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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to take steps to increase funding opportunities for grassroots sports facilities in rural constituencies.

The Government is committed to expanding access to community and grassroots sport across the UK and believe it should be accessible to all people, in all parts of the country.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Sport England’s work focuses on bringing the health and sport sectors together at community level and to champion physical activity with local leaders to develop interventions tailored to communities.

Throughout 2024/25, the Government is investing £123 million to provide new and improved multi-sport grassroot facilities and pitches across the UK, including in rural areas. The Football Foundation plans their investment pipeline based on Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs). These plans have been developed in partnership with local authorities and are in the process of being refreshed to reflect the current landscape. Should a constituent have an enquiry about prospective investment at a specific facility, they can get in touch with the Football Foundation directly via enquiries@footballfoundation.org.uk.

We will confirm details of future support following the upcoming Spending Review, including how we intend to distribute funding across communities in different areas of the United Kingdom.