World Cup Alternative Activities
The World Cup is almost upon us. Games, analysis, player profiles, highlights, criticism, football-themed adverts and most likely more criticism will soon dominate all our TV screens and radio waves. The BBC Sport app is offering a new feature with push alerts making sure you don’t miss anything, from the starting 11 to kick-off times to goals to half-time and full-time scores – not to mention the World Cup sticker swaps which have become an international craze. Never has an adhesive headshot acquired such powerful value! It can all seem a little overwhelming…
However, at Protectivity we embrace all sports, and we know that football isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. If a month of back-to-back coverage doesn’t appeal, don’t worry! You certainly won’t be alone and we’re sure that some of our alternative activities might take your fancy instead.
What’s on TV
Firstly, a heads up on the dates when England are playing:
• England v Italy – Saturday 14th June, 11pm*
• England v Uruguay – Thursday 19th June, 8pm
• England v Costa Rica – Tuesday 24th June, 5pm
*if you want to avoid the rowdy football atmosphere and relax with a film, you may be interested to know what else is on TV during England’s first game. Your options include Forrest Gump (Channel 4, 9pm), The Beach (Channel 4, 11.45pm), The Holiday (ITV2, 9pm), or Schindler’s List (ITV4, 10pm), so don’t miss out!
It’s not all about football. The British tennis calendar has its summer highlight in June and July with Wimbledon! The two weeks of smashing tennis begins on Monday 23rd June and the men’s final will be played on Sunday July 6th. Full coverage will be shown on BBC 1 and 2 with unmissable action – will Andy Murray retain his 2013 Wimbledon Men’s Singles title? Or could Federer come back to take his eighth Championship title?
If you’re more taken by engines than games involving balls then don’t forget to tune in to the F1 Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg from 20-22 June. It is set to be revived this year at the Red Bull Ring during the F1 season with SkySports offering live coverage and the BBC showing delayed coverage later in the day.
There are also plenty of other sporting events going on in the month of June if you do manage to grab control of the remote for a few hours – whether it’s the Rugby Union IRB Junior World Championship (2nd-20th), the US Golf Open (12-15th) or the Henley Women’s Rowing Regatta (20th-22nd) we’re sure you’ll find something of interest!
Prefer to get out there?
If watching sports on TV just isn’t your thing, an afternoon or evening spent glued to a screen is probably your idea of a nightmare. So how else can you spend those long June days or weekends? We’ve got a few ideas…
• Spa day – a real treat and guaranteed enjoyment, can you replace those noisy cheers with some soothing ocean sounds?
• Berry picking – possibly the perfect way to spend a summer’s day, can you present your efforts with a delicious crumble in the evening?
• Rent a bike – whether on your own or with friends or kids, one of the best ways to explore, can you tempt anyone to join you with a picnic?
• Host a contest – with all the summer sport going on, can you challenge friends and family to something similar? Endless fun and an opportunity to be active…rounders with friends, an afternoon of cricket, or, dare we suggest it…kids v adults football?!
We hope something here will inspire or appeal to you in a domain outside Roy Hodgson’s England team. June is a glorious month with (hopefully) lots of sunny weather and warm days. Be sure to make the most of it – stay active and outdoors when you can, and don’t let those long evenings go to waste!
Whatever you opt for remember that all important insurance cover. If you’re staying in the UK our Sports Accident Insurance is for you, but if you’re travelling further afield our Sports Travel Insurance is the one.