2009 to highlight 'best in British sport'
Andy Burnham claims UK should embrace sport
The coming year will emphasise the best in British sport with efforts being made to encourage youngsters to become more active, according to the culture secretary.
Andy Burnham states that the London Olympic Games, the Ryder Cup and the cricket world cup are all set to take place in the next decade, meaning the UK needs to become more involved with sport.
"There has never been a better time to take up sport and we want everyone to make it their new year's resolution to contribute to the growing success story that is British sport," he says.
Mr Burnham adds that if people do not want to take part in sport directly they can still become involved with community efforts by coaching, volunteering or helping friends and family to take part.
Initiatives across the nation to help people develop a passion for sport include free swimming for under 16s and over 60s from April and schools aiming to have youngsters doing five hours of sporting activity a week.
New research has highlighted that as well as keeping people fit, sport can provide bonding opportunities for families.
A study by E.ON suggests that three-quarters of parents believe that a football ground is the best place to bond with their offspring, with almost half of families using trips to see a match as an opportunity to bring up hard-to-discuss topics.
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