It’s not really a subject for a sports betting and free bets site but I was heartened last week to listen to Gordon Brown in his speach to his fellow party members saying that he wants at least 5 hours sports per week for children in schools.

 It’s refreshing to hear somebody championing the need for sport in our schools again after moves in the 90’s to sell off school playing fields and then in the new millenium came the reduction in competition in sport. During my own school days I was was always a passionate sportsman and have experienced the highs and lows of playing in team games : football, rugby, cricket as well as the non-team game such as golf, tennis and so on. I therefore firmly believe, as do most of the country’s parents I think, that the profile of sport should increase again to a higher level.

The competitive side of sport is a contentious issue for me because while I have generally been successful in sport, there are some people who have not and have been devastated as youngsters when they have not been able to compete or even take part. But competiton is part of life and the sooner kids start to learn that, the better. It’s how they are taught to accept defeat sometimes in life, and then how they are taught to respond to it that makes them more confident and learn how to cope with it and move on.

I’m hopeful that Gordon Brown will take our sport forward in schools now. I ‘ve been worried about the pattern over the last decade and if we are to remain competitive in the major world sporting events, we need to get back more to where we were.