Sport in Great Britain

The British like sport very much. They are fond of all kinds of sports. Many sports were invented in Great Britain and then spread throughout the world. Sports became popular long ago. In the 19-th century sport was organised at public schools so that young people could develop their physical abilities. But shortly afterwards the idea was borrowed by businessmen who started to organise football and other sports for their workers. From the 1960s commercial companies began to sponsor different British sports and activities. The national British sports are: football, golf, cricket, tennis, racing. Like everyone else the British adore football. Moreover, the Englishmen invented it.

Nobody can say for sure when people started playing football on the British Isles. It is important however, that current uniform rules of the game were settled only in the 19-th century. At that time there was a great debate, whether one could use his hand to kick the ball or not. Those who wanted to permit the players to carry the ball with their hands united to form rugby. Rugby is played by teams of 15 men with an oval ball. Those who insisted on playing with feet and head only had the majority and that was the beginning of football as everybody knows it today. In Great Britain and more often in the United States football is called soccer to distinguish the game from American football, the game that has much in common with rugby.

Soccer, played almost in all countries, remains one of the most popular games in Great Britain. Each team consists of field players and one goalkeeper. Only the goalkeeper is permitted to take the ball into his hands. The game lasts for 90 minutes with a 15 minute break between two halves 45 minutes each. Most British towns and cities have a football team. Every year, each team in England plays in the Football Association competition. The two best teams play in the Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London. It is one of the biggest sporting events of the year.

Let's speak about golf. No one is exactly sure when golf was first played, but it's generally agreed that it was invented by the Scots. The earliest mentions of it were in 1457, when King James II of Scotland banned golf and football as he thought the games were distracting young men from their archery practice! The first golf club to be set up was Royal Blackheath, where the original 13 rules of golf were written.

Now, around 2.5 million people in the UK play golf, and nearly 55 million worldwide - that's nearly as many people as the entire population of the UK! There are over 5,000 golf courses in the UK, including world - famous courses such as St Andrews, Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool and The Belfry, which have all staged top golf events such as the Open and the Ryder Cup.

Another traditional British game is cricket. Unlike football cricket is not widely spread outside the British Isles. Cricket is a summer game, it is played in schools, colleges, universities. Cricket is a very long and a very slow game. There are two teams. Each team consists of eleven men. The «bowler» throws the ball, and a «batsman» hits it with his bat.

Tennis is also very popular in Britain. Two different games that do not have much in common bear the name of tennis - lawn tennis and table tennis. Both games first appeared in England, but today the British prefer lawn tennis to table tennis. Every summer, in June, the biggest tournament in the world takes place at Wimbledon. This world centre of lawn tennis is located in a suburb of London. Millions of people watch the Wimbledon Championship on TV. Table tennis originated in England in 1880. But the British players are not lucky in table tennis international championships.

Motor sports or car racing is very popular in Britain. Formula One is the top form of motor racing, it is complex and uses very advanced technology. Britain has a rich history in the sport, and has had many great motor racing drivers and champions. British drivers have won 12 World Championships since 1950, more than any other country.

You'll find some of the worlds most famous racetracks in Britain. There are 14 motor racing circuits, 56 hill climbs and 3 drag racing venues in Britain (the number of hill climbing and sprint venues is steadily increasing). So whatever motor sport you're interested in, you'll find a track for you in Britain.

Horseracing is also one of the most popular spectator sports in Britain, and with 59 racecourses, there's a meeting somewhere in Britain every week of the year. And there's a race for everyone, whether you're a family, a couple or a group of friends.

There are 2 types of horseracing in Britain. Flat Racing, which usually takes place in the summer months, and is run on a flat surface - either turf or an all-weather surface. And Jump Racing, which is prominent in the winter and takes place on courses with steeplechase fences or hurdles.

A day at the races is a great day out, and children are welcome at most race meetings. Children under 16 who are accompanied by an adult also enter free at most racecourses, making it an even better family day out. Some racecourses and special racing events such as Royal Ascot have a strict dress code, and some have no dress code.