go through a procedure as simple as filling up a form to a highly complex routine in which he or she has to be proposed and seconded by a member and finally elected by a club committee or a group of board members. For instance, prospective members of the Glasgow Golf Club have to be proposed and seconded by existing Ordinary, Life, or Veteran members of the club and the applicant requires support from a further six Ordinary, Life, or Veteran members. Some clubs, on the other hand, have less tedious procedures and take in any applicant who happens to have a fair idea of the sport or sometimes, even those planning to start from scratch.
Membership fees vary greatly and depend on a number of factors like the status and popularity of the club and facilities on offer. Most clubs receive a one-off payment or initiation fee followed by monthly or annual subscriptions. Membership schemes may include individual, family, junior, student, or corporate. Some of the up-market sports halls may charge a monthly fee of over £100 (US$200) for individual membership while famous golf club memberships may come at a premium rate of several thousand pounds. The fees charged by community or neighborhood clubs for membership is usually very nominal, often as low as £15 (US$30).
Private Sports Clubs Listings:
Reebok Sports Club
16 - 19 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
England
United Kingdom
With a built-up area of 9,290 square meters (100,000 square feet), the Reebok Sports Club is regarded as one of Europe's largest and most prestigious private sports clubs, and offers the latest and most modern cardiovascular and strength training equipment. Other facilities and services include 147 group exercise classes per week, multi-sports hall, a climbing wall, swimming pool, indoor golf, Pilates studio, yoga, martial arts, a business center, bar and deli, spa, sports shop, and locker rooms. The club also has the largest spin studio in the UK.
The Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Waterloo Road
Southport
England
United Kingdom
Voted the number one golf course in Britain, this fine links course, located on the picturesque coastal resort of Southport, has played host to Ryder Cups, Walker and Curtis Cups, the Women’s British Open, and several Open Championship tournaments. Established in 1889, the club has a beautiful 18-hole par-72 championship course that is ranked among the best in the world.
London Golf Club
South Ash Manor Estate - Ash - Nr Brands Hatch
Kent
England
United Kingdom
The London Golf Club boasts excellent golfing facilities, including a 330-yard turf practice range with tees at either end, two practice greens, golf buggies, and golf carts equipped with GPS technology, a restaurant located between the 8th and 13th holes, and a refreshments cart that cruises through the course offering drinks and snacks.
Manchester Golf Club Ltd.
Hopwood Cottage Rochdale Road Middleton
Manchester
England
United Kingdom
Created in 1882 by a group of Scotsmen, the Manchester Golf Club is an 18-hole championship standard course set on 97 hectares (240 acres) of park and moorland, and designed by Harry Shapland. Although the course suits all handicaps, it is regarded as particularly challenging for the low handicap golfer. An extensive driving range and practice area with covered teeing areas, a professional shop, and bar and dining facilities are on offer. Over the years, the club has hosted many European Tour qualifying and Championship events.
Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Meols Drive
Hoylake
Wirral
England
United Kingdom
Created in 1869 on what was originally the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club, the club’s history can be traced to the history and development of golf in Great Britain. The club is regarded as the oldest among the links golf courses and has been through an extensive refurbishment program at a cost of nearly £2 million (over US$4 million) in order to bring it up to the standard required for an Open Championship venue. The course is tough and the clubhouse hosts a fine collection of golf memorabilia.
Wilton Tennis Club
28 Wilton Grove
Wimbledon
London
England
United Kingdom
The club offers a healthy mix of friendly and competitive tennis and has a variety of membership options, from full annual membership to the junior level. Regular coaching sessions are provided for team players. Apart from team competitions, the club hosts closed summer and winter tournaments. Eight men’s and four ladies’ teams of the club are regular players in the Surrey leagues and the club also operates monthly singles leagues. Facilities include four high quality all-weather courts with floodlighting that are available all through the year and a convener, who organizes sets to encourage social tennis.
Perth Tennis Club
Hay Street
Perth
Glasgow
Scotland
United Kingdom
Founded in 1881, the club offers a healthy mix of social and competition tennis and is open all year round for both full as well as pay-and-play memberships. In addition to four all-weather courts with the latest rubberized technology, there are facilities for squash, snooker, and table tennis. The club has a sports physiotherapist and a coach on hand.
