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New £5m scheme to help leaders tackle inequalities

Leading the Movement will support and connect decision-makers working to ensure sport and physical activity is accessible and inclusive to everyone.

30th June 2025

Today we’ve launched a new £5 million national programme to support leaders at all levels to tackle inequalities in sport and physical activity.

Leading the Movement seeks to build a diverse community of people who are empowered to drive the change needed so the benefits of being physically active are equally accessible to everyone.

A new microsite offers free guidance, articles, case studies, toolkits and other learning resources, available to all, alongside a newsletter that will share regular updates from across the sector.

In a nutshell

The National Lottery-funded programme, which will run until March 2029, aims to:

  • Understand the challenges faced by sector leaders working to tackle inequalities, and explore solutions through engagement, training, coaching and mentoring.
  • Better connect leaders and encourage the exchange of information, ideas and learning.
  • Provide targeted support to under-represented leaders, and leaders working with under-served communities.
Two girls face other on a field, both leaning forwards in a wrestling stance.

Jeanette Bain-Burnett, our executive director of policy and integrity, said: "We’re excited to launch this leadership offer, which marks a significant step forward in our pursuit of the goals we set in our Uniting the Movement strategy.

"We all have a role to play in tackling inequalities – this is truly challenging work, requiring a deliberate change in the way we do things and the partnerships we form.

"This refreshed offer also has a focus on identifying and bolstering leaders who might otherwise be overlooked, giving them the networks, support and skills they need to thrive. 

"Leading the Movement is here to help with that, and our investment in this programme will help realise the power of all the amazing leaders and networks in our sector."

Leading the Movement

Who is it for?

Leading the Movement is for anyone working to help make sport and activity happen in England.

Being a leader isn’t determined by job titles or seniority; it’s about wanting to make a difference, create change and open up opportunities for more people to live active lives.

So anyone taking decisions, or acting to make activity more accessible and enjoyable for everyone, is invited to be part of Leading the Movement.

There are several different elements to the programme: some are for everyone and others are deliberately targeted at leaders (including officers and board members) working within specific organisations and places.

Our offer will also continue to evolve over the next four years.

Why is it needed?

People’s background, finances and where they live can have a negative impact on how likely they are to participate, volunteer and become leaders in sport and physical activity.

Uniting the Movement sets out our ambitions to change this.

Real change can’t be achieved alone, and leaders have told us they want to connect and work together to drive systemic change to make sport and physical activity more inclusive.

We also know that many more people can be leaders. But some groups and communities are under-represented in leadership in our sector.

So through this programme, we’re committed to making our offers accessible and appropriate for the leadership journey of those from under-represented groups.

How will it make a difference?

Leading the Movement seeks to support hundreds of individual leaders each year from now until March 2029. 

Dedicated coaching and mentoring sessions, and bespoke place-based leadership courses aligned to our Place Partnership investment, will support them to further tackle inequalities.  

And creating a leadership community across the sector will provide the ability to share best practice, ideas and connections.

Ultimately, our aim is for leaders at all levels to prioritise reducing inequalities when driving change, so that sport and physical activity are accessible and inclusive to everyone. 

A man holding a pen and notepad talks to a group of people sat around him in an office.

More than just another leadership programme

Hear more from our executive director for policy and integrity, Jeanette Bain-Burnett, on our new offer.

Read Jeanette's blog

Explore the new site

leadingthemovement.org

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