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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure public funding for sports facilities increases participation among (a) women, (b) people with disabilities, (c) and inactive communities.

The Government will invest £400m in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities, promoting health, wellbeing and community cohesion, while removing the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups, such as women and girls, people with disabilities, and ethnic minority communities.

We provide the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

We are ensuring that future grassroots sports facilities funding programmes are tailored to local demand, and provide communities with year-round facilities where that demand exists. We are committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities, which means delivering a range of facilities across the UK.

Through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities (MSGF) Programme, we are ensuring investment reaches those who need it most. In 2026/27, we are investing in artificial grass pitches, which play a crucial role in getting more people active across the UK. They provide year-round playing surfaces which can sustain up to 80 hours of use per week - significantly more than grass pitches, helping more people to access the benefits of physical activity.

At least 40% of MSGF-funded projects will have a multi-sport offer to allow more people to participate in sports other than football. This means that more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them including rugby, cricket and basketball. Projects are also required to generate partner funding, ensuring we achieve value for money on Government investment.