Glasgow Golf Club
Killermont Bearsden
Glasgow
Scotland
United Kingdom
Founded in 1787, it is the ninth oldest golf club in the world and boasts two of the finest courses in the region. Set apart by 56 kilometers (35 miles), the one at Killermont is a manicured parkland course, while the one at Gailes is a challenging seaside links course. Both courses have their own clubhouse, which reflect their glorious past and over the years, the clubs have played host to the open Championship and many other prestigious events. The club offers overseas memberships but their numbers are restricted.
Gilnahirk Tennis Club
Bloomfield School
Astoria Gardens
Knock Hill Park
Belfast
Northern Ireland
United Kingdom
This club has been a significant feature in the sporting culture of East Belfast and boasts excellent facilities, including three floodlit artificial grass courts as well as a superb clubhouse. The club enters its teams in all the Belfast and District leagues, in addition to which club play is arranged twice a week. Annual club tournaments and social events round off the club’s calendar.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews
Fife
Scotland
United Kingdom
Located on St. Andrews, which is regarded as the alma mater of golf due to the overwhelming patronage received by the game from both royalty and religious leaders, the club traces its history to the 18th century and attracts many golf pilgrims from around the world for the sheer experience of playing at the world’s oldest surviving courses. The club has played a singularly decisive role in establishing the rules of the game and has emerged as the game’s most powerful authority in Britain.
Beckenham Cricket Club
Foxgrove Road
Bromley
London
England
United Kingdom
Despite its name, the club offers tennis, field hockey, and squash, and boasts excellent facilities including immaculate pitches, junior and senior teams to represent the club in the leagues and friendly matches, 18 grass, acrylic, and tarmac floodlit tennis courts, 4 super-heated squash courts, and a field hockey ground. The club also hosts fun cross-country events for running enthusiasts.
Thames Motor Yacht Club
Hampton Court Road
East Molesey
England
United Kingdom
Founded in 1930, the Thames Motor Yacht Club is one of the oldest boating clubs on the River Thames, and has over 300 members, mostly local and some overseas, who enjoy a fulfilling boating and social experience. The club is very much a family affair with many present members belonging to the next generation of past members.
School Sports
Physical education in British schools is compulsory for all students up to the age of 16 but it is common knowledge that Britain is far behind in providing an optimum level of physical education in schools when compared to other European countries. According to a survey conducted by the European Union of Physical Education Associations, the country ranks 13th in the number of hours of physical education allotted for schoolchildren and England has the highest rates of child obesity in Europe. State sector schools have been criticized for doing too little to encourage sports participation and a healthy lifestyle, and there has been widespread discontent over sales of school playing fields for urban development. The situation in independent schools is, however, very encouraging and these schools have consistently churned out a disproportionate number of elite competitors in many disciplines of sport. In 2003, the government launched a strategy to increase the number of children and young people (between 5 and 16 years) who participate in sporting activities within and beyond the curriculum. There is also an ambitious plan to offer at least 85 percent of the children a minimum of four hours for sports activities every week by developing new and refurbished community sports facilities in schools.
Although soccer, cricket, and track and field are the bedrock of school sports (99 percent of the schools offer soccer), of late, a variety of new sports are being encouraged in order to increase participation and ensure greater health benefits. Golf, cycling, archery, and boxing are being offered in the physical education curriculum of many schools in London. Netball and rounders (a ball game similar to baseball) are also popular sports at the junior level, particularly among girls, who have also, in recent times, taken to traditionally male games such as soccer, field hockey, and rugby in a big way.
Collegiate sports have a low profile in the UK as compared to many other countries. Elite competitors in the soccer and rugby league rarely go to college and sports clubs have more to do with coaching budding professionals than university clubs. The British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) administers university sports in the United Kingdom and is in charge of conducting inter-university sports and organizing representative teams for the World University Games. BUSA, however, remains a low profile organization as British university sports, with the exception of a few events, is not followed by the general public, as much as the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) events in the United States. Of late, however, there has been an increasing trend to establish university centers of excellence in several sports, cricket being a notable example. BUSA governs 151 universities, 3,200 teams, and more than 500 leagues of all kinds of sports across Britain and caters to around 1.2 million students. The domestic leagues are split into weekly leagues and Championship events and the latter includes sports such as athletics, cycling, and trampolining (a sport in which gymnasts perform acrobatics on a trampoline). The weekly leagues are conducted for soccer, field hockey, basketball, and volleyball, and have a regional league, with top teams being promoted to knockout rounds.
