Despite competition from a number of other activities, taking part in sport remains one of the UK's most popular pastimes. This page provides information about the most popular participation sports in the UK, advice for anyone who wants to take part in a sport during their time here and also how to go about getting tickets for a sporting event.

Most popular participation sports

Recent research suggests that around 50 per cent of adults in the UK regularly participate in some form of physical exercise. Some of the most popular are:

• Walking. Recreational walking is considered the UK's most popular participation sport
• Fishing. The UK has some of the most varied fishingcountry in the world, with thousands of miles of rivers, lakes, canals and coastline
• Cycling. Huge numbers of people have taken up this sport in recent years
• Swimming provides a good all-round workout without putting too much stress on the body, making it ideal for people of all ages
• Football. 1000s of people play both 11 a-side and 5 a-side football every week
• Golf has enjoyed a revival in popularity in recent years
• Going to the gym. More people are members of fitness and health clubs in the UK than ever before
• Running. A good pair of trainers is all you require for this practically cost-free form of exercise
• Squash. You can find squash leagues at most leisure centres in the UK
• Tennis. The number of people, particularly youngsters, playing tennis is on the up.

Take part yourself

Whether you're interested in taking part in one of these sports or trying something completely different during your time in the UK, you could contact your local leisure centre for advice. Alternatively, you can find information on a number of websites.

England

Sport England, the governing body for sport in England, provides advice in its 'Find the sport for you' section.

Active Places, a service also provided by Sport England, allows you to search for sports facilities in England.

Scotland

Contacting Sport Scotland is a good place to start if you want to find out how to participate in sport in Scotland.

Wales

The Sports Council for Wales lets you search for sports facilities in every town in Wales.

Northern Ireland

Active Places Northern Ireland includes information about a huge range of sports facilities to get you started in Northern Ireland.

Getting tickets for sporting events

Sports fans - and the less active among you - might want to go toone of the UK's many high-profile sporting events during your timehere. The Ticketmaster website is a good place to start looking for any tickets that might be available.