The Morning Star launched its Summer of Heroes campaign on May 17, around the same time sports fans up and down the country were looking forward to sitting back and taking in the summer sporting calandar.

The summer of 2013 was a fantastic advert for British sport and its athletes.

Andy Murray won Wimbledon, the England cricket team defeated Australia in the Ashes 3-0 and the football team were minutes away from defeating Brazil at the Maracana, leaving the fans back at home purring over the young talent on display that evening.

In cycling Chris Froome won the Tour de France and hopes were high that this summer would be just as glorious. 

Murray would retain his Wimbledon title, Roy Hodgson and his men would do the nation proud before being knocked out on penalties in the semi-finals while people would line up on the streets to watch Froome and Bradley Wiggins  race to glory in the London stage of the Tour.

But like a typical British summer, we were let down.

Murray failed to reach the finals of Wimbledon, losing in the quarter-finals, and has failed to beat anyone ranked inside the top 10 since winning on centre court last summer.

Hodgson could only watch on as his Lions were booted out at the group stage with only a point to their name. 

When they returned they were greeted by an old woman while the Colombians and Algerians were met with thousands of fans on the streets and held open-bus parades thanking them for their support.

The England cricket team seem to have more arguments than the housemates of Big Brother and need to sort out their problems before they take on India in the Test series starting today.

If we want to see our athletes succeed at the highest level then we need to invest in the youth and give them the best coaching in order for them to do well as adults.

It’s abysmal that tennis player Dan Evans is ranked second in Britain but  ranked 146th in the world.

We have amazing facilities at Wimbledon and have made sure that the royal box is furnished with the very best to make sure Prince Harry can sit comfortably as he watches the Swiss and Serbian players battle it out to be crowned champion at Wimbledon. 

But take a walk down to your local park and see the state of the tennis courts and you wonder why we don’t produce world-class players.

I’ve spoken enough about the state of football over the past few weeks that frankly I’m tired and no matter what is said in this paper, it will be repeated in two years time at the 2016 Euros.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. 

Brendon Rodgers is doing a fantastic job at Liverpool and has a great future ahead of him if he continues to be backed by the Anfield board.

Lewis Hamilton is only four points behind teammate Nico Rosberg after winning the Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday and he has every chance of winning the 2014 Formula One championship.

Before being knocked out in the quarters, Murray was playing brilliant tennis and one off day is not the end of the world.

And though the men’s national football team may have reached a new low in my generation, the women’s side are about to qualify for the 2015 World Cup in Canada and are one of the leading sides in the world.

We have good sporting sides but they get forgotten about in the hype surrounding the “major” sporting events.

The men’s hockey side narrowly lost in the semi-finals of this year’s World Cup and while the women’s team had a terrible time in the Netherlands, they look in good shape to do well in the London Cup which starts today.

And while I constantly slam the England football team, they do have a very exciting group of youngsters who only need a bit of luck and a lot of top-level football over the next few years to be standing toe-to-toe with the likes of France and Germany. 

There is hope for British sport, if they are given the tools to allow them to compete with the rest of the world’s elite stars.

Let’s see if in 12 months’ time we are celebrating the success of a British athlete.

British Cycling board member Marian Lauder said that it “matters enormously” that there is no longer a women’s Tour de France.

Of course, she said this after Nicole Cooke slammed the board for dropping the Tour then giving the women a small event during the end of the men’s Tour.

The UCI set up a women’s commission last year to help increase the profile of the sport and this year staged the first women’s Tour of Britain.

Here’s an idea though, while I may not be on the commission, one way of increasing the profile would be to bring back the women’s event.

Lauder said: “I’m sure when they come out with their recommendations they will have great clout and they will be listened to.”

But they have come up with recommendations and the public have shown that if there is an event, they will show their support.

Cooke may have been harsh to call them sexist but those in charge are certainly holding the sport back from reaching its true potential.

Alfredo di Stefano passed away on Monday at the age of 88.

The Real Madrid legend helped the Spanish side to five consecutive European Cups, scoring in each final and setting a record for scoring in the most amount of consecutive finals.

A player graced with fine balance and poise, he will be remembered alongside the likes of Pele, Maradona and Ferenc Puskás.

Football fans of my generation were unlucky to not see Di Stefano play on a weekly and YouTube clips don’t do him justice.

Those who were fortunate enough to see him live talk of a player that could do it all while those that spoke to him say how he was an intelligent and respectful gentleman.