A SECTOR HEARD: BUT WILL THE GOVERNMENT ACT?

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has published its long-awaited Game On report, which makes a series of recommendations to the government with the aim of strengthening grassroots sport and physical activity. The report’s recommendations could, if adopted by government, represent a turning point for the sector’s future across England

The publication of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s Game On: Community and School Sport report marks one of the most comprehensive recent assessments of the UK’s grassroots sport and physical activity landscape. Drawing on extensive evidence from across the sector, it delivers a clear message: demand for sport is strong, but the system underpinning it is fragmented, underfunded and too often overlooked in national policy.

The inquiry itself was wide-ranging. MPs gathered written and oral evidence from governing bodies, charities, operators, academics and delivery organisations, alongside local partnerships and community groups. Submissions came from organisations including national bodies, grassroots networks and advocacy groups, reflecting a sector rich in expertise but facing shared structural challenges.

The result is a report grounded in real-world experience—one that captures both the strengths of the system, such as committed volunteers and successful local initiatives, and its persistent weaknesses: ageing facilities, financial pressures, and a lack of strategic coordination.

A system under strain

At the heart of the Committee’s conclusions is a stark assessment: community and school sport in England is delivering in spite of the system, not because of it. The report identifies a “mixed picture”, with strong participation demand and local innovation offset by long-term underinvestment and policy inconsistency. Facilities are unevenly distributed and often outdated, schools face competing curriculum pressures, and delivery is fragmented across national and local bodies.

Perhaps most critically, the Committee highlights the absence of a coherent national approach. Responsibility for physical activity is spread across multiple departments – health, education, culture and transport – without a unifying strategy or clear accountability. The result is a system that struggles to scale success or address inequalities effectively.

Strategy, funding and facilities

Against this backdrop, the Committee sets out a wide-ranging package of recommendations aimed at fundamentally reshaping how sport and physical activity are delivered. The centrepiece recommendation is the creation of a cross- government “Movement for Health” strategy for physical activity, positioning it as a key driver of health, wellbeing and economic productivity. This would bring together departments under a shared framework, aligning policy on education, planning, transport and healthcare. Crucially, it would also establish clearer leadership and accountability – something the sector has long called for.

One of the most eye-catching proposals is a call to significantly increase public investment in sport and recreation by nearly £4bn over the next decade. The Committee argues this would bring the UK closer to international comparators and reflects the strong return on investment associated with physical activity, from reduced NHS costs to improved productivity. It also calls for a move away from short-term funding pots towards multi-year settlements, enabling long-term planning and delivery.

For operators, local authorities and the supply chain, the Game On report provides both validation and opportunity

Facilities are a central theme throughout the report, with MPs highlighting the ageing stock and uneven distribution of provision across the country. The Committee recommends the development of a national facilities strategy, underpinned by better data on condition, access and need. Investment should be targeted at underserved communities, where the gap between demand and provision is most acute. This has clear implications for the construction and supply chain, with a renewed focus on quality, sustainability and long-term asset management.

Beyond formal facilities, the report also focuses on access to informal spaces for activity.

Recommendations include removing unnecessary “No Ball Games” signage and making better use of public spaces to encourage everyday physical activity. The planning system is also highlighted as a key lever, with support for maintaining protections for sport within development decisions.

The report is equally forthright on the state of physical education in schools. It calls for renewed prioritisation of PE within the curriculum, supported by improved teacher training and a broader, more inclusive offer. Barriers to participation, particularly for girls and less active pupils, are singled out, including restrictive kit policies and limited activity choice. The Committee also stresses the importance of stronger links between schools and community clubs to create lifelong participation pathways.

Finally, the Committee calls for improved coordination across the sector. This includes rebuilding local partnerships, reducing duplication, and better aligning national governing bodies, local authorities and delivery organisations. Volunteers – described as the backbone of community sport – should also be better supported through reduced administrative burdens and clearer pathways.

Tackling inequalities, improving delivery

A consistent thread running through the report is the need to address disparities in participation.