One of the most prominent events on the university sports calendar is the British University Games, the battleground for university athletes from the four British Home Nations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Overall Trustees Trophy is awarded to the home team with the maximum medal tally in five sports, namely soccer, badminton, basketball, field hockey, and netball. The University Boat Race held every spring traces its origin to 1829, when students at Oxford and Cambridge, Britain's two oldest and most prestigious universities, held the first ever race against each other on the Thames River. The race was won by Oxford and a long tradition was born which continues to this day. The teams are called "the blues," and each of the boats is called the "Blue Boat." The famous boat race provides London with a festive atmosphere and as part of the traditional kick-off to the race, the ceremonial toss of the gold sovereign takes place to determine on which side of the river each crew will row. Bars and pubs positioned on the start line of the race are a hub of activity as fans and cheerers toast the crews. The winning crew is said to be 'Head of the River' and its boat club holds a traditional bonfire to burn one of its older boats. The event, regarded as the quintessential tradition of British culture, attracts a quarter of a million live spectators (including alumni of the universities and rowing enthusiasts among the general public), nine million television viewers in the UK, and around five million overseas viewers. In addition, the event has on several occasions produced Olympic-level rowers. The Varsity Match, a rugby union game played annually at Twickenham Stadium between the Cambridge and Oxford university teams, also boasts a large spectatorship, attracts the national media, and is steeped in the history of rugby in the country.
Professional Sports
Professional sports has become an important aspect of the home nation identity, and each nation in the United Kingdom has begun to compete as a separate nation in some international sporting events (with the exception of the Olympic Games, in which the country fields combined teams under the name of "Great Britain.") The English soccer, cricket (representing England and Wales), and rugby union teams have contributed to an increasing sense of English identity. Northern Ireland, too, has its share of professional sports and has a high level of participation and spectatorship in the all-island competitions, although television and computer games have been wooing away a good part of the sport audience in recent times. An athlete from Northern Ireland can choose to represent Ireland or Great Britain at the Olympics. All-weather sports like soccer, rugby union, and golf dominate the professional sporting scene of the Scots. One of the most fascinating aspects of Scottish sports culture is the highland games. These are so closely linked to Scottish and Celtic cultures that many traditions of the games, like the bagpipes, kilt, and the caber toss, have become national symbols of Scotland. The Cowal Games, held in Dunoon every August, is a great sporting spectacle that attracts 3,500 competitors and 20,000 spectators from around the globe.
Soccer, rugby, and cricket remain the most popular spectator sports, and soccer reigns supreme among them with more than 45,000 clubs catering to all ages and both sexes. Other popular spectator sports include horse racing, show jumping, and motor sports, which includes Formula One, rallying, and speedway. UK sportsmen and women hold world titles in a variety of sports such as boxing, rowing, snooker, squash, track and field, and motor sports.
As in most Western countries, perceptions and representations of sports and sports persons have changed dramatically in the UK. Mass media and commercialization have transformed sports into a tool for marketing products. High profile product endorsements and big media sponsorship deals have turned many athletes into international heroes, celebrity stars, and cultural icons. David Beckham, former captain of England’s national soccer team, cricket hero Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff, and soccer star Wayne Rooney are some of the sports personalities in the country who have been elevated to a status beyond imagination.
