English sport’s governing bodies are braced for central government funding cuts after the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, made her spring statement. In a joint conference call last month hosted by Sport England, the non-departmental public body responsible for allocating grassroots funding, representatives of the major sports formed the impression they were unlikely to be spared the impact of the bracing spending cuts to be imposed on government departments this year.
Sport England invests more than £250m promoting sport and physical activity each year, with their funding provided by the national lottery and central government, which is in turn handed on to the sport’s governing bodies. Representatives of the bigger sports such as the Football Association, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) were all on the recent call and left in little doubt that securing funding is likely to be increasingly challenging over the coming years.
While a source involved told the Guardian that funding cuts were not presented as imminent or inevitable, the governing bodies were given a stark reminder of the challenging financial climate. Other issues discussed on the call included planning reform, which is potentially significant for the RFU and ECB as they are exploring stadium redevelopments, and the planning and infrastructure bill which is going through parliament.
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In the spring statement last month Reeves announced spending cuts across government departments, as well as committing to a more detailed spending review in June. Sport England’s funding is provided by the Department for Culture Media and Sport, which also funds UK Sport, the body responsible for managing elite sport such as the Great Britain Olympic teams.
The majority of Sport England’s funding of partner organisations has been set until 2027, so the impact of any cuts in government provision would not be felt until subsequent years.
A Sport England spokesperson told the Guardian: “There are no current plans to reduce funding levels. However, it’s no secret that there are significant pressures on public and government finances, and the upcoming spending review will be tight.
“It is therefore more important than ever that everyone involved in sport and physical activity makes the best possible case for demonstrating positive impact on people’s lives.”
UK Sport could also see its funding cut, which would affect the money awarded to Team GB after the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and potentially hinder UK bids to stage international sporting events.
Government support for hosting the women’s Twenty20 World Cup next year, as well as the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and the men’s football European Championship in 2028 is already in place, but the Times reported this week that a proposed bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships is in jeopardy. UK Athletics and UK Sport have both expressed an interest in hosting the event, which would also include the World Para Athletics Championships, but have yet to get government backing.
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