Skip to content

Assessing Needs and Playing Pitch Strategy guidance

We believe that providing the right facilities in the right place is central to helping people take part in sport and activity.

The downloadable guidance documents below are designed to give a clear understanding of what’s required in an area.

This provides a sound basis on which to develop policy and make informed decisions for sports development and investment in facilities.

Girl learning to ride skate board in skate park

Assessing Needs and Opportunities guidance

To help you carry out comprehensive needs assessments for a range of indoor and outdoor sports facilities, we've produced guidance on our recommended approach.

The guide focuses on the practicalities of producing a clear and robust assessment to help develop and apply local planning policy. As a result, the guide will be able to assist local authorities with meeting the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework (paragraph 98).

To further help you with your needs and opportunities assessment, we’ve developed a downloadable checklist covering the three-stage approach featured in the guidance.

Playing Pitch Strategy Guidance

This document outlines a recommended step-by-step approach to developing and delivering a playing pitch strategy. Covering both natural and artificial grass pitches, the approach has been developed by us in partnership with: 

  • The Football Association
  • England and Wales Cricket Board
  • Rugby Football Union
  • Rugby Football League
  • England Hockey Board.

The document provides guidance for local authorities looking to understand and assess the need for playing pitches and improve provision.

It's also useful for parties who may be looking to carry out an assessment of need and develop a playing pitch strategy for an appropriate study area.

To help with your playing pitch strategy, we’ve developed a downloadable checklist covering the 10-step approach featured in the guidance.

Appendices

The design of where we live and work plays a vital role in encouraging activity in our everyday lives.

Learn more about Active Design

Related content

Young men playing football in sports hall
Design and cost guidance

We know there’s a lot to consider when you’re developing a sports facility – whether it’s a clubhouse, a sports hall, or something else.

Boy in wheelchair playing hockey
Community Assets and Rights

Community rights offer you the chance to protect and control important community facilities that you may otherwise be at risk of losing.

A harvest mouse peeks out of a hole in a tennis ball placed on the end of a stick among wildflowers.
Sustainability

Using the Every Move strategy and action plan, we want to lead, inspire and support the sector to become environmentally sustainable, enabling greater opportunity for all people to participate in sport and physical activity, now and in the future.

Sign up to our newsletter

You can find out exactly how we'll look after your personal data, but rest assured we’ll only use it to make sure you receive our newsletter, to understand how you interact with our newsletter, and to provide administrative information about our newsletter.