Other Notable Soccer Players:
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton
Gary Lineker
Sir Geoffrey Hurst
Peter Shiltonis
Alan Shearer
Gordon Banks
Joseph Kevin Keegan
Denis Law "The King"
George Best
Michael James Owen
David Andrew Seaman MBE
George Terry
Frank James Lampard
Steven Gerrard
Ryan Giggs
Robert "Robbie" Fowler
Gary Speed
Gareth Bale
Kenneth "Kenny" Dalglish
Barry Ferguson
Other Notable Cricket Players:
Andrew Flintoff
Kevin Pietersen
William Gilbert Grace
Sir Ian Botham
Herbert Sutcliffe
Wally Hammond
Len Hutton
James Charles Laker (Jim Laker)
Geoffrey Boycott
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs ("The Master")
David Gower
Graham Gooch
Mike Atherton
Anthony "Tony" Greig
Notable Tennis Players:
Fred Perry
Timothy "Tim" Henman
Greg Rusedski
Andy and Jamie Murray (brothers)
Notable Racecar Drivers:
David Coulthard
Lewis Hamilton
Norman Graham Hill
Damon Hill (his son)
Jenson Button
Nigel Mansell
Notable Golfers:
Colin Montgomerie
Nicholas "Nick" Faldo
Justin Rose
Notable Snooker Players:
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Stephen Maguire
Shaun Murphy
John Higgins
Paul Hunter
Jimmy White
Steve Davis
Alex "Hurricane" Higgins
Notable Boxers:
Lennox Claudius Lewis
Joe Calzaghe
Ricky Hatton
Notable Cyclists:
Chris Boardman
Bradley Wiggins
Chris Hoy
Jamie Staff
Jason Queally
Graeme Obree
Other Notable Athletes:
Martin Osborne Johnson (Rugby)
Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson (Rugby)
Francis Morgan Thompson (Decathlon)
Linford Christie (Track)
Jonathan Edwards (Triple Jump)
Sir Stephen Geoffrey Redgrave (Rowing)
Darren Appleton (English 8-Ball Pool)
Nigel Short (Chess)
Dominant and Popular Teams – Soccer
Founded in 1878 and based at the Old Trafford stadium in Trafford, the Manchester United Football Club is one of the most popular, successful, and richest soccer clubs in the world, with over 50 million supporters. Their achievements include several wins in domestic league and European championships as well as one win at the World Club Championships.The Liverpool Football Club, based out of Merseyside, is often regarded as the most successful club in the English Premier League, having won the most (18) English League titles, five European Cups, and several other cup competitions. Arsenal Football Club, an English professional soccer club in north London, is one of the prominent clubs in the Premier League whose achievements include numerous Premier League titles and FA Cup wins. The club has been closely identified with the role of soccer in British culture and has appeared in a number of media "firsts." Chelsea Football Club, popularly known as "The Blues," is a top tier English professional soccer club based in west London. They were hugely successful during the 1960s, early 1970s, and the late 1990s and have won several league titles, FA Cup tournaments, League Cup competitions, and two UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Cup Winners' Cups. These four clubs are together known as the "Big Four" of English soccer and generally dominate all domestic competitions. Rangers Football Club, a Scottish club that plays in the Scottish Premier League, has won over 50 league titles, a world record, and many other major trophies. Another Scottish soccer club, the Celtic Football Club, also competes in the Scottish Premier League and is an immensely popular club with an estimated fan base of approximately nine million.
Rivalries between top tier clubs and teams are commonplace, particularly in soccer and are spurred on by many factors including proximity, frequent meetings during a season, competition for league points and silverware as well as competition in the local derbies, (which most fan bases are more enthusiastic about). One of the oldest and fiercest rivalries in the world of soccer exists between the two primary contenders in the Scottish league, Celtics and Glasgow Rangers. Often referred to as the Old Firm rivalry (by virtue of the financial benefits that came to be associated with soccer games when Scottish clubs began gaining momentum in the late 19th century), matches between the two teams have always been action packed with plenty of crowd trouble and violence on (and sometimes, off) the soccer grounds. Glasgow Rangers fans typically fly their Union flags while Celtic followers wave the Irish tricolor and there are strong religious, political, and sociological differences are at the root of this rivalry. The other famous rivalry that never fails to make headlines is the one between Manchester United and Liverpool, the two super-heavyweights of English soccer. They have a huge fan following, the largest club stadiums in Britain, have been pitted against each other numerous times, and are two of the most successful clubs in English soccer. Intense rivalries also exist between other clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester United; and Everton and Liverpool.
Dominant & Popular Teams – Rugby
Leicester Football Club (nicknamed Leicester Tigers) is a professional English rugby union club and one of the most successful, winning the Heineken Cup twice and the league five times, all in a period spanning 7 years. The team has never been relegated from the top division and has always remained in the first six positions in every league season.
Dominant and Popular Teams – Cricket
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of England’s most prominent county clubs that make up England’s domestic cricket organization. The famous Oval cricket ground in Kennington is the club’s home ground. The club also has a limited-overs (One Day matches) team called the Surrey Brown Caps. The club has had a spate of victories in major and minor county championships and has capped several wins in the National league divisions and the Benson & Hedges Cup. Yorkshire County Cricket Club plays most of its home games at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium in Leeds and has a limited-overs team called the Yorkshire Phoenix. The club has had many wins in the county championships and is also relatively successful in the National League and the Benson & Hedges Cup. The Middlesex County Cricket Club is an important member of the big-18 county clubs that make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure. Its home games take place at the Lord's Cricket Ground in St. John's Wood and its limited-overs team is called the Middlesex Crusaders.
