BBC Mar 10, 2010

Many students give up sport after leaving school

Universities are to be given £10m of National Lottery money to encourage more students to get involved in sport.

This comes as a new poll of 1,005 people suggests university students are spending almost twice as much time in pubs as they do on pitches.

Sport England wants to get 100,000 more students participating in sport at least three times a week.

It says students who play sport are far more likely to continue participating after they have left university.

'Lasting legacy'

Sport England's chief executive, Jennie Price, said: "There's already a strong tradition of competitive sport within universities, but this is a big opportunity to increase participation through more informal and social formats."

The poll of students at universities in England conducted last week suggested those in the East of England spent most time in the bar - an average of 405 minutes in the pub per week compared to 238 minutes on a sports pitch per week.

In London, students spent 370 minutes in a pub per week, compared with 203 minutes on pitches per week.

Of those students questioned for the poll, almost half (48%) saw sport as a way to make new friends.

About a third of those surveyed said they were too busy studying to play sport regularly.

And nearly half of those who responded to the poll (47%) said they had put on weight while at university.

Experts believe boosting participation in sport among students and reducing the number of people who drop out in their late teens and early 20s will help achieve the goal of getting a million people playing more sport by 2012-13.

Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said: "We want to encourage young people to play sport for life, not give up on it the minute they leave school."

He said the money would help inspire students to keep playing and help others find a new passion for sport.

"This will help us deliver a lasting legacy in sports participation from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games."