The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)
Grassroots sport plays a vital role in bringing communities together across the country. The Government are committed to supporting the growth of grassroots sport by investing in facilities, ensuring that communities benefit from the opportunity that sport provides.
Today, the Government have announced we are investing £85 million to build and upgrade grassroots sport facilities across the UK in 2026-27, as part of a £400 million boost for grassroots sport facilities across 2025 to 2030. The funding will continue to remove barriers to physical activity, ensuring we deliver new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in the areas that most need them, so that people can participate in sport regardless of where they live. This funding is going to artificial grass pitches, goalposts, floodlights and community hubs through the multi-sport grassroots facilities programme, with a further £15 million to be invested in England in 2026-27. This includes the previously announced £5 million for basketball—the second-most-popular team sport for young people behind football—which will be invested alongside £5 million from the NBA. Further details on £10 million funding for innovative facilities models is due to be set out in the coming months.
The programme will deliver funding for pitches and related facilities through our delivery partners: the Football Foundation (a partnership with the English FA and Premier League) in England, the Cymru Football Foundation in Wales, and the Football Associations in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In addition, we have today published updated lists of 991 projects funded by the multi-sport grassroots facilities programme so far in 2025-26. Projects funded through the multi-sport grassroots facilities programme are designed to increase participation for under-represented groups such as women and girls, disabled players and deprived communities. Moving forward, we will ensure that 50% of investment will target the 30% most deprived areas. In order that as many people can participate in sport and physical activity as possible, 40% of funding will also support projects that have a multi-sport offer. A full list can be found here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/multi-sport-grassroots-facilities-programme-projects-2025-to-2026 and I will place a copy of this list in the Library of each House. Lists will be further updated in due course.
Clubs and organisations across the UK are now being urged to come forward and apply for funding available in 2026-27, which they can do by contacting the relevant partner in their country. Further detail can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-and-upgraded-grassroots-sport-facilities-to-get-the-uk-active
The Government’s future investment in grassroots sport will take into account a range of funding options, following engagement with the sports sector and local leaders to understand the demands of regions across the country. We will ensure that funding reaches a wider range of sports so that as many people as possible are able to participate in physical activity.
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