Women
According to latest estimates, participation of women in regular sports is around 19 percent as compared to 24 percent with men, while in the 16-24 age group, women’s participation is only half that of men (24 percent versus 41 percent). The low representation can be attributed to many factors including age, socio-economic factors, and regional differences. In addition, there is a general tendency among British women to take up sports that are not competitive or to pursue sports that do not require them to join teams. Gender inequity in sports with respect to sponsorships, athlete earnings, media coverage, and the support received from UK Sport and Home Country Sports, is quite significant. Of late, however, there has been a coordinated effort by UK Sport and Women’s Sports Foundation to increase women’s participation and involvement in all aspects of sports and to erase gender equality in all levels of sports.
Outside of school, swimming is the most popular sports activity amongst girls with 53 percent taking part at least 10 times a year. Others, in order of popularity, are cycling, roller-skating/roller blading, walking, soccer, and tennis. The women’s leagues in top competitions in soccer, rugby union, and cricket are semi-professional and are, for the most part, affiliates of their male club counterparts. Most players rely on part-time jobs or schooling and have far to go before they can become full professionals. The same situation exists in elite sports such as golf and tennis, in which women’s competition is not as high profile as that of the men’s.
A list of prominent female soccer players in the country include Eniola Aluko (playing for Chelsea Ladies and winner of the 2003 Young Player of the Year award), Gilly Louise Scarlett Flaherty (a highly promising striker and part of the Arsenal squad that won the UEFA Women's Cup, FA Women's National Premier League, FA Women's Cup, and the FA Women's Premier League Cup in a row), Alex Scott, Vicky Exley, captain of the Women's Premier League and top scorer for her club with nearly 50 appearances on the England's national side, and Sue Lopez. Others like Mary Phillip, Faye White, Amanda Barr, Julie Fleeting (Scottish), Jayne Ludlow, and Jade Thomas (both Welsh) have also contributed greatly to the development of the game in the UK. Although the country is home to the legendary Wimbledon, British players (both women and men) have not really had an impact at the international level except perhaps for Sarah Virginia Wade who won three Grand Slam singles titles (including Wimbledon in 1977) and four Grand Slam doubles titles. Laura Davies is a highly successful golfer who has won several events on both the Ladies European and LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Tour. Catriona Matthew, a Scot, is also a prominent golfer on the LPGA Tour. Women’s cycling has been hugely popular starting with the late Beryl Burton, five-time winner of the World Championships and regarded as one of the top women athletes of Britain, to the 2007 World Champion Nicole Cooke (Welsh), regarded as one of the best female cyclists in the world. Kim, a water ski racer and British Champion for 7 years claimed the title at the 14th World Water-Ski Racing Championships, becoming the first British World Champion in over 20 years. Zara Phillips, a top class equestrienne, was voted 2006 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Denise Lewis, a heptathlon specialist, achieved her best at the 2000 Sydney Olympics by winning the gold. Sally Gunnell is a former Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles and a world record holder at the 1993 World Championships. Paula Radcliffe is one of the world’s most famous long distance runners and holder of 10 world records in the sport. In addition to winning almost all of the world’s leading marathons, her achievements include winning several World and European Championship gold medals.
Major Spectator Sporting Events
English Premier League (Soccer)
Date: August to May
Location: Venues throughout England
Description: The English Premier League is the top division of professional league competition for soccer clubs in English soccer. Regarded as one of the world's most watched and most lucrative soccer leagues, it consists of 20 clubs who play each other twice during the course of the season, once at home and the other away, resulting in a total of 380 games in each season. At the end of each season, the club with the maximum number of points is crowned as the league champion while the lowest placed three clubs are relegated to the second division and replaced by the top three clubs of that division. The top four finishers earn various places in the UEFA Champions League and the fifth-placed team qualifies directly for the UEFA Cup.
Scottish Premier League (Soccer)
Date: July to May
Location: Venues throughout Scotland
Description: The Scottish Premier League is the highest level of professional league competition for Scottish soccer clubs. The league contains 12 clubs and follows a "split league format," according to which every club plays every other club three times after which the division is split into two halves, the first six play enter a playoff to determine the league champion while the last six enter the relegation playoffs. The winner of the first group is declared the season’s league champion while the last placed club in the second group is relegated and replaced by the champion of the second division. Scotland has the highest spectatorship in domestic top-level leagues as compared to other European nations.
