Be involved with something new: high octane sports outside of the footballing world

There doesn’t seem much to compare with the thrill of watching a football match live, especially if you’re a big fan of a particular team. Often the most exciting (not always in terms of the football on offer) are the derby games: think Liverpool v Everton, Manchester City v Manchester United, or Arsenal v Tottenham.

However, there are lots of other thrilling, high-adrenaline sports that football fans would be likely to enjoy, either as spectators or by taking part, and each has the potential to deliver the same level of excitement as the Beautiful Game.

Why don’t you take a look around and see what there is on offer?

Horse racing

When tons upon tons of straining, sweating horseflesh flash by you at a gallop, you can feel and smell the excitement as they stretch for the winning post. Horse racing has a long, illustrious history, and the partnership between horse and human stretches back millennia.

You may not be riding the horse but you’re part of the action at the races, especially if you’ve got a few bets on! Perhaps the world’s best-known – and many would argue the greatest – is the Grand National, that incredible steeplechase over huge fences at Aintree.

Always thrilling, sometimes controversial but right at the top of the tree in terms of racing, you can easily get involved by checking out the Grand National Runners and deciding who to back. It could be a sweepstake at the office, a bet down the bookies or online, or watching on TV, but to get the real flavour of this classic race you need to be there.

Ice hockey

Fast, furious, sometimes brutal, ice hockey is a fantastic game to watch from the sidelines. If you’ve ever watched great international matches featuring the likes of Canada, the US and Russia, you’ll appreciate the sheer speed at which the players operate.

The Elite Ice Hockey League is a professional league set up in 2003 and encompasses teams from all four UK countries – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The chances are that wherever you live, you won’t be far away from a stadium, so for heart-stopping action, go down and give it a try.

Rock climbing

If you want to challenge yourself and experience an extreme sport that doesn’t involve just watching, get some training and go rock climbing. It’s testing, but you can start simple and progress to more difficult cliff and mountain climbs as you develop your skills.

Maybe start with a local climbing wall to get some experience and try it out, and then you’ll find the UK is full of places to climb – the Lake District, the Peak District and the Cairngorms are just the tip of the iceberg.

Enjoy and stay safe

All sport is fun, watching as well as doing. If you’re taking part yourself in a high-octane sport, always make sure that you learn the rules and, above all, stay safe.