New fund to create 'world's greenest sports industry'

Our chair Chris Boardman has announced details of our new multi-million-pound fund to help create the 'greenest sports sector in the world'.

Community sports clubs and physical activity groups looking to become more environmentally friendly and sustainable are being encouraged to apply to our Movement Fund.

Our updated eligibility guidance confirms up to £16 million, 10% of the £160 million available via the fund, will be reserved for green sports initiatives that help the sector respond to the impact of climate change.

Chris Boardman and Qasa Alam sit talking on stage during the BASIS conference.

Speaking at the BASIS annual conference, Chris is expected to say: "Today’s announcement represents the biggest ever package of support for the sports sector as part of our ambition to create the greenest sports industry in the world.

"There are two big reasons why our sector must lead the way. First, extreme weather and environmental pollution – whether that’s to our pitches, courts or waterways – is having a devastating impact on physical activity levels. It’s damaging our nation’s health and productivity.

"Second, sport has a unique global megaphone and influence on wider society. By leading the way and advocating for change, we can inspire wider society to act."

The financial commitment comes as research illustrates this "devastating impact" that climate change is having on our ability to play sport and be active.

More than half of players have had activity cancelled in the past year as a result of extreme weather, while women and those on lower incomes are worst impacted and doing less activity as a consequence.

Sport and physical activity organisations can bid for between £300 and £15,000 from the Movement Fund to promote environmental sustainability.

Front cover of Every Move: our investment priorities, featuring illustrations of people being active in park, alongside wind farms and ducks on a river.

To be successful, projects must now meet of one of six criteria:

Carbon emissions: travel and facilities
Circular economy: supply chains, products and waste
Blue-green environment quality and use
Biodiversity
Adapting to climate change and extreme weather events
Just transition: inequalities, inclusion and participation.

The guide provides examples of projects that might be successful, including reducing energy use through solar panels and electric batteries; reducing waste and single-use plastics; and measures to improve resilience and risk of flooding of sports pitches.

In addition, we expect to announce a partnership with BASIS to provide enhanced training, tools and support to partners who need it.

BASIS are a trusted industry leader who already deliver support to sports organisations, leading the charge on environmental sustainability.

The investment into BASIS would offer all our partners, irrespective of size, resources and maturity to build their capability and quickly start taking positive action to make their sport more sustainable.

"Sport has a unique global megaphone and influence on wider society. By leading the way and advocating for change, we can inspire wider society to act."

Chris Boardman

Chair, Sport England

At the conference, Chris will call on the sports sector to "double-down on its commitment to environmental sustainability" and "turn up the volume in holding wider society to account".

He will say: "Our commitment to clean energy and net zero cannot be a fad that goes out of fashion like last season’s sports apparel or team kit.

"We need sustained commitment because the march of climate change doesn’t care what is or isn’t politically trendy.

"Protecting our planet and tackling climate change should be bigger than politics, but across the world it is increasingly being used to divide and polarise people. There is a real risk that people are becoming more apathetic and switching off.

"I call on everyone working in sports to make their voice heard and ensure that it isn’t downgraded in our list of priorities. The future of sport as well as our planet is at stake."

150,000

The estimated number of clubs and groups in England – together we can make a big difference

Today’s announcement comes a year after we published Every Move – our first ever environmental sustainability strategy.

Every Move requires our 130 system partners, including the national governing bodies of all major recognised sports in England, to have robust sustainability action plans in place by March 2027 as a condition of their funding.

We have also committed to work with partners and stakeholders to ensure end-of-life recycling for all newly funded replacement artificial grass pitches from June 2024, as a condition of funding, and to reduce our own carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040 – including action plans for our national sports centres and supply chain.

hris Boardman, Dame Katherine Grainger and the Pedal for Paris cycle team pose with their bikes, a flag and arms raised in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

To amplify the launch of Every Move, Chris embarked on Pedal for Paris – an eight-day ride from Manchester to the French capital, during which he dropped in on several innovative projects who are leading the way on tackling climate change.

The ambitious strategy and impactful campaign have recently won two accolades: the Environmental Sustainability Award at last month's Sport Industry Awards and the Best Environmental Cause Campaign in the public sector category at last week's Purpose Awards.

New fund to create 'world's greenest sports industry'

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