Sport for all: the economic case for exercise
Sport and exercise boosts health, happiness and the economy. Simon Hayes, the new CEO of Sport England, outlines how tackling inequalities in activity can unlock billions in social value and build stronger, healthier communities across the country
What does sport mean to you?
This is a question I have started to consider in some depth over the last 8 weeks as the new CEO of Sport England.I have travelled all over the country (and even beyond, to India alongside the Prime Minister) looking at our nation’s relationship with sport. And I have begun to understand that community sport and exercise might look and feel different for everyone – but at the same time we can all feel the same profound benefits from it.
It might mean darkening afternoons on muddy playing fields in the depths of winter. Long summer evenings of cricket or tennis, or boxing classes and yoga in the park. Cycling to school; cycling to work. Friendships forged on pitches and sidelines, in village halls and urban leisure centres. Learning life skills whatever age you are. Children’s confidence and resilience being built with every kick, run, splash and throw. Cheering. Commiserating. Connecting.
These are some of the deeply human joys of movement: the physical, mental and social benefits that we experience when we get active. And we now have some new data on the astonishing economic benefits too.
New social value research from Sport England shows that for every £1 invested in community sport & exercise, £4.38 is generated for the people and the public purse – a return of more than 4 to 1.
Overall, sport and exercise generate an extraordinary £123 billion in social value every year.
That includes £8 billion of savings a year for the NHS and the prevention of 3.3 million cases of chronic illness prevention - such as diabetes and depression. This reduces pressure on our already stretched services, which is especially welcome news on the cusp of a challenging winter. We’ve also calculated that we gain £6 billion in productivity, thanks to a workforce that takes fewer sick days.
And we’ve used the WELLBY (Wellbeing Adjusted Life Year) metric (endorsed by HM Treasury) to calculate the annual wellbeing value of sport and exercise - how healthy and happy it makes us.
Active adults enjoy an average wellbeing uplift worth £2,600 a year. For some groups - including people with disabilities, older adults, people on lower incomes and people from Asian communities - the value is even higher. Put simply, the less likely you are to be able to exercise, the more you stand to gain from it.
In fact, our research has revealed that we’re missing out on almost £20 billion social value every year due to inequalities in activity levels. In other words, by supporting the least active groups in society to participate in sport and exercise more regularly, nearly £20 billion more in healthcare savings, illness prevention, productivity gains, and improved wellbeing could be unlocked for people and the public purse.
But the reality is that access to sport and exercise is unequal; it’s far too dependent on background, bank balance and postcode. That’s why tackling inequality is at the heart of our 10-year strategy, Uniting the Movement; we are laser-focused on supporting people who face the greatest barriers to take part in sport and exercise.
And it’s why, through our Place partnerships, we’re investing £250m into areas all over the country with the highest levels of social need, working with local leaders from the ground up to empower communities to get active. We know that Place-based working delivers great results in driving down inactivity in deprived areas; we’ve seen world-leading results for children’s activity levels for the JU:MP programme in Bradford for example. We’ve been working in Calderdale since 2018, and we’ve seen the percentage of active adults go from 61 per cent to 67 per cent; at a national level 63 per cent of adults are active. That’s tens of thousands more people exercising within their communities in Calderdale, enjoying better health and happiness, and saving the NHS money. And This Girl Can, our flagship campaign to support women to get active, is now targeting women that are more likely be inactive – including Black women, new mums and pregnant women.
We continue to work alongside other part of Government, including supporting the new ‘Let’s Move!’ campaign, designed to help families stay active together during the autumn and winter months. The government has also committed approximately half a billion pounds investment into grassroots community sport from 2025 to 2030, ensuring sport is accessible at every level - from local playing fields, to world-class tournaments.
And as we look to the challenges ahead, we must protect the places and spaces that communities most in need rely on to get active, making sure that the understandable need to speed up the planning process and build more homes doesn’t inadvertently threaten our much-needed playing fields
Inequality of access to sport and exercise is a big, complex problem. It’s a hard thing to solve.
But I have already seen firsthand the expertise and passion from so many people all over the country who are trying to fix this, and I am absolutely committed to making sure that Sport England continues to lead the way in this critical mission.
Because ultimately, a healthy population is the backbone of a healthy economy. Health is wealth - so let’s continue to champion community sport and exercise, to empower local communities to lead the way and to make sure that everyone can take part.