The Committee urges targeted interventions for underrepresented groups, including disabled people, women and girls, and those in deprived communities. Evidence submitted to the inquiry highlights that the greatest health and economic gains come from engaging the least active, reinforcing the importance of inclusive design and delivery.

A sector aligned, but seeking action

Responses from across the industry suggest strong alignment with the Committee’s findings. Organisations have broadly welcomed the emphasis on long-term investment, cross- government coordination and facility development. There is also clear support for recognising physical activity as a driver of wider policy outcomes, from health to economic growth.

However, the report also raises expectations. For many in the sector, the recommendations reflect long-standing priorities. The challenge now lies in translating them into policy and funding commitments.

For operators, local authorities and the supply chain, the Game On report provides both validation and opportunity. It validates the sector’s long- standing case for investment, strategic alignment and recognition of sport’s wider value. At the same time, it points towards a future in which delivery is more coordinated, outcomes-driven and embedded within broader public policy.

What happens next?

As with all Select Committee reports, the Game On report does not in itself create policy. Instead, it sets out recommendations to which the Government must formally respond. The Government typically has two months to issue its response, outlining which recommendations it accepts and how it intends to act. The report may also be scheduled for debate in Parliament, where MPs can scrutinise its findings and press ministers on next steps, with scheduling listed via the UKParliament’s “What’s On” system.

In parallel, the report is likely to influence ongoing policy development across government departments, particularly as physical activity is becoming increasingly linked to the UK’s health and economic agendas.

The question now is not whether the sector has been heard – but whether the government will match that insight with action.

Delivering accessible, durable and high-quality facilities requires expertise, standards and collaboration across the sector

Richard Shaw

CEO, SAPCA

Among the recommendations made in the wide-ranging Game On report is for the UK government to double its investment in sport and physical activity, in order to gain the full benefits of a physically active nation. The report also identifies the importance of modern, sustainable and well-designed sports facilities and the impact they have on getting the nation active.

It is a timely and welcome intervention that recognises the fundamental role high-quality facilities play in getting more people active. As the UK’s trade body for sports and play construction, SAPCA strongly supports the call for a long-term, cross-government strategy backed by sustained investment and clear accountability.

In particular, the recommendation to increase Government investment in sport and recreation by nearly £4 billion over the next decade is a significant and positive step. Bringing the UK closer to international benchmarks would not only address ageing infrastructure, but also unlock substantial returns in public health, community wellbeing and economic growth.

We are also encouraged by the recognition of the planning system’s importance, including the call to maintain Sport England’s role as a statutory consultee. This is vital to ensuring that sport and physical activity are properly embedded and protected in development decisions.

Delivering accessible, durable and high-quality facilities requires expertise, standards and collaboration across the sector. SAPCA and its members stand ready to support Government and partners in turning these recommendations into lasting, impactful change on the ground.

Lisa Wainwright MBE

CEO, Sport and Recreation Alliance We contributed both written and oral evidence to the inquiry last year and thank the Committee for its work in producing this comprehensive report. It is encouraging to see many of our recommendations reflected in its findings. Our research shows the UK is currently lagging behind comparable nations on activity levels, with important implications for public health and the economy. This report therefore provides a valuable foundation for progress. We particularly welcome the explicit recommendation to maintain Sport England’s statutory consultee role - something we have campaigned hard for over the last year - and the calls to maintain investment in PE and school sport and assess the impact of rising business rates on sport. We stand ready to work with the Government, our National Governing Bodies and our wider members and partners to ensure these recommendations are taken forward given the important role they will play in tackling inactivity, easing pressure on public services, and unlocking the wider social and economic benefits of sport and recreation.

Sarah Brown-Fraser

Head of Communications and Policy, Activity Alliance The report rightly points out that people are held back by the way the system works, not by personal choice or ability. Uneven provision, unstable funding and inaccessible facilities all add up. Hearing this acknowledged is reassuring.

The Committee’s call for a cross-government “Movement for Health” strategy is especially important. It gives us the opportunity to embed accessibility and inclusion from the outset. Disabled people are more likely to be inactive, not through lack of desire, but because systems are not designed with them in mind. A coordinated approach across sport, health, education, transport and planning is essential if this gap is to be closed rather than continually managed around.

