   catharine letitia "kate" hoey (born 21 june 1946) is a british labour party politician who has been the member of parliament (mp) for vauxhall since 1989. she served in the blair government as minister for sport from 1999 to 2001. ==background== born in county antrim, she studied at  london royal academy. while attending the ulster college of physical education, she joined the international marxist group, one of the few people with an ulster unionist background to do so in the 1960s. after relocating to england, she graduated in economics from the city of london college, today known as london metropolitan university. she was a senior lecturer at kingsway college from 1976 to 1985, during which time she left the international marxist group. ==sport== hoey is known for her longstanding interest in sport. she was northern ireland high jump champion and worked for football clubs including arsenal, tottenham hotspur, queens park rangers, chelsea and brentford, as an educational advisor. prior to entering parliament she was educational adviser to arsenal football club from 1985 to 1989. a founder member of the london northern ireland supporters' club, hoey took part in a st patrick's day parade in london with northern ireland manager lawrie sanchez.{{c
1946_births Alumni_of_Ulster_University British_female_MPs International_Marxist_Group_members Labour_Party_(UK)_MPs Living_people Members_of_the_Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom_for_English_constituencies People_educated_at_the_Belfast_Royal_Academy People_from_Belfast UK_MPs_1987a92 UK_MPs_1992a97 UK_MPs_1997a2001 UK_MPs_2001a05 UK_MPs_2005a10 UK_MPs_2010a