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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to provide more pitches and facilities for women's football teams.

Each year, the government invests £18 million into community sport facilities via the Football Foundation, alongside the English Football Association and the Premier League. A further £21 million was invested in England in 2021/22, supporting a range of projects to deliver improved facilities in deprived areas, support multi-sport use and increase participation among currently under-represented groups including women and girls and disabled players. The Government has committed another £205 million between 2022 and 2025, with plans for this investment due to be announced in the Autumn.

We are working with the FA to build on the momentum created by the Women's Euros to ensure there is a legacy of growth in women and girls, including 500,000 new football opportunities to engage women and girls across the nine host cities by 2024, and 20,000 more women playing for fun across the country. To raise the profile of facilities in the UK, and to commemorate the Lionesses, the Football Foundation is working with facility owners to name pitches/facilities in towns and cities that have a strong link to each tournament winning squad member.