We strongly support the Committee’s focus on schools and teacher training. The decline in PE curriculum time, alongside inconsistent training in inclusive practice, is contributing to negative early experiences of activity for disabled children and beyond their school years. This must be addressed through improved teacher training and resources like the inclusive education hub are vital.

With secure funding, inclusive design and disabled people involved throughout, the Game On recommendations offer a real chance to ensure that everyone feels like they belong in sports and activities.

These recommendations could have a huge impact, especially for women and girls

Stephanie Hilborne

CEO,Women in Sport

Women in Sport welcomes the vision and ambition shown in this report. If taken up in full, these recommendations could have a huge impact on sport and physical activity in England, especially for women and girls.

We are thrilled to see the Committee recognise the value of Big Sister, our partnership with Places Leisure which supports teenage girls to stay active at a time in their lives when so many fall out of love with sport. We know that Big Sister works and the recommendation in the report that the Government should provide funding and support for it is a vindication of that. Our door is always open should the Government wish to have that conversation.

More money for sport and physical activity would of course be welcome. And while we recognise that this is unlikely to happen in the immediate future, the report is correct to make the point that more money spent on sport now would lead to a cost saving for the wider Government budget, and especially the NHS, in the future.

Support for local authorities would also be a positive step. We know that women and girls are disproportionately likely to make use of their local leisure centres and that any closures or reduction in services would affect them more. We welcome the recommendation to require local authorities to provide sport and leisure, but this cannot happen without proper support from central government.

We have long argued that there must be much better cross- department cooperation in Westminster to maximise the potential benefits of sport to women and girls – and indeed the whole of society. We have seen good examples of this in practice having a real impact in specific policy areas; for example, the cooperative work between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education on school sport. But it must go further than this and in particular, given the huge potential benefits to the NHS, the Department for Health and Social Care should be more involved in sport and physical activity policy. It is noteworthy that the Government doesn’t currently have an overall strategy for sport and physical activity. We agree that they should.

The report’s recommendation for a comprehensive cross-Government strategy represents a vital step

Clemency Lion

Director of Policy , Ukactive The Game On inquiry report underscores the importance of physical activity for people at all stages of life. Investing in community sport and physical activity achieves significant social and economic returns, from increased productivity to mental and physical wellbeing improvements.

In our written submission and during our oral evidence last June, we highlighted the need for Government to support health and fitness facilities properly to maximise the benefits of physical activity in reducing pressure on the NHS and supporting economic growth. We are pleased to see the Committee recognise many of ukactive’s arguments and adopt our recommendation to use existing Government funding strategically to unlock greater private investment streams. This will be crucial in protecting and enhancing the provision of physical activity for children to ensure their wellbeing now and into the future.

There remains a clear need for a broader and deeper understanding of the importance of physical activity in delivering the Government’s missions across educational, workplace and healthcare settings.

The report’s recommendation for a comprehensive cross-Government strategy represents a vital step and we will continue to work with the Government to ensure the role of our sector is recognised fully.

Helen Rowbotham

CEO, Access Sport We’re proud to see Access Sport’s evidence submission recognised alongside many of our partners across the sector. It’s no surprise that the report highlights persistent inequalities in access to community sport. Where you grow up, your income, and whether you have a disability still shape your opportunity to participate.

What stands out is that while the challenges are well documented - underfunded facilities, pressure on grassroots clubs, and fragmented support - the solutions are already being demonstrated at a local level. Organisations like Access Sport are doing exactly what the report calls for: working directly with disadvantaged and disabled young people, supporting community clubs and organisations, and breaking down barriers to participation. So the question is: if we know what works, why aren’t we scaling it? Sport isn’t just about activity - it shapes health, life chances, community engagement and a sense of belonging. Addressing unequal access isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s fundamental. The opportunity now is to turn intent into action. We stand ready to work with national and local partners to scale what works and close the gap between policy and practice - because the cost of inaction is continued inequality, and that is no longer acceptable.