Taxonomy term

England is changing and not just around the edges.

Who we are as a nation, how we live, where we live, how long we live for and what we need to stay well are all shifting. And while these changes are gradual, their impact on sport and physical activity will be profound.

That is the central message running through Sport England’s latest Horizon scanning series on demographics.

Together the three reports offer a clear, evidence-led, picture of how population change is reshaping participation, demand and delivery, and why the sector cannot afford to stand still.

Because if we want sport and physical activity to stay relevant in ten years’ time, we have to design for the realities people are living today.

These reports are a prompt – and a practical steer – for all of us to build offers that reflect modern lives, strengthen belonging and reduce inequality rather than unintentionally reinforce it.

But this is not me presenting a distant future or abstract trends.

These shifts are already happening and they are already influencing who feels welcome, who takes part and who is being left behind.

Identity, belonging and a more complex England

Our first report focuses on identity and belonging.

It highlights how England’s population is becoming more diverse and how identities are becoming more complex and intersectional – changes that make communities harder to define, to understand and to monitor when using traditional approaches.

This first analysis also points to the way life stages are shifting – becoming more individual and less defined by chronological age – and it argues that sport and physical activity approaches should focus less on age, and more on lifestyle and life stage.

The opportunity for the sector is significant as sport and physical activity can foster social cohesion, but only if opportunities and the workforce reflect diverse interests and needs, and if communication and language barriers are tackled to make opportunities accessible.

Ageing, health and widening inequalities

The second report turns to ageing, health and disability.

England’s population is ageing and becoming more diverse in later life, with the report noting that the older population will continue to grow and diversify, reshaping what ageing looks like for future generations.

It also highlights a crucial tension: more people will live longer in good health, but inequalities in health outcomes are deepening, shaped by factors including income and ethnicity.

This creates diverging experiences of later life and a clear imperative for inclusive and accessible opportunities that reflect diverse needs. 

The report is equally direct about the role of sport and physical activity in prevention, supporting physical health, mental wellbeing, independence and social connection, and the responsibility the sector has to act intentionally where inequality is most entrenched.

Generations, place and the geography of opportunity

Lastly, the third report focuses on generations and place, and how geography shapes participation and delivery.

It describes how England remains separated by socioeconomic background and how economic uncertainty risks widening gaps between social groups and reinforcing existing regional inequalities.

It also points to urbanisation pressures alongside the risk of decline or disconnection in some rural and coastal communities and the role that sport and activity can play as community anchors, with local clubs sometimes doubling as social and support hubs.

For young people the report emphasises that their experiences are changing in fundamental ways – shaped by digital environments, evolving education landscapes and pressures on wellbeing – all of which affect how, where and why they engage in sport and physical activity. 

A moment for leadership

What links all three reports is a consistent conclusion: population change is not a side issue for sport and physical activity, but a defining challenge of the next decade.

These demographic shifts cut across policy, funding, workforce, facilities, design and delivery.

They challenge outdated assumptions about who participates, why they participate and what participation even looks like in modern England.

But they also present a powerful opportunity: to listen more closely to lived experience, to work across sectors and to design opportunities that reflect real lives rather than idealised ones so that sport and physical activity can play a central role in building a healthier, more connected and a more equal England.

The question is not whether change is coming. It already has. The question now is whether the sector is bold enough to respond.

Boxing is my religion. Like all spiritual journeys it began with a moment of divine inspiration and my baptism was conducted whilst watching Muhammed Ali defeat George Foreman in “The Rumble In The Jungle”.

I grew up in boxing gyms with the sport giving me purpose, discipline and titles – including representing my country on numerous occasions.

These days it offers me the chance to inspire the next generation of boxers and to help anyone who walks through the gym door, to believe in themselves and choose a positive path in life. 

When people ask me why boxing matters so much to me, my answer is simple: it changes and saves lives.

A safe space for all

Of course, it also improves health and builds confidence, but boxing keeps people – especially young people – away from anti-social behaviour and crime, something that I can personally verify as a former Youth Justice Manager. 

With the number of proven offences committed by children seeing an increase of 4%, change has never been so important and there are many ways boxing helps fight crime.

Firstly, boxing gives young people structure and boundaries.

Many of the children and young people who walk through the doors of a boxing gym – like mine in Oldham, Greater Manchester – come from difficult backgrounds and have challenging lives. 

Having little or no access to opportunities and therefore a lack of agency in the world, may result in challenging behaviours. But not dealing with these pressures means they risk spilling out onto the streets and that’s where crime starts. 

Not because young people are 'bad', but because they have nowhere positive to pour their energy into. But boxing gyms can change that, as these spaces are built on discipline, respect, routine and team spirit.

