A more active nation is within reach if we focus where it matters most
Britain cannot afford the cost of inactivity. Every day we delay helping the least active people to move more, we pay for it through rising NHS demand, lower productivity and widening inequality
A more active nation is not just healthier; it is more productive, resilient, happier and wealthier. In a period of constrained public finances, physical activity is not a luxury - but a strategic necessity. Every £1 invested in community sport and physical activity generates more than £4 in social value through improved health, wellbeing, productivity and stronger communities.
It sounds simple enough: just get inactive people moving and unlock incredible social and economic benefits.
But an inactive adult or child is usually the result of a range of complex, interconnected factors such as income, location, ability and access. As a result, simple, ‘one size fits all’ approached will not work.
If you live in a lower-income area with high social need, the places and spaces that many wealthier communities enjoy – large parks, safe walking or cycling routes, local leisure facilities and a range of community sports clubs – are much less likely to be available to you.
This is why, since 2020, Sport England has pioneered the development of Place-based partnerships all over the country. We have established over 90 of these in the most deprived communities, where people are the least active. Alongside our partners in each place and supported by critical funding from the National Lottery we have delivered bespoke solutions to tackling inactivity with outstanding results.
A great example is in Penzance and St Austell in Cornwall, where local residents and community organisations identified active play as a way to help more people move and connect with one another. Together they developed the Beat the Street programme, transforming everyday walking and cycling into a community-wide game rather than a formal intervention. In under a month, more than 3,200 adults took part, 40 per cent of whom had previously been inactive. That's 1,280 people becoming more active, helping to prevent illness, improve mental wellbeing and strengthen connections across the community.
We have seen similar success through more traditional sports-based approaches. In Birmingham, community partners have worked with local clubs and organisations to create more inclusive opportunities for people to take part in activities such as football, cricket and netball, helping residents who previously faced barriers to participation to become active and stay active. Together, initiatives like these contribute to the £123 billion of social value generated by physical activity each year.
We are proud of what we have achieved in recent times, but since 2020, the context in which we operate has shifted profoundly. The pandemic exposed the underlying inequalities in who gets to be active; the changing cost of living entrenched them. Global instability has driven multiple economic shockwaves, which means some people have less money to spend on sport and activity than ever.
Sport England is working on the next phase of our long-term strategy in response to this: a plan to accelerate impact by laser-focusing our efforts where they can make the greatest difference.
We will focus on the people and places where inactivity is highest and where the benefits of being active are most transformational. We’ll prioritise children from low-income families who are missing out on the joy of sport and the chance to building lifelong healthy habits. We’ll focus on supporting older adults, particularly those with long-term health conditions, to stay active. And we will continue to invest in the places facing the greatest social and economic challenges.
At the same time, we will strengthen the foundations of the community sport sector itself. Across the country, the organisations, volunteers and facilities that enable community sport are under growing pressure. Volunteer numbers are declining, infrastructure is ageing and many facilities no longer meet the needs of modern communities. If we want to expand participation, we must first ensure the system supporting it – from modern, accessible facilities, to seamless digital services that help people find, join and stay involved in sport – is fit for the future.
None of this can be achieved by Sport England, or by the sporting sector alone. Lasting change depends on building connections: between the government, local authorities, health services, schools, community organisations and the private sector We will continue to develop the partnerships and create the conditions for that to happen, at every level: local, regional, and national.
The consequences of inactivity are visible everywhere: in our NHS, in our communities and in the unequal life chances of too many people. But the opportunity is everywhere too.
Sport and physical activity are amongst the most powerful, underused forces we have to improve our nation’s health, wealth and happiness. We know what works. We know where the need is greatest. The question now isn't whether we can build a more active nation. It’s whether we have the determination to do so.
