Government urged to boost sports funding for young people

The Gamechanger report, published by the Centre for Social Justice think-tank, lays out recommendations designed to give every pupil the chance to participate in a minimum of two hours of extracurricular sport per week, on top of PE time scheduled in the curriculum.

The report adds that this would “close the ‘activity gap’ between state schools and their independently educated peers”.

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It finds that access to sport boosts academic prospects, builds confidence, improves mental health and reduces crime among young people. It notes that sports interventions reduce offending rates by 52 per cent, and that sport increases underachieving pupils’ numeracy skills by 29 per cent.

The report calls for a Prime Minister-led taskforce to support the delivery of a new right to sport, bringing together charitable, private and philanthropic partners. The report also proposes measures that would raise £1.4 billion for a Young People Fund, to support the provision of extracurricular activities for every pupil.

Other recommendations include the establishment of a new Youth Infrastructure Endowment to aid the building of new youth clubs and services, and the establishment of a new £1 billion social outcomes fund to tackle social problems, including youth offending, through sport.

The report urges the government to follow through on existing commitments relating to sport and extracurricular activities for young people, including by implementing, in full, the recommendations of the 2018 independent review of sport in justice.

It also calls for the government to review existing coaching qualifications to ensure they are fit for purpose, and for the all-party parliamentary group for Sport and Physical Activity in the Criminal Justice System to investigate how criminal justice commissioners are using sport to create safer communities.

The report was informed by the Transforming Young Lives Through Sport Advisory Board, a board of experts in youth offending and sport chaired by Lord John Nash, former academies and schools minister and founder of youth charity Future.

Nash said: “This excellent report urges revolutionising access to sport and physical activity so that no matter which school a child attends or where they live, they have access to a wide range of opportunities to play sport and be active, both on school premises and in their local communities.

“Nothing less than a fully funded Right to Sport for all pupils alongside long-term match funded investment in youth infrastructure, services and facilities is required to deliver on this ambition.”

The National Youth Agency welcomed the report on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: "We were glad to add to this report highlighting the importance of sport in supporting young people when we witness the power of youth work delivered by trained, trusted adults through many youth organisations across the country."

We were glad to add to this report from @csjthinktank highlighting the importance of sport in supporting young people when we witness the power of youth work delivered by trained, trusted adults through many youth organisations across the country
Read⬇️🧵https://t.co/D9INqnW7w2

— NYA (@natyouthagency) September 7, 2023

A spokesperson from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: “We are committed to ensuring all children have equal access to quality sport and physical education in and out of school, including a rich extra-curricular offer for all pupils.

"The government's new sports strategy, published last month, aims to get one million more children active by 2030, building upon record investment of almost £400 million in grassroots facilities. The strategy will be driven forward by a new National Physical Activity Taskforce, appointed by the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary and co-chaired by former England Rugby Union international Ugo Monye."