You don’t just turn up to your gym whenever you feel like it. Instead, you’re expected to train on time, plus you have to listen to your coach, and you learn that effort leads to results and that shortcuts rarely work.

These lessons transfer directly into everyday life and children who understand discipline in a boxing gym are far less likely to make reckless decisions outside it.

Boxing also teaches emotional control, becasue contrary to what some may think, this sport helps a young person understand how to control their emotions, particularly aggression, and how to think and act under pressure.

I’ve seen it first hand – children who once lashed out can calm themselves because boxing gave them an outlet for their emotions and that allows them to thrive.

The many lessons of boxing

Boxing is a good metaphor for life and can help to develop those personal and social skills that people need, contributing to tackling deep seated worklessness and low aspirations.

The sport also fosters the development of positive character, self-esteem, self-discipline, courage, perseverance and resilience.

Instead of throwing punches on the street, they hit the pads, the bags and their coach or opponent inside the ring, but always with respect to the sport’s rules, under supervision and with a reason.

Boxing also teaches respect — for yourself and for others. You shake hands, you follow rules and you learn that real strength comes from self-control, not intimidation. These values reduce crime at its roots.

Another factor that's key is the sense of belonging among those practising the sport. A boxing gym offers identity and loyalty because, at a gym, you’re part of a team.

You train together, look out for each other and you wear the gym name with pride. That sense of identity can pull someone away from a path that leads to anti-social behaviour and crime.

I’ve seen boxing change lives in Oldham and Greater Manchester, where young people that were heading toward trouble now have focus and a reason to stay on the straight and narrow, and I’ve also seen young people who had no confidence, find self-belief.

Not all these children will become a champion boxer and that's okay.

Building better lives through sport

The real victories happen when a young person chooses to stay in school, can find a job or simply chooses not to commit a crime because they don’t want to let their gym or coach down.

At our newly refurbished Greater Manchester Boxing and Development Hub, we’ve been lucky enough to benefit from Sport England funding. 

To my mind, our investors aren’t just putting money into a boxing club and community gym. They’re investing in crime prevention and harm minimisation.

It costs less to fund a gym than it does to deal with the consequences of crime and anti-social behaviour – policing, court cases, prison and reform – as recent estimates place the total economic and social cost of serious youth violence at £11 billion between 2009 and 2020.

For me, boxing is more than titles and trophies, it’s about giving people a chance.

Every time a young person chooses to walk into a gym and away from 'the road', I believe that’s crime prevention in action and that’s why boxing will always matter. 

As one of the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester, Oldham forms part of Sport England’s Place Partnership with Greater Manchester Moving and other local bodies to implement Sport England's Uniting the Movement strategy for getting people active.

I’m proud of what boxing can do to change lives.

In the words of the iconic social activist, pacifist and politician, Nelson Mandela: “Sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair.”

Every day, I get to see the truth in these great words in action.
 

As the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games start we would like to extend our very best wishes to the athletes and the support team behind Team GB (and in the coming weeks ParalympicsGB) as the spotlight of Olympic and Paralympic sport shines upon them.

It is worth remembering that during the 2018-22 cycle the winter sports and athletes were particularly impacted by the resultant post-Brexit travel restrictions and also (how soon we forget!) by the Covid pandemic.

UK Sport and the British Olympic Association have an ambitious target this year and I think, and hope, that at this iteration of the ‘winters’ we will see our athletes and sports realise their aspirations as they showcase the rich and diverse sporting offer we have in England and across the UK.

Proudly supporting our talent

At Sport England we are extremely proud of the role that we play in supporting partners and thereby enabling aspiring athletes in winter sports to explore and fulfil their potential, but what does that support look like and why does it matter?

Starting with the second question first, let’s address the elephant in the room – why winter sports?

There is a rather lazy misconception that we don’t have winter sports facilities and that those sports are exclusively the pursuit of people from affluent backgrounds – the truth, like many things in life, is much more nuanced that that.

Starting with the sliding sports (bobsleigh, skeleton or luge to name a few) there is an established track record of athletes coming from the British Army - shout out at this point to our colleagues at British Army Sport which continues to be a key partner of and contributor to the UK High Performance System - or from track and field athletics.

These athletes often transition in to sliding sports (or should it be pushing sports!) through established UK Sport-led talent ID programmes such as Find Your Greatness, and those sports have brilliant pathways to take them all the way to the podium.
 

The skating sports are typically populated with athletes who started their careers at ice rinks and ice centres scattered across the major ‘second cities’ of England.

Funding centres across the country

The National Ice Centre in Nottingham has long since been the base for aspiring short track speed skaters and a great partnership between Sport England, Nottingham City Council and recently British Ice Skating, who received Sport England talent funding into their pathways.

