Today, the Government has announced an extra £100m for grassroots sport facilities across the UK. The money will be targeted at deprived areas and improving access and participation amongst groups who are currently less active, including women and girls.
We have long argued that any public money invested in sport should be used to close the gender activity gap (via a gender budgeting approach) and we welcome the Government explicitly targeting women and girls access to and participation in sport with this new funding.
The new funding will be allocated to improving key parts of facilities, such as pitches, changing rooms and floodlights. Improving facilities will only enable more women and girls to be active if they have meaningful access to them. This means equal access with men and boys to new and improved facilities, including dedicated peak times slots for them to play and train. It also means appropriate single sex facilities. We know that a lack of access to facilities like changing rooms and toilets is a key barrier to activity for women and girls. It’s encouraging to see changing rooms singled out as an area for investment, but these must meet women and girls’ needs.
It is also important that ethnic minority groups will be amongst those targeted by the new funding. We know that Black and Asian women and girls are less active than their white peers, and that the gender activity gaps between these women and Black and Asian men are bigger than between white women and men.
The majority of this new funding will be invested in football-related facilities, with 40% expected to be multi-sport. Whilst football is of course a hugely important sport for women and girls, especially as we anticipate an exciting Women’s Euro 2025 this summer with multiple Home Nations teams involved, we must make sure that women and girls have access to a range of opportunities to be active, including a range of team sports. With opportunities to watch the highest level of women’s rugby union, cricket, netball and hockey this year, we must make sure women and girls are able to find and play the sport they love.
In these economically tough times, it’s reassuring to see the Government commit to investing in sport and physical activity.
