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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase participation in sport for (a) adolescent girls and (b) all adolescents.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone and we recognise that there are barriers which prevent some people from getting active, with women and girls less likely to be active than other groups.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our arm’s length body, Sport England, which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. One of the key pillars in their “Uniting the Movement” strategy is to focus on positive experiences for children and young people. Their “This Girl Can” campaign, which recently celebrated its ten year anniversary, has promoted women’s sport, challenged prejudice and made clear that sport is for everyone.

The Government is committed to ensuring as many people as possible have access to high quality grassroots sports facilities, with a particular focus on providing for under-represented groups, such as women and girls.

That is why we are investing £100 million through the Multi Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to build and upgrade high-quality grassroots sports pitches and facilities in the communities across the UK that need it most, including children and young people.

On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following Spending Review, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans. I also attended a roundtable in Parliament this week on getting girls active.