Other English rinks feature prominently in the athletes’ biographies and it was great to see Sheffield hosting the recent Figure Skating European Championships as part of the build up to the Games.

English Snowsport athletes often start their careers at outdoor ‘dry’ (not so much in the rain!) ski slopes, which continue to be popular and affordable community sport facilities, enabling athletes such as the Summerhayes sisters or, for Milan-Cortina, veteran James ‘Woodsy’ Woods (who will compete at his fourth Olympic Winter Games) to progress from Sheffield Ski Village to the X-Games podium.  

Arguably Great Britain's most successful ever Alpine skier, Dave Ryding will contest his fifth Olympic Winter Games, having purportedly earned his stripes at a dry ski-facility up at Pendle Ski Club, a member-owned club located in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire.

Sport England investment supports the talent pathways in a range of winter sports to ensure that performance pathways in these sports are accessible and inclusive, well-led and managed, and that they offer the support needed to allow our aspiring young people to progress to the very highest level.

Through our funded partners, most prominently SportsAid, we also fund programmes such as Backing The Best and the TASS programme that collectively provide direct financial and athlete support services, such as strength and conditioning, physiotherapy and sports medicine services to enable our players to be fit, healthy and optimally prepared for graduation into high performance programmes and success at major events and games.

As an example, of the Team GB class of 2026 in Milan-Cortina, at least 10 athletes (including Dave ‘The Rocket’ Ryding) have received Sport England support through TASS - five of which are current TASS-supported athletes enabling them to be in the very best of health as they embark on one of the biggest events of their careers.

Finally, as we look ahead to the winter Paralympics, we could not be prouder of the English athletes who will represent PGB as the spotlight shines on them from 6 March, I am particularly looking forward to seeing trailblazing English wheelchair curlers: Yorkshire’s Jo Butterfield, Newcastle’s Jason Kean, Wigan’s Karen Aspey and Northumbria’s Stewart Pimblett.

Collectively, they will make history as the first English curlers ever to take to the ice at the ‘winters’.

Their inspirational journey (look them up, their stories are remarkable) was enabled through an innovative partnership with British Curling, which saw Sport England invest in performance pathways in the sport for the very first time.

Best of luck to all our athletes. No need to ask you to make us proud. We already are.
 

Suicide prevention and increased employability among young men might not be the traditional aims of physical activity programmes, but at Rise – the leading North East health and wellbeing charity – we're showing how lives and communities can be transformed using the power of movement.

Rise is the active partnership for Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County Durham, and we’re using physical activity as part of a pioneering approach to reduce inequalities and to boost physical and mental health.

As part of this work, we’ve undertaken a significant project in Berwick called Rise’s Healthy Minds for Healthy Lives, working directly with more than 100 men aged 16-30.

Understanding the issues faced by our young men

Like many communities in the North East, young people in Berwick face complex socio-economic problems including unemployment, poor health, relationship difficulties and issues surrounding debt, poverty and substance misuse.

These struggles have had a consequential effect on the mental health of young men in town.

Using data from referrals and initial interviews of the young men we worked with in Berwick, we found that:

• 43% constantly considered suicide
• 76% had diagnosed mental health disorders
• 81% had substance abuse issues
• 67% were unemployed
• 43% faced significant debt.

Our work within the community in Berwick addresses the physical and psychological aspects of wellbeing but it goes beyond that, giving people practical skills as well.

This broad and comprehensive approach helps build stronger and resilient mental health, enhancing young people’s overall quality of life, and by working directly with people who need our help the most, we aim to improve their immediate health and wellbeing.

We also build on their ambitions, motivations and employability prospects, which helps them grow their confidence, improve their mental health and to strengthen their wellbeing through physical activity.

Deacon's story

One positive example from our work within the Berwick community is Deacon’s story.

A local resident of 29 years of age, Deacon had struggled with social issues including anxiety and depression from a young age.
 

Following a difficult living environment, Deacon moved away from his support network to Berwick with his father and that's when isolation set in.

Deacon said: “I needed to be more active and find solutions. I’d never filled in housing applications; I’d never filled in job applications. That help was there when I needed it and I’ve improved in every aspect of my life. I refer to Jaki as the woman who saved my life. She’s absolutely amazing, I cannot thank her enough.”

When Deacon came to see us, I could have scraped him off the floor – he had no sense of self-worth – and I think that had been destroyed by the environment that he had been in.

But then I was able to get him enrolled onto an outdoor equine and nature activity course followed by an employment and wellbeing course.

Fortunately the course providers paid for the transport, which took away that barrier of him getting in from where he lived and he even helped him secure a job out of it!

