Forget football - we'd rather be in the pub, say boozy students

Universities are now to be given a 10 million injection of Nation Lottery funding to encourage young people to play sport.

The move, designed to promote a healthier student lifestyle, comes as new research showed graduates spend twice as much time in pubs as they do on pitches.

Sport England has now launched a drive to get students participating at least three times a week.

A study commissioned by the funding provider suggested fewer than three in 10 play sport regularly.

And according to the survey, nearly one fifth - 18% - of the 1,005 students polled admitted dedicating less than one hour to sport each week, while more than a quarter - 26% - said they spent up to 10 hours in the pub.

Meanwhile, nearly half of graduates - 47% - said they put on weight after starting university, with more than a third gaining up to a stone.

Sport England aims to reverse these trends by creating opportunities for 72% of graduates who said they would like to spend more time on the pitches.

Experts believe boosting participation in sport among students and reducing the number of people who drop out in their late teens and early 20s will help achieve the goal of getting a million people playing more sport by 2012-13.

Jennie Price, chief executive of Sport England, said: "We know that young adults who are playing sport regularly by the time they leave university are likely to stick with it for the rest of their lives.

"There's already a strong tradition of competitive sport within universities, but this is a big opportunity to increase participation through more informal and social formats."

Sport England is now calling for innovative applications from universities to tackle the barriers to student participation.

Ben Bradshaw, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said the "fantastic investment" should inspire thousands to keep playing and "help thousands more discover a new found passion for sport".

"We want to encourage young people to play sport for life, not give up on it the minute they leave school," he said.

Researchers Pollab spoke to 1,005 students for the study last week, and the findings also suggested nearly a third - 31% - feel they are too busy studying to play sport regularly.

When it came to a regional breakdown, it found those studying in the East of England spend most time in the bar while graduates at north-eastern universities spend the least amount of time on the pitch.

Here is a breakdown of how the different regions performed in terms of time spent in the pub and on the pitch each week:

Yorkshire

377 minutes in the pub

213 minutes on the pitch

East

405 minutes in the pub

238 minutes on the pitch

South West

403 minutes in the pub

192 minutes on the pitch

West Midlands

398 minutes in the pub

224 minutes on the pitch

North West

385 minutes in the pub

227 minutes on the pitch

East Midlands

385 minutes in the pub

218 minutes on the pitch

North East

385 minutes in the pub

167 minutes on the pitch

South East

374 minutes in the pub

176 minutes on the pitch

London

370 minutes in the pub

203 minutes on the pitch