With hardly any natural talent at any sport, blame the genes, environment, school etc… One thing this taught me was that in pretty much any sport there is a level of entry for all, be it squash, cycling, walking and football is no exception – even in my case. It is perhaps one of the hopes of South Africa that more people will be drawn to sport, particularly football, and embark upon a healthier lifestyle. It is certainly one of the outcomes England is seeking in its 2018 bid although it has only just squeezed in at number 10 of 10 on the list.
Whilst walking back from the station today in Sheffield, I passed one of my local pubs which is proudly keen to associate itself with another benefit of the world cup, which is “outstanding economic success” (number 8 on England’s back the bid list) and encouraging people to join in this global sporting event in the following ways:
The only thing missing on the way to some serious vascular diseases is “eat”. Sheffield is one of the cities hoping to host the world cup in 2018 and is a city which already hosts some of the worse health inequalities in the UK. I sincerely hope that the economic priorities of encouraging people to smoke and drink during the world cup are balanced with the health benefits we might be inspired to enjoy by simply taking a ball to the park and kicking it around with friends and family.
p.s.
Sorry about the hectoring tone I seemed to have used here, I’d just finished a meeting with an epidemiologist and I was also still feeling bruised at England’s departure from the World Cup in South Africa.