Sports Facilities in the UK to Receive Upgrades Through New Funding
Sports facilities across the UK will benefit from £100 million in funding. The package was announced by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy during a visit to Bonnyrigg Rose Community Football Club.
Key Facts:
- UK government announces £100 million in funding for sports facilities
- The funding is intended to repair and improve a range of equipment and amenities
- Deprived areas will be targeted and should receive the most funding
- Efforts are also being made to encourage sports participation in underrepresented groups
The UK government has announced a package of £100 million for sports facilities throughout the country. This funding will enable venues to invest in and improve key parts of facilities such as pitches and changing rooms, along with goalposts and floodlights.
The package will focus on deprived areas and will help encourage wider participation in sports, especially in various under-represented demographics. These include ethnic minority groups, girls and women, and people with disabilities. The aim is to make everyone feel they can access sports locally.
The Funding and Its Purposes
The £100 million package has been arranged in collaboration with several leading football organisations:
- The FA, the Premier League and the Football Foundation in England
- The Cymry Football Foundation in Wales
- The Football Associations in Scotland and Northern Ireland
The funding isn’t just about improving sites and their services, and widening access to sports; it’s also about encouraging all people to be more physically active. It’s part of the government’s Plan for Change, which aims, amongst many things, to protect the NHS by tackling current health problems.
The idea is that if more people have access to high-quality sports facilities and feel they can access them fully, this may prevent a range of long-term health problems from developing. By investing in sports facilities, the government is hoping to ease the pressure on the NHS.
Another, final point to make about the funding is to help young people in particular access opportunities and help them form valuable, lasting connections. It’s also meant to encourage people of all ages to appreciate where they live more.
Many people in the UK play sports because of the physical and mental health benefits it brings. Some people also enjoy placing bets on sports, and there are many regulated, licensed sites where they can do this safely.
The Announcement and Further Details About the Funding
The £100 million funding was announced by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy when visiting Bonnyrigg Rose Community Football Club. This is a grassroots sports facility that’s located in Midlothian, Scotland and currently supports more than 700 local players.
During her announcement, she said the following about the funding:
Grassroots sport clubs are at the heart of communities across the UK. That’s why we’re investing £100 million to support new and upgraded pitches, changing rooms and clubhouses across the country, providing transformational funding to the areas that need it most. – Lisa Nandy, Culture Secretary, UK Government Announces Sports Facility Funding, Gov.uk
She also spoke about the government’s ongoing Plan for Change scheme and how the funding is meant to remove barriers so that more people can access sports facilities. Ultimately, the funding is meant to ensure people everywhere can use local facilities and get the most out of sports.
The package will be spent on facilities across the UK from 2025 to 2026. It has been allocated as follows: £82.3 million for England, £8.6 for Scotland, £6.1 for Wales and £3 for Northern Ireland. The remaining £2 million is being used in the current financial year.
Both The FA and the Premier League have made notable contributions to the funding. Money has also been sourced from initiatives such as the Pitching In campaign from the Scottish Football Partnership Trust, which has a goal of raising £50 million over five years.
While it seems that football is the focus of the funding, around 40% of the projects involve other sports such as basketball, cricket and rugby. It is hoped that more people will have easy access to a greater range of sports.
Sports facilities in England can apply for funding through the Football Foundation. Those in Wales can follow this link to make an application: Cymru Football Foundation.
As for facilities in Scotland and Northern Ireland, applications will start being accepted at a later date. Interested parties should check the appropriate FA websites for more information. The first wave of facilities to receive funding is expected to be confirmed sometime in summer 2025.
