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 improve access to Government support for grassroots sports facilities; and what action it is taking to help increase the capital investment available for the development of new 3G pitches.

The Government provides 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.

The Government is also investing £85 million into grassroots sport facilities through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities (MSGF) Programme in 2026/27. Projects funded through the programme include new and upgraded artificial grass pitches (AGPs), multi-sport hubs and changing pavilions. At least 40% of funded projects will have a multi-sport offer, allowing more people to access a wider variety of sports including rugby, cricket and basketball.

The MSGF Programme aims to promote 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.

Our delivery partner for the programme in England, the Football Foundation, are happy to discuss any queries relating to the funding application process. The Foundation also provide detailed guidance to applicants applying for both small and large projects, which can be found on the ‘What We Fund’ page on their website (https://footballfoundation.org.uk).

We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what grassroots sports facilities each community needs to inform future investment.