BOXING


Boxing has been popular in Britain for centuries and it provides the perfect exam- ple of a global sport with British roots. Any boxing fan knows it’s governed by the Marquess of Queensbury Rules, the code used in boxing in everywhere. Tese regu- lations, codified in 1867 in London, in- cludes things like the use of ‘fair-size gloves’, waiting in the corner for a count of ten if your opponent is knocked down and a ban on shoes or boots with springs in the ring. Boxing has never been bigger than it is now. Arenas around the country sell out regularly and British world title holders are the norm these days, not the exception. Most of the revenue for boxing promoters, about 70%, comes from ticket sales not broadcast fees, making it a very popular live spectator sport. Some of boxing’s most famous names in-


clude Brits Nicola Adams, the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title in 2012; Chris Eubank, almost as famous for his ec- centric taste in attire and cars and Henry Cooper who faced off against Muhammed Ali at Highbury Stadium in 1963 and again in 1966.


Want to play?


York Hall in Bethnal Green is known as the home of British boxing. You can catch boxing matches at this early 20th century multipurpose indoor area and leisure centre. www.bettervenues.org.uk/venues/york-hall


Balham Boxing Club is open to all ages and abilities. www.smokincherry.wixsite.com/bbc1


All Stars Boxing Gym is located in a Grade II listed church on Harrow Road, west London. www.allstars-gym.co.uk


London Fight Factory has classes all week and on weekends too at their Old Street gym www.londonfightfactory.com


FOOTBALL


Te English Premier League is the best in the world, the teams that dominate it and their high-profile players are the rock stars of sport. You can go pretty much anywhere in the world and see someone with a Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea football club shirt on. Premier League matches are beamed around the world and most stadiums are sold out each week from August to May. But it’s not all top level. Tere are three other leagues in England, four in Scotland and a Premier League in Wales. Naturally, in a football-mad coun- try, there is no shortage of ways to get in- volved and play.


Want to play?


South London Football Network www.slfn.co.uk has teams playing week- nights and weekends. You can join and play an informal but well-organised match or join an 11 a side league team and play on weekends. Just book and play when you want; sessions can be anything from seven a side to full 11 a side depending on how many people book.


Footy Addicts is a social platform that al- lows users to find or organise matches based on postcode. www.footyaddicts.com


London FA has more than 1,000 adult teams including women’s. Find out how to join here: www.londonfa.com


Power Play organises five, seven and 11 a side matches after work at locations around the country. Find them here: www.powerplay.co.uk/football.


GOLF


Tere’s a saying that “golf is a good walk spoilt” but don’t tell that to the tens of thousands of people who play the game every year in this country. Britain has the oldest golf course in the world and while the game may have been invented else- where, it was perfected in Scotland. St Andrews is without a doubt the home of golf and has been for the past 600 years. Te 18 rounds played today were devised on this historic course in the late 1700s. Te Open, one of the four major golf


championships and also the oldest, is played every year. It’s the only one of those four major tournaments to be played out- side of the US and it’s always played in Britain. Opens traditionally are played on courses that are no more than one mile from the sea. Tey’re known as links courses – the original type of golf course, unmanicured and built on grass covered sand dunes. Tey tend to be rougher, more wild type of courses and much preferred by golf purists.


GOLF LANGUAGE DECODED


Birdie – one shot below par Eagle – two shots below par


Albatross – or double eagle, three shots below par


Par – the standard score for either a hole or the whole course


Putt – a shot played on the green. Drive – a long shot


Green – specially prepared grass around the hole


6 FOCUS The Magazine July/August 2019


www.focus-info.org


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