England’s hockey players urge government to back team sports in schools after Commonwealths success
England’s hockey players urge government : The medal-winning hockey teams of England have encouraged the contenders for the Conservative party’s top leadership position to prioritize team sports in schools and provide two hours of physical education each week.
At the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the ladies took home gold for the first time, while the men took home bronze.
They wrote Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss in an open letter, saying, “We’re now looking to the future.”
“We want to transform our country for the better and inspire the future generation.”
In a run-off vote among party members, the winner of the Conservative leadership race will be announced in September and will take office as prime minister of the United Kingdom.
England’s hockey teams included the following in their letter to the candidates: “Children and young people of all backgrounds and abilities should have more possibilities to participate in sport and physical exercise.
“In order to do this, we think the government should prioritize and emphasize the value of team sports.
“We are dedicated to making sport more equitable, varied, and inclusive, but we cannot do this alone.”
English football’s European champions wrote an open letter to the candidates last week pleading with them to guarantee that “every little girl” may play football at school.
On July 31, the Lionesses defeated Germany 2-1 at Wembley to win Euro 2022, giving them their first major victory.
Among the actions demanded in the letter from the hockey teams are:
Children participate in physical education (PE) for at least two hours each week.
Team sports, such as hockey, will be a mandatory topic in the national curriculum when physical education is introduced.
To enhance facilities and increase the number of PE instructors in elementary and secondary schools, significant, focused investment is made in physical education (PE) and school sports.
They cite recent research that shows practicing team sports dramatically improves children’s emotional and physical wellness.
And they cited a Sport England study that showed four million kids between the ages of five and sixteen did not reach the minimum recommended exercise levels during the previous year.
The Department for Education (DfE) has previously stated that while schools have the discretion to choose which sports to offer students, they are required to provide “comparable activities” for both boys and girls.
“We want to encourage a lifetime engagement in sport and physical activity, thus we ask you as our future leader to invest in what we feel to be a fundamental right for every kid in this nation,” the letter to the candidates for president stated.
We all need to do our share, and as our future prime minister, we implore you to take the initiative and make investments in the futures of all of us.
An official for Truss stated after the Lionesses’ victory at Euro 2022 that the country’s effect on women’s football would be long-lasting and that she would look into “what stops schools from delivering the mandated minimum of two hours PE each week.”
The squad had motivated Sunak, according to a representative for his campaign, who had also promised to conduct a review “to ensure that all women and girls have the chance to participate in the wonderful game [football]”.