Grassroots sport needs grass – the government must protect our playing fields
3 min read
Every footballer remembers the place where it started. For me, it was a playing field in Sunderland. Not an academy or training ground, just a local pitch open to anyone who turned up.
Back then, I was just a girl with a dream that hadn’t even been invented yet, and I only found that dream because I had a park on my doorstep. Roker Park gave me more than football. It gave me everything that came after, the Euros, the World Cups, and now, the privilege of serving as president of Fields in Trust, the only national charity permanently protecting the UK’s parks, playing fields, pitches and playgrounds.
For a century, Fields in Trust has protected over 3,000 spaces in perpetuity. I am not here just to celebrate that legacy, but to fight for the spaces that shaped me. I want every child to have that same fair chance.
Not everyone will go on to represent their country. But where these places exist, a lifelong love of sport begins. The future Lionesses, the five-a-sides, the morning cricketers, the weekend runners, all of them first laced up their boots somewhere local.
It shouldn’t need to be said, but grassroots sport needs grass. Without these spaces, we risk Britain’s proud sporting culture. Which is why I find the government’s changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) so concerning, and why the potential removal of Sport England’s role in planning decisions matters. Once a green space is gone, it’s gone forever.
Nearly half of Britons already live more than a 10-minute walk from a playing field. For millions, these spaces are the only place to kick a ball, play with their children or clear their head. Already many parts of the country are feeling their loss. Without stronger protections, planning decisions risk adding to that, one application at a time.
These spaces do more than we give them credit for. As policymakers focus on issues like childhood obesity, influence of social media and high-screentime of young people, green spaces are one of the best tools we have. Our own polling shows that 93 per cent of people believe they are important for getting children off their phones and tablets. But we cannot tackle one crisis while creating another.
Between 1976 and 1996, we lost 10,000 playing fields to development. It was that loss, and the campaigning that followed, which included Fields in Trust, that led to Sport England being given its statutory consultee role. Rather than a clog in the system, they are the experts who ensure community value is considered before concrete is poured.
We will always fight for these spaces, but we cannot stand alone.
The public understand what’s at stake. Our YouGov polling shows only 18 per cent of people believe the government is doing enough to protect playing fields, while 77 per cent are concerned about the loss of playing fields and community sports grounds. And 86 per cent support the idea of new housing, backed by a legal requirement to include surrounding green spaces. Housing and green spaces shouldn’t be competing priorities. The public is not asking us to choose.
Our ask is clear. First, protect these spaces for the long term. I’m glad to see the NPPF references our Fields in Trust Standards, which provides the national benchmark for what good looks like. It is a proven, workable model, and should be the default. Second, retain Sport England’s statutory role. Without it, there is no guarantee that expertise finds its way into the room when these decisions are made.
Every child deserves what I had. A local pitch, open to anyone, where a dream can start. Let’s not lock the gates on the next generation before they’ve had a chance to lace up their boots.
Jill Scott is a former England footballer
