Latest news with #sport
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Rachael Mackenzie launches Youth Sport Trust's National School Sports Week
British boxing champion Rachael Mackenzie highlighted the transformational power of sport as she helped to launch the Youth Sport Trust's National School Sports Week on Monday. The Thai boxing world champion was attending a day full of activity at Dame Dorothy Primary School in Sunderland as part of the campaign promoting the importance of daily physical activity by encouraging schools, families, and communities to engage in 60 minutes of PE, sport, and play. Advertisement Mackenzie took part in a Q&A with pupils and got stuck into activities, including hockey sessions led by the pupils, knowing firsthand the power sport has to positively impact lives. 'Sport for me as an individual was transformational. I was a fairly inactive teenager, and I found my sport of Thai boxing at 18 years of age having come through some really significant mental health problems,' she explained. 'It was actually finding sport and learning to thrive in that environment that taught me how to manage my own mental health because sport's a great place for children to learn to fail but also to learn their strengths. 'Personally, it was sport that gave me that robustness and resilience to be able to cope with life really and to cope with everything that life throws at you.' Advertisement Now, Mackenzie is passing on that impact of sport as a Youth Sport Trust Athlete Mentor with the need for the awareness of the positive impact of sport greater than ever. Research shows that less than a third of teachers and parents are currently aware that children and young people should be active for 60 minutes a day. 'It's really important for kids to remain active over the course of the day because it's one of the foundations of normal brain development,' said Mackenzie. 'Active children have happier, healthier, bigger brains, brains that are primed for learning. We see in brain imaging but also in results for young people that those children who are active outperform those inactive young people. Advertisement 'So young people who meet those recommended daily 60 minutes actually perform better academically. We see that those children are more productive and, most importantly for me, those children are happier.' Dame Dorothy Primary School are setting the standard for schools looking to incorporate more movement into their school day with an 'always active uniform' that allows children to move freely throughout the day and a perimeter path for children to go on runs at school. 'It's a real joy to be here at Dame Dorothy for the start of National School Sports Week,' added Mackenzie. 'The opportunities for the children here are absolutely outstanding but what I have loved more than anything is the energy and the enthusiasm of the young people themselves.' National School Sports Week is an annual campaign by the Youth Sport Trust, dedicated to celebrating the power of PE, sport, and play to build brighter futures. This year, powered by Sports Direct x Under Armour, marks the 30th anniversary of the Youth Sport Trust, who is a UK leading children's charity for improving young people's wellbeing through sport and play. Visit
Associated Press
14 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
British sports get $1.2B from government to help host major events
LONDON (AP) — British sport is getting a cash injection of more than 900 million pounds ($1.2 billion) from the government to help with the staging of big events such as the men's European Championship soccer tournament and Grand Departs in the Tour de France. The money will also be used to help deliver a bid by soccer federations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to host the Women's World Cup in 2035, the government said Thursday in announcing the funding commitment. While more than 400 million pounds ($540 million) will go toward investment in new and upgraded grassroots facilities around Britain, the rest of the money will be spent on what the government described as 'major sporting events.' They include the men's Euros in 2028, staged alongside Ireland, as well as the Grand Departs of the Tour de France in men's and women's cycling in 2027 and the European Athletics Championships in 2026. 'Together, this strategic investment in sport will help to deliver on the government's mission to kickstart economic growth by creating jobs, driving regional prosperity and encouraging visitors to the UK,' the government said in a statement. 'It is also designed to reduce barriers to opportunity, bring communities together through shared national moments and showcase the best of the UK to the world.' ___ AP sports:
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
British sports get $1.2B from government to help host major events
LONDON (AP) — British sport is getting a cash injection of more than 900 million pounds ($1.2 billion) from the government to help with the staging of big events such as the men's European Championship soccer tournament and Grand Departs in the Tour de France. The money will also be used to help deliver a bid by soccer federations in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to host the Women's World Cup in 2035, the government said Thursday in announcing the funding commitment. Advertisement While more than 400 million pounds ($540 million) will go toward investment in new and upgraded grassroots facilities around Britain, the rest of the money will be spent on what the government described as 'major sporting events.' They include the men's Euros in 2028, staged alongside Ireland, as well as the Grand Departs of the Tour de France in men's and women's cycling in 2027 and the European Athletics Championships in 2026. 'Together, this strategic investment in sport will help to deliver on the government's mission to kickstart economic growth by creating jobs, driving regional prosperity and encouraging visitors to the UK,' the government said in a statement. 'It is also designed to reduce barriers to opportunity, bring communities together through shared national moments and showcase the best of the UK to the world.' ___ AP sports:
The Independent
15 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
DCMS announces £900m funding for grassroots sport and major events including Euros and Tour de France
The government has announced £900m of investment in British sport, with £500m going towards hosting global events and £400m allocated to grassroots facilities. The list of events in line for major government backing include the 2027 Tour de France, which will see the men's race begin in Edinburgh and take in Wales and England en route; Euro 2028, played out across the four home nations and Ireland; and the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. The government expects the men's Euros alone to generate a £2.5bn economic boost across the UK. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport secretary Lisa Nandy said: 'This major backing for world-class events will drive economic growth across the country, delivering on our Plan for Change. 'Coupled with strong investment into grassroots sport, we're creating a complete pathway to allow the next generation of sporting heroes to train and take part in sport in communities across the UK.' The grassroots funding is designed to support local sports clubs to build new pitches, changing rooms, floodlights and other facilities for communities across the country. Chris Boardman, chair of Sport England said: 'The government's continued investment into grassroots sport facilities is welcome news; the nation's pitches, pools and leisure centres play a pivotal role in keeping people moving. 'With every £1 invested in community sport and physical activity generating £4.20 in value for our economy, supporting grassroots facilities isn't just good for public health — it's a smart investment in the nation's social and economic wellbeing.' Funding for the DCMS, which covers the four-year period from 2025/26 up to 2028/29, was outlined in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' spending review last week. Total spending at the department will be reduced by 1.4 per cent over the review period compared to the previous four years.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
James Anderson: ‘In my head, I was nowhere near retirement'
The body is sore, the mind frayed and frazzled by four ultimately fruitless days in the dirt but the smile on James Anderson's face is broad. It is the morning after the night before; his long-awaited return to competitive cricket in the colours of Lancashire complete. Victory may not quite have come against Derbyshire but England's greatest ever Test bowler is back doing what he loves – and the only thing, really, that he has had to know how to do since his late teenage years. 'My body definitely knows I've started playing again – it was tough getting out of bed this morning,' he grimaces before the grin returns. 'But I absolutely loved it.' Advertisement Across more than two decades, a master craftsman of swing and seam bowling has been driven by an obsession over his art. From Galle to Grenada, on Himalayan foothills and sun-parched South African plains, a Test career that sprawled the planet and 704 wickets was simplified by a singular focus on 22 yards and his chosen skill. Approach, deliver, reset, and go again and again and again. Anderson has returned to county cricket with Lancashire (Getty) The inevitable end, his age would suggest, is near, but do not dare tell Anderson that. Across a conversation that spans the breadth and depth of a journey that began on the back pitches of Burnley Cricket Club and ended with the most magical of receptions at a packed-out Lord's, Anderson's competitive spirit is just as clear as each time he leapt languidly through his delivery stride. Having signed on for another summer in whites for the red rose, he hints at least one more – 'I'm looking forward to this season with Lancashire and then I'll think about next year,' – and makes clear that life as a full-time coach is not yet for him. 'This morning I'm questioning the decision to play again, but as long as my body can cope with it, I'll keep doing it for as long as I can,' he stresses, a lilt of Lancashire humour giving way to steely focus. 