League of Wales (Soccer)
Date: August to April
Location: Venues throughout Wales
Description: The Welsh Premiership is the national soccer league in Wales and the highest level of club competition for domestic soccer clubs. The champions of the Welsh Premiership qualify for the UEFA Champions League while the runner-up qualifies for the UEFA Cup. The third placed team in the league qualifies for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Although the league has sometimes failed to garner enough attention from the Welsh national press, live broadcasts of many of their matches are aired on both BBC Wales and S4C.
Wimbledon Championships (Tennis)
Date: June to July
Location: London
Description: The Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon is considered the most important and prestigious of the four Grand Slams on the international tennis circuit. Having carved a niche for itself in the world of elite sports with its tradition of royal attendance, strawberries and cream, and suave umpires (to say nothing of the unpredictable rains), the event attracts the best players in the world from more than 60 nations and is watched by more than 500,000 fans and millions of television viewers from around the globe. The five main events include Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.
British Grand Prix (Motor Racing)
Date: July
Location: Silverstone Circuit
Description: A part of the FIA Formula One World Championship series, the British Grand Prix is one of the world’s oldest (dating back to 1926) and most prestigious motor racing events. The race has been held mostly in the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, which, after being restructured in 1991, has come to be regarded as one of the fastest and most challenging tracks on the Formula 1 calendar. The annual event, whose glamor and intensity are matched by few events in the world’s sporting calendar, attracts hundreds of thousands of race fans as well as worldwide media attention.
British Open Golf Championship (The Open)
Date: July
Location: Different venue each year throughout the United Kingdom
Description: Administered by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (the oldest golf club in the world), this is the only major golf championship held outside the US and takes place every year on one of nine historic links courses in Britain. The tournament carries purse money of £4.2 million (about US$8.5 million). The weekend event attracts many of the game’s top professionals and more than 100,000 spectators, and is avidly watched by millions on television.
Scottish Open (Golf)
Date: July
Location: Loch Lomond Golf Club
Description: Seen as a perfect prelude to the British Open, this golf tournament attracts a field of professionals from the US as well as the top players on the European Tour and is ranked among the most lucrative tournaments on the European Tour, with a prize money purse of £3 million (US$6 million).Played mostly at the Loch Lomond golf course (ranked eleventh in the world’s top 100 courses), the event attracts a record number of spectators and has helped raise money for charity.
Women's British Open (Golf)
Date: August
Location: Different venue each year
Description: Established by the Ladies' Golf Union in 1976, the Women's British Open is one of the major tournaments on both LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) and Ladies European Tour. Although initially the organizers struggled to get the premier courses to host the event and had to content with the best of the "second-tier" courses, of late, some of the links courses have offered to host the event. For the first time in the tournament’s history, the Open was hosted by the legendary St. Andrews course in 2007, when it offered a prize money purse of £1,050,000 (about US$2,105,200).
London Marathon
Date: April
Location: Route winds through London
Description: Since 1981, this road race has been a popular event in the United Kingdom’s sporting calendar. Many of the world's leading long-distance runners (including Olympic and World champions), along with about 30,000 runners of lesser caliber (including amateurs), participate in the Men's Elite race, which is watched by more than 100,000 spectators. Participants have to apply in advance and go through a training schedule prior to the run. The event also has an eleemosynary purpose with many runners taking part in colorful costumes to raise funds. The marathon route winds its way through many of London’s famous landmarks and is aired live on television, making it one of the country’s favorite sporting occasions.
Epsom Derby (Horse Racing)
Date: First Saturday in June
Location: Epsom Downs, Surrey
Description: The Derby is one of the five British Classic Races, the second leg of the English Triple Crown, and one of the most celebrated races in the history of thoroughbred horse racing. Although the first recorded race is believed to have taken place in 1661, the competition in its current form originated at a celebration following the first running of the Epsom Oaks in 1779. The Group 1 race takes place each year in June at the prestigious Epsom Downs Racecourse and is run by three-year-old colts and fillies. Of late, however, the event features mostly only colts. Many Derby contenders are trained for the race by running in the Derby Trials. Derby winners proceed to the big international races such as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France and the Breeders' Cup in the US, held later in the season. The Derby stirs up great interest among the betting fraternity and there is a host of betting possibilities on offer with on-line information on the latest odds from the major bookmakers. The race offers a total prize money purse of £1.25 (US$2.5 million) and includes many additional events like a Ladies Day (with a prize for the winner of the "Style on the Downs" competition), several parties, a market, and food and bar stalls.
