Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Wright and David Crausby

Thursday 1st November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Sir David Crausby (Bolton North East) (Lab)]

7. Whether he has made an assessment of the implications for grassroots football of the failure of the proposed sale of Wembley stadium.

[The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Jeremy Wright)]

I should say at the outset—

[Jeremy Wright]

I am about to explain. The Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch), has been visiting the United States this week for meetings, including a White House roundtable on doping in sport, and she is travelling back this morning.

I can tell the hon. Member for Bolton North East (Sir David Crausby) that, over the next four years, almost £100 million of public money will help to build and upgrade artificial and grass pitches, encourage greater participation and enhance coaching programmes. He will also be aware that football is benefiting from £100 million a year up to 2019 from the Premier League, and I have begun discussions about ensuring that investment remains at least at that level for the next three years.

[Sir David Crausby]

Football’s coffers are overflowing, except of course when it comes to grassroots football. The Football Association reports that one in six matches is postponed and one in three pitches is inadequate. In fairness, more money is coming in from the professional game following Government pressure, but it is nowhere near enough, and we still have only half as many 3G pitches as Germany. If we are to remain even close to the forefront of the game, we need to do much more for children’s football—

[Sir David Crausby]

Will the Secretary of State put even more pressure on the Premier League to dig deep in its pockets?

[Jeremy Wright]

Yes.