Sports Minister, Richard Caborn, has unveiled plans to bid for £70m in the government's comprehensive spending review to invest into sports coaching.

Speaking at the headquarters of Sports Coach UK, an organisation dedicated to helping coaches of all levels develop and implement coaching systems, Caborn stressed the importance of sport and coaching to the wider government agenda for health, education, community safety and social inclusion.

'There are real weaknesses in the sports structure, especially in clubs, and there is very little good competition in this country. It is competition that drives inspiration and quality,' he said.

John Stevens, chief executive of Sports Coach UK welcomed Caborn's interest in coaching: 'We want a national strategy for coaching in this country - better coaching means better sport,' he said. 'The vast majority of coaches are volunteers, we want mote to be qualified, but there is a cost to that.'