Girls who dislike playing competitive games will be allowed to trade in their hockey sticks for pompoms in an effort to bring American-style cheerleading to English schools. Children in Plymouth, Leicester and Hertfordshire are among those already being trained in “cheer dance” – the beginner’s form of cheerleading that includes pompom routines, chants and athletic manoeuvres, such as the splits.

The hope is that cheerleading will liven up the PE curriculum and encourage those pupils turned off by competitive sport to exercise.“Cheerleading has a broad appeal because it combines so many elements like dance, gymnastics and music,” said a spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which is behind the initiative.

If it were down to me (& its just as well it isn't) I'd say that "Cheerleading" already has a (ahem) "broad appeal"