Sport England reveals first ever sustainability strategy

Sport England has committed £45 million to support grassroots sport tackle climate change.

The funding was announced as part of Sport England publishing its first-ever environmental sustainability strategy, Every Move. The £45 million investment will be used to restore flooded sports pitches and help sports clubs become sustainable.

Additionally, Sport England said it would use the investment to “help more people get active in nature”.

The announcement comes as new research, which forms part of Sport England’s latest Activity Check-in report, reveals that three in five adults and children (60%) say extreme weather has had a negative impact on their ability to be active.

Another survey, on 186 football clubs, showed that 92% of clubs experienced match cancellations due to adverse weather and poor quality grass pitches in 2023-24.

Sport England chair, Chris Boardman, said: “There is no doubt that our changing climate is already impacting our opportunities, motivation and ability to be active.

“Extreme weather is increasingly making it difficult for us to live healthy, active lives by creating a ‘doom loop’ where people become less motivated and more fearful of injury, with sporting opportunities increasingly cancelled and disrupted.

“The FA says 120,000 games will be lost each year. A third of community pitches are already unplayable for two months each year.”