A £100m campaign to give every child in the England the chance of five hours of sport every week has been launched by Gordon Brown.

The new funding – which will come through the DCMS – will provide up to five hours of sport for all school pupils and three hours for young people aged 16-19; a network of 225 competition managers across the country to work with schools to increase the amount of competitive sport they offer; and more coaches in schools and local communities.

The new Prime Minister said: ”Watching sport is a national pastime. Talking about sport is a national obsession. But now we need to make taking part in sport a national characteristic.

“Whatever a child’s natural ability and whatever their age, sport and activity can make them healthier and raise selfesteem. It develops teamwork and a sense of fair play.

“To do this will take a concerted campaign. Government is doing its bit. Schools, parents, volunteers and the sporting world can do theirs.”

A new National School Sport Week will also be launched, championed by Dame Kelly Holmes, who hopes to encourage schools to run sports days and tournaments.

“This funding will enable more schools to offer competitive sport and help their pupils achieve their potential,” she said. “I therefore welcome the launch of a National Sports Week, which will further enhance these opportunities.”

The funding builds on the £633m committed to improving England’s school sport system over the next three years. Details: www.culture.gov.uk