£100 million for sports facilities

£100 million has been allocated to revamp local sports facilities across the UK.

Working in collaboration with the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation in England, the Cymru Football Foundation in Wales, and the Football Associations in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the funding is expected to support hundreds of new and improved pitches, changing rooms, goalposts and floodlights to improve access to sport and physical activity for local communities.

The funding will be targeted at deprived areas and support greater access and participation levels among under-represented people, including women and girls, ethnic minority groups and disabled players.  

The funding is designed to break down barriers to opportunity and tackle persistent health inequalities through prevention.

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.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "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.

"As we deliver our Plan for Change, we will remove barriers to an active lifestyle and increase opportunity for all, ensuring that wherever people may live, they can access high quality sports facilities and experience the joy that sport brings."

Chief executive of the Football Foundation, Robert Sullivan said: "Today’s announcement is fantastic news for every community in England. Alongside the funding we receive from the Premier League and The FA, the investment announced by the Government today will enable the Football Foundation to provide even more people with a great place to play.

"Good quality grassroots facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities. Working closely with local stakeholders across England, we’ll continue to target our investment at those areas of the country where the need is greatest and towards those under-represented groups who’ll experience the most substantial benefits from new and improved facilities."