Sport in England plays a prominent role in English society. Popular teams sports in England include association football, field hockey, cricket, rugby union, rugby league, and netball. Major individual sports include badminton, athletics, tennis, boxing, golf, cycling, motorsport, and horseracing. Cricket is regarded as the national summer sport. Association football is the most popular sport, followed by cricket, tennis and rugby. A number of modern sports were codified in England during the nineteenth century, among them cricket, rugby union, rugby league, football, field hockey, bandy, squash, tennis, and badminton. The game of baseball was first described in 18th century England.
Manchester United play Arsenal in the 2008–09 Premier League
Leeds Rhinos playing at the 2008 boxing day friendly against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at Headingley, Leeds
Cricketer W.G. Grace
Cambridge and Oxford Universities play Australian rules football
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit a ball into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
A golfer in the finishing position after hitting a tee shot
The Xuande Emperor of the Ming dynasty playing chuiwan
The MacDonald boys playing golf, attributed to William Mosman. 18th century, National Galleries of Scotland.
Aerial view of the Golfplatz Wittenbeck in Mecklenburg, Germany