Two Thousand Guineas (Horse Racing)
Date: Late April or early May
Location: Newmarket
Description: This is a Group 1 flat horse race for three-year-old thoroughbreds that originated in 1809 and is one of the two major English classic races (the Epsom Derby being the other) and one of five British Classic Races. The race takes its name from the original purse money of 2,000 guineas and is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 meters) at the Newmarket Racecourse in Suffolk in April or May. The race has been amongst the very highest betting turnover races of the season with a high profile on and off the course betting.
County Championship (Cricket)
Date: April to September
Location: Venues throughout England
Description: The County Championship, which traces its origin to 1889, is the highest level of professional domestic cricket in England. The championship comprises a total of 18 county teams, divided equally into the First Division and Second Division. All the teams are from England with the exception of Glamorgan, which is a Welsh county team. Each team plays the eight others in its division and at the end of the season, the two lowest placed teams from the first division are relegated to the second division and replaced by the champion and runner-up from that division.
NatWest Series (Cricket)
Date: June to August
Location: Venues all over England
Description: Started in 2000, this annual One Day International cricket tournament held in England involves matches between the home side and two touring teams of the current season. The series includes nine matches played across several famous venues in England and ends with the final match traditionally taking place at Lord's cricket ground. The series is known for producing high-scoring exciting matches and is generally contested by some of the world’s top cricket powerhouses.
Twenty20 Cup (Cricket)
Date: June
Location: Venues throughout England
Description: The Twenty20 Cup is a cricket competition for English and Welsh county clubs that focuses on fast scoring and aggressive batting. Each team is allotted 20 overs (instead of the usual 50 in One Day Internationals) and the format has proved a huge success (particularly with families) as it provides for very exciting cricket and produces a result in three hours or less. Spectators are provided with plenty of activities for entertainment including paddling pools, inflatable bouncy castles, bowling speed-guns, and prizes for catching a ball hit for a six. The final match always features a performance by a major pop group, adding to the overall excitement.
All England Open Badminton Championships
Date: March
Location: National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
Description: The All England Open Badminton Championships (more commonly known simply as the All-England Open) is the oldest badminton tournaments in the world and also among the most prestigious. First held in 1899, the tournament was considered the world championship until 1977. The tournament has five categories, namely, men’s and women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles, and attracts the top players in the world every year.
Tour of Britain (Cycling)
Date: September
Location: Route varies each year
Description: This cycle race is a British parallel to the famous Tour de France and is an important event in the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) Europe Tour series, attracting regional, national, and international interest. It features about 17 of the world's top cycling teams (each comprising six riders) racing round the British countryside for the coveted title. The race comprises six stages that covers a total distance of over 950 kilometers (590 miles) through some of the most scenic spots of England's countryside and traditionally culminates in a thrilling sprint finish. The overall win is based on the best timing in all the six stages while titles are also awarded for the individual stages, best climber, and best sprinter.
Wales Rally GB (Motor Racing)
Date: November or December
Location: Around the city of Cardiff, Wales
Description: The Wales Rally GB is the most prestigious car rally race in the United Kingdom and a part of the FIA World Rally Championship series. The event brings together around 120 of the world's best rally drivers and features a route consisting of 17 stages and raced over a three-day period. The race begins ceremoniously at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium and courses through some of the toughest terrains of south and west Wales and attracts around one million spectators. Highlights include the special spectator stage at Walter's Arena, the Saturday night spectacle featuring stunts and pyrotechnics, and the finale at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium.
Guinness Premiership (Rugby)
Date: September to May
Location: Venues throughout the United Kingdom
Description: Played since 1987, the Guinness Premiership is a professional league competition for rugby union clubs in the top division. The Premiership has 12 clubs and the format features a total of 22 rounds and at the end of the season, the top four clubs enter the semi-finals, with the first and second placed clubs earning home matches against the fourth and third placed teams, respectively. The winning teams enter the finals and the winner of the final is the season’s champion. The lowest placed team is relegated to the National Division One and the champion of that division is promoted to the Premiership. The top Guinness Premiership clubs also compete in the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup, Europe’s top rugby competitions.
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