Government pledges £900m for sports events & facilities
The government has pledged to spend £900m on major sporting events and grassroots facilities across the UK as part of a "transformational" investment.More than £0.5bn of the money will be used to support the delivery of "a pipeline of major international events", including Euro 2028, which will be hosted in the UK and Ireland.The 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham and the Grand Departs of the men's and women's Tour de France cycling races in 2027 will also benefit.All those events had already received government backing, along with a proposed UK bid to host the women's football World Cup in 2035, which the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is continuing to work on with the home nations football associations.However, the government is yet to decide whether to support London's bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, with more than 100 of Britain's most renowned athletes urging Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to do so earlier this month.Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "Sport tells our national story in a way few other things can – uniting communities, inspiring millions, and showcasing our nation on the global stage."This major backing for world-class events will drive economic growth across the country. Coupled with strong investment into grassroots sport, we're creating a complete pathway to allow the next generation of sporting heroes to train and take part in sport in communities across the UK. "
In March, the former chair of funding agency UK Sport Dame Katherine Grainger told BBC Sport that it was "frustrating" that Britain was not staging more major events over the next decade, warning of "a big gap". Her successor Nick Webborn said: "We welcome the government's ongoing commitment to hosting the Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes and Euro 2028…and support their commitment to secure the pipeline of big events beyond 2028 to ensure we can continue to reach, inspire and unite people in every corner of the country."Britain is hosting the women's rugby union World Cup in England this year, along with the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, but the government is not believed to be backing any bids for golf's Ryder Cup or Solheim Cup.As part of the funding commitment, the DCMS says that a minimum of £400m will also be invested over the next four years into new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities "that promote health, wellbeing and community cohesion".On Thursday the government announced plans for a new School Sport Partnerships and Enrichment Framework for schools to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity.Ali Oliver, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: "We are grateful to the government for listening and responding so comprehensively to our sector's united call for a reimagined approach to PE and school sport. This will be an amazing boost to those who work so tirelessly, often against the odds, in PE and school sport."Children's activity levels have been too low for too long. We welcome the government seeking to harness the vast potential of play and sport to change this."
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