'Cricket has given me a huge amount. I still absolutely love the game, especially the longer format. It's taught me so much about myself, about my character, the emotions in brings out in me, the ups and downs over four or five days – it gives you feelings that you don't get in any other walk of life.' Advertisement It is 10 months since the curtain came down on his international career, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes pulling the cord, having felt it was time to look to other auditionees waiting in the wings. Anderson has been busy since. The paperback version of his autobiography, penned in partnership with indie band Maccabees's guitarist and podcast chum Felix White, is on sale, while the pair will again go on tour later this year with their recollections of a record-breaking cricketing career. Betwixt and between, Anderson began his coaching career, a short-term stint with England giving him his first real taste of life after playing. But it is on the enforced retirement that we must dwell. In his book, Anderson likens it to a scene from Goodfellas, a blow in the back he hadn't seen coming. Has distance, both in terms of time and stepping away the England environment, softened his feelings at all? Ben Stokes (right) was part of the leadership group who decided to end Anderson's glittering career (PA) 'I'm still a bit...' an extended pause is revealing before the appropriate word finally comes, '...mixed on it. It's one of those things that was out of my hands. They made the decision to move away from having me in the team. That was pretty gutting at the time. Advertisement 'I'd been preparing before my last Test match for the next six, 12, 18 months of Test cricket; I wasn't anywhere near retirement in my head. I felt I still had that want and hunger to play, to do the hard yards, the training, the skill work.' It is partly that sense that has inspired the decision to plough on for Lancashire, though there is perhaps a point to prove too. An untimely calf injury meant a delayed start to the summer, but Anderson is intent on giving his all while he still can. Despite his axing, he still speaks warmly of what McCullum and Stokes gave him in his final England years in overhauling the environment, providing that last Lord's bow and the chance to stay with the group as a coaching consultant. 'If I'd just left the team after that West Indies Test match, it would have been more difficult for me to make sense of everything and deal with the fact that was the end. To stay around the team and still be in the dressing room, still trying to have an impact on Test matches, I think that was good for me. Anderson was given a fond farewell at Lord's (Getty) 'The reaction was above and beyond anything I'd ever expected. That last day against the West Indies: I think it was just an hour or so on that last morning but the ground was full. It was amazing to see a sea of people there.' Advertisement The warmth of feeling reflected a public who maybe hadn't yet come to terms with Anderson's exit yet either. England's youth movement has so far paid dividends, a new cast of characters adding depth to their seam attack, but there are still those who feel Anderson was harshly treated. The hierarchy has performed a volte-face in the past, a retired Moeen Ali answering a Stokes SOS on the eve of the Ashes in 2023, and I cannot help but wonder if Anderson would accept if an olive branch were extended. Anderson reflects fondly on his final day in Test cricket (PA) 'I think the door is probably closed, to be honest,' Anderson admits, though without turning the key. 'If I got the phone call, I would seriously think about it but I just do not think that is going to happen. I don't think I could be further away from that. I think there would have to be a serious number of injuries for me to be considered.' It is an answer given with little sense of bitterness, for Anderson sees the bigger picture. He is delighted to have seen bowlers like Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse thrive since his exit, and advises Sam Cook, England's newest seam hopeful, to stay true to himself as he takes his first bounds as an international cricketer. He chuckles at the memories of his own debut 22 years ago against Zimbabwe, self-deprecatingly bringing up the coltish 17-run over that marked an uncomfortable introduction to Test cricket before talking through the five-for that marked him out as a thoroughbred of the future. 'I think I'd only played like 12 first-class games before that,' he remembers. 'It was just an incredible thing to experience as a 20-year-old.' Anderson made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in 2003 (Getty) A private character at his core, these past 12 months have contained a certain sense of catharsis, a portrait of greater depth presented to the public. In the book, Anderson reveals the isolation he felt during his teenage years before finding his place and a purpose with a cricket ball in hand. He writes movingly about his wife, Daniella, suffering a miscarriage while he is away in Sri Lanka playing a one-day international, and having to put on a brave face as he flew home with teammate Owais Shah, expecting a baby of his own. Advertisement Opening up has not come easily to Anderson but he hopes it has had a positive impact, and he has welcomed the warmth he has felt in return. 'With the book, people could see a different side to me, the stuff away from cricket that they maybe didn't know about. Part of the point of the tour is to give people an insight into that side. 'I never really wanted people to know my business. Obviously, I get that as an international cricketer you are out there and every inch of grass that you cover is on TV and radio. You are out there for people to see, but I've got two very different sides: my home life and my cricket career. It was important to separate that, especially when I was playing for England. In the book, I talk about my wife having a miscarriage, but also going through injuries and having to lean on Daniella, and her helping through those difficult periods. It is good to share those things because everyone goes through difficult periods in their lives. I just hope people can relate to some of that.' Jimmy Anderson's UK tour begins in September, with tickets available now. The paperback of his autobiography 'Finding The Edge' is out now.
