Britain: An official handbook > 1993

BRITAIN 1993: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
Britain are described below. The increased
provision of sports centres has improved
opportunities for participating in indoor
sports such as basketball, volleyball, fencing,
judo, karate and other martial arts,
gymnastics, squash, table tennis and shooting.
Almost all outdoor sports have continued to
gain in popularity, including such ‘high-risk’
activities as rock-climbing and sub-aqua
diving. The number of people enjoying the
recreational amenities of the countryside,
rivers and coastline is also growing.
Sportsmen and women may be
professionals (paid players) or amateurs. Some
sports—like hockey and rowing—are amateur,
but in others the distinction between amateur
status and professional status is less strictly
defined, or does not exist.
Angling
One of the most popular countryside sports is
angling, and there are about 4 million anglers
in Britain. Many fish for salmon and trout,
particularly in the rivers and lochs of
Scotland and in Wales. In England and Wales
the most widely practised form of angling is
for coarse fish such as pike, perch, carp,
tench and bream. Separate organisations
represent game (salmon and trout), coarse and
sea fishing clubs in England, Wales, Scotland
and Northern Ireland.
The National Federation of Anglers in
England organises national championships for
coarse fishing and enters a team in the world
angling championships. England won the
world team event in 1987, 1988 and 1991 and
the individual title in 1989, 1990 and 1991.
Association Football
Association football is the largest spectator
sport and one of the most popular
participation sports. It is controlled by
separate football associations in England,
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In
England 340 clubs are affiliated to the
English Football Association (FA) and more
than 42,000 clubs directly through regional or
district associations. The FA, founded in 1863,
and the Football League, founded in 1888,
were both the first of their kind in the world.
In England and Wales a major change
occurred in August 1992 when an FA
Premier League, comprising 22 clubs, started.
The remaining 70 full-time professional clubs
play in three main divisions run by the
Football League. In Scotland there are three
divisions, with 38 clubs, which play in the
Scottish Football League. A number of the
leading clubs are considering forming a new
Super League in Scotland. In Northern
Ireland, 16 semi-professional clubs play in the
Irish Football League. During the season,
which lasts from August until May, over
2,000 English League matches are played;
total attendances reached over 20 million in
1991-92.
The annual competitions for the FA
Challenge Cup, the Coca Cola League Cup,
the Tennents Scottish Cup, the Skol Cup
(the Scottish League Cup), the Irish Cup and
the Welsh FA Cup are organised on a knock¬
out basis. The finals are played at Wembley
Stadium, London; at Hampden Park,
Glasgow; at Windsor Park, or the Oval,
Belfast; and at the National Stadium, Cardiff.
The Sports Councils have made grants
available to a number of clubs and local
authorities to enable them to modernise or
expand football facilities in areas of urban
deprivation. Grants for various improvements
such as all-weather pitches are also made
throughout Britain by the Football
Associations and the Football Trust.
Athletics
Amateur athletics is governed in Britain by the
British Athletic Federation, which is affiliated
to the International Amateur Athletic
Federation. International athletics and the
selection of British teams are the concern of
the British Athletic Federation, which also
administers coaching schemes. For the
Olympic Games and the world and European
championships one team represents Britain.
Athletics is attracting increasing numbers
of participants, both men and women, in part
because of the success of British competitors
and the wide coverage of athletics events on
television. The London Marathon, which
takes place every spring, draws leading
runners from a number of countries and is a
448