Sports in the UK

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/uk-culture/leisure
 GREAT BRITAIN
The British are very fond of sports, but many people
prefer to watch rather than take part.
• Cricket, soccer, rugby, tennis, squash, table tennis,
badminton, canoeing and snooker were all
invented in Britain.
• The first rules for such sports as boxing, golf,
hockey, yachting and horse-racing also originated
from Britain.
HOW DO PEOPLE SPEND THEIR
FREE TIME?
• over the last 30 or 40 years
- lifestyles have changed
– instead of walking → cars,
buses
– many fatty sugary foods
– watching TV, computer

however,

• recently – there has been

growing interest in fitness
among young people
• most towns have
– amateur football, cricket team
– tennis courts
– sports centres
• badminton, squash, swimming,
aerobics, keep-fit, weight
training ,yoga, jazz dancing
• many towns have golf fields
• many people go running,
jogging, or cycling
• older people may play bowls
Most popular participatory sports in the UK
(2013)
 Sports in Britain – a national passion
• main form of entertainment
for a lot of men
• millions are regular
spectators and readers of
sports newspapers
• anything could be a sport–
snooker, darts, board games
– all have
competitions/national
champions
 London 2012
• Olympics and the
Paralympics (2nd time after
1948)
– millions of people came to
watch
– around 10,500 athletes from
204 National Olympic
Committees took part
– new stadiums were built (the
main Olympic stadium, a
basketball arena, a velopark
etc.)
• the most popular sport in GB
• the British invented it and it has Football
spread to every corner of the
world
• professional matches every
week from August to May
• the best teams e.g.: Manchester
United, Liverpool, Chelsea,
Arsenal –world famous
• British Premier League
• FA Cup Final (May, Wembley
Stadium London) the most
important day in the football
calendar
• 1863 - the Football
Association drew up the
rules
• 1888 - 12 clubs joined
together to form the first
Football League
• 1966 - England won the
World Cup
• ever best players –
Bobby Charlton, Gary
Lineker, David Beckham,
Wayne Rooney and
Gareth Bale
 Football
There is no British national team.
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
compete separately in European and World Cup
matches
Cricket
• very much the English
game
• first played in the 16th
century – by the 18th
national sport
• a match can take 5 days
— and still end in a
draw
• the game to be played
on the ‘village green’
 Cricket

• is much more than a sport  it symbolizes the

slow, peaceful rural way of life which the English
love
• is well known and liked everywhere in the
countries of the Commonwealth
• especially liked in India
 • name from the English
Rugby public school - Rugby,
where, about a century
ago, a boy picked up a
soccer ball and started
to run with it.

• players can hold the egg

shaped ball and tackle
each other to get the
ball
 Rugby
Rugby Union is played by
amateurs in teams of 15 in
the south of England and in
Wales (where it is the national sport)

Rugby League is played by

professionals in teams of 13
in the north of England.
Tennis • modern tennis evolved in
England in the late 19th c.
• plenty of tennis clubs, in towns
- tennis courts in public parks
• most famous tournament in the
world - Wimbledon
– great public interest
– the only „Grand Slam”
played on grass
– strawberries and cream
– hope-the rain will stay away
– Andy Murray –Scotland 2013
winner (after 77 years a
British winner)
• invented by the Scots in
the 15th c. Golf
• St. Andrews in Scotland
is known as the home of
golf
• public and private golf
courses all over the UK
• golf courses (together with
the bars in their club houses) are
popular meeting places
of the business
community
• http://www.perrygolf.com/scotlandgolfcourses/
oldcoursestandrewsscotland.shtml
• long history → Roman
times Horse racing
• long association with
royalty
• racecourses all over the UK
– races every day except
Sunday
• betting on horse races is
very popular
– a tenth of all British men bet
regularly on horse races,
many of them never going to
a race course
 • famous events:
Horse racing – The Derby: at Epsom, south of
London, in May or June -
England's leading flat race

– The Royal Ascot: near Windsor

in June -very fashionable. The
Queen always attends. 3rd day
Ladies’ Day - hats 
– The Grand National: at
Aintree, near Liverpool, over 7
km and 30 jumps , a dangerous
steeplechase race - Jockeys
have been hurt, horses have
been killed
 Highland Games
• sport, fun and culture in a
uniquely Scottish style
• heavy contests
– hammer throw
– weight for height
– caber tossing

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=W5GW6Ar71F0
• Music Highland Games
– bands of pipers and
drummers
• Dancing – Highland
Dancing
– titles: solo, groups
• the sword dance and the
famous Highland fling
– Colourful outfits
• Clan celebrations
– tug war
– today more of a social
and ceremonial affair