Lottery cash for school sport

Every primary school child in England will have access to sports facilities, coaching and kit under a pounds 12m scheme funded by the National Lottery.

The programme, announced yesterday by the Sports Council, is designed to tackle growing fitness problems among a generation of youngsters hooked on television and computer games.

Up to 4 million children are expected to be involved in the next three years, helped by 250,000 staff at 53,000 schools and community centres.

The scheme is designed to meet the Prime Minister's pledge to bring every child in every school within reach of adequate sporting facilities by the year 2000.

Schools will be sent a bag of equipment and a set of activity cards and teachers given training in how to use them. Children between four and nine will be taught co-ordination, ball skills and teamwork. A separate and overlapping scheme for those aged seven to eleven will introduce them to mini versions of hockey, netball, cricket, rugby, tennis, table tennis and basketball.