The England women’s team won a first ever gold as they beat Australia 2-1 in the final and the men’s team earned bronze. 

The call, outlined in an open letter to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, one of whom will shortly take over from Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, highlights the need for more PE provision in schools.

This includes giving every child access to a minimum of two hours of PE and school sport every week alongside a commitment to make PE a compulsory subject on the national curriculum making team sports, including hockey, a core part of this offer. 

The letter also calls for more investment to improve facilities and the number of PE teachers in primary and secondary schools. 

The England women’s captain, Hollie Pearne-Webb, said: 

"During the Games, we spoke about our legacy and goal to inspire a nation. 

"We were inspired by the success of the Lionesses at the Euros, the other team sports at the Games, and we too delivered on behalf of the nation.   

"We’re now looking to the future. 

"We want to inspire the next generation and make real change in this country. 

"We want to create more opportunities for children and young people of all backgrounds and abilities to enjoy sport and physical activity." 

The success of the hockey teams and the England women’s football team, who recently won the Euro 2022 title at Wembley, comes at a time when physical activity levels for children have dropped since pre-pandemic levels and following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

Recent research led by Portas Consulting has highlighted how children’s mental and physical wellbeing is significantly enhanced by playing team sport with children reporting 12 per cent higher life satisfaction and 6 per cent higher happiness, creating positive habits and brings significant benefits in older age.