Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help support grassroot sports initiatives in (a) Wolverhampton and (b) the West Midlands.

Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health and this government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

The significant core public investment of £778 million for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has accelerated investment and regeneration in Birmingham and the West Midlands. This includes infrastructure developments like the Alexander Stadium renovations and the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre that will be a legacy for the community to use long after the Games is over. Sport England is also investing £35 million for physical activity legacy, which will cover both targeted interventions in the West Midlands region as well as national investments to open up sporting opportunities to all.

Since 2018, the department has also invested £333,674 into a wide range of grassroots sport projects across Wolverhampton through Sport England, such as to the Finchfield Hockey Club and Ormiston New Academy. This is part of the £23.2 million invested in the West Midlands during the same period.

The Government also invests £18 million each year in community sport facilities via the Football Foundation. In partnership with the Football Association and Premier League, this results in £70 million being invested into community sport facilities every year. The Football Foundation has granted over £4.7 million to the West Midlands to develop football and multi-use grassroots sports facilities in 2021/22.