Government commits £100m to redeveloping and improving facilities

The government has made a commitment to invest £100m in improving and upgrading local sports and physical activity facilities across the UK. The funding is expected to support hundreds of new and improved sports pitches, changing rooms, goalposts and floodlights to improve access to sport and physical activity for local communities.

Financial support will be targeted at deprived areas, with a focus on improving access and participation levels among under-represented people – including women and girls, ethnic minority groups and disabled players.

The funding will be invested in sites during 2025-26, with £82.3 million allocated to projects in England (including a £2 million uplift of new investment committed in the current financial year), £8.6 million in Scotland, £6.1 million in Wales and £3 million in Northern Ireland. The government will work together with the English Premier League, The Football Association and the Football Foundation in England, the Cymru Football Foundation in Wales and the Football Associations in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The package delivers on the Government’s Plan for Change, with the funding designed to break down barriers to opportunity and tackle persistent health inequalities through prevention, which will support an NHS fit for the future.

Of the funded projects, at least 40% will have a multi-sport offer so that more people can participate in sports other than football, meaning more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them including rugby, cricket and basketball.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, said: “As we deliver our Plan for Change, we will remove barriers to an active lifestyle and increase opportunity for all, ensuring that people can access high quality facilities.”