After gaining employment, Deacon was able to acquire a bike and that enabled him to cycle to and from work, which helped him improve his physical health.

A month after that, he was also offered a local authority flat. The smile on his face was immense. I’m proud of how Deacon has turned it around.

The power of physical activity

Our internal data reflects that since May 2021, Rise has supported 118 young men to improve their lives. Recent evaluations found that: 

• 96% showed a reduced risk of anti-social behaviour
• 76% had successfully applied for a job, training or further learning
• 87% now take part in physical activity
• 75% felt confident with themselves and felt they were making positive choices.

Rise’s Healthy Minds for Healthy Lives project was initially supported by the Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit and London North Eastern Railway and has subsequently been funded by the National Lottery to enable the work to continue.

Through working within communities, we've helped transform the lives of young men, demonstrating how physical activity has the power to enact positive change. 

The concentrated focus of Black History Month provides an opportunity to gain new perspectives through events, articles and media programming that might otherwise be overlooked.

At its best, this month should stir our curiosity and resolve as we look back at the achievements and struggles of Black people, helping us gain a fuller understanding of Black histories to strengthen our grasp of the present.

This celebration (and the round-the-clock efforts by many through the year) should move us to action, reminding us that we don't have to accept the erasure of some people and communities as normal.

‘Making the joy of swimming accessible to all’ is the slogan of Swimunity, a Community Interest Company based in West London that I have the privilege of co-directing since 2017.

Swimunity was founded in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, with the aim of providing a space for healing and resilience-building among local residents through their relationship with water, in the form of free swimming lessons, beach days and residential trips.

Several years on, we’ve had hundreds of local young people and women learning how to swim with us, with some of them even becoming swimming teachers themselves!

Many have also joined us for expeditions to the seaside and for residential trips around the UK (Cornwall, Dorset and Wales) to leave the busy streets of London behind in favour of new environments and experiences. 

For more than 10 years, I’ve had the privilege of being part of a partnership between Sport England and the National Trust that’s been quietly but powerfully changing lives.

This is more than just getting people outdoors – it’s about creating real, lasting opportunities for everyone, especially those who need it most, to connect with nature and feel the benefits of being active in green and blue spaces.

Being outdoors and connected to nature has demonstrable health and wellbeing benefits.

Studies have shown impact such as lowering stress levels and reducing cortisol and inflammation, which are increasingly seen as factors in depression, autoimmune diseases and cancer.

Our work at the National Trust is shifting towards a more ‘place-based’ approach, but what exactly do we mean by that?

Rather than parachuting in with one-size-fits-all solutions, we’re considering what’s already happening in local communities, at National Trust properties and on their land, and finding ways to make those spaces more accessible, more welcoming and more connected to the people who live nearby.
 

Whilst we consider how to be more locally responsive, we continue to work at a national scale on initiatives such as improving navigational and orientation signage to ensure paths are easy to find and follow, and refining path-grading methodologies to better reflect the diversity of users.

This work focuses on describing the path itself rather than the person using it and it goes in line with the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) principles and the Equality Act.

What I love about our work is that it’s about making meaningful connections between the land and the community.

It’s not just about trails or facilities – it’s about creating safe, natural, traffic-free environments where people can walk, cycle, run, paddle or simply be.

I’ve seen firsthand how many barriers can stand in the way of people accessing the outdoors.

Things like fear of getting lost, finding themselves in unfamiliar terrain, safety concerns, challenges around travelling to our places or just not knowing where to start.

We’ve worked hard to design experiences that support people who are new to the outdoors and it’s making a real difference.

For that we’ve been able to capitalise on the strength of the National Trust brand.

Our properties are trusted spaces, with essential facilities like cafés and toilets, which makes them perfect for families, groups or individuals who might be taking their first steps into nature.

The multi-use trails that have been developed are a great example. They’re accessible, enjoyable and range from three to 5km, which makes them ideal for walking, wheeling, running or cycling.

And the impact has been incredible!

We’ve seen a 23% rise in visits from people of ethnic backgrounds, which indicates we’re reaching new audiences and helping more people feel like they belong in these spaces.

This is fantastic news since we strive to improve the experience for communities that often find barriers to exploring the great outdoors.

I’ve also been inspired by the way this work helps those who may need deeper support.

Whether it’s supported paddling sessions, inclusive activities for families with SEN, or community-led cycling groups like the Muslim Cycle Sisters at Osterley, there’s a real commitment to inclusion.

And it’s not just about participation but about representation, too.

The Trust is working with partners to tackle underrepresentation in the outdoor workforce, for example through our walking leaders programme, which is such an important step toward long-term change.

Nature restoration and biodiversity play a big part in our work.

Our infrastructure developments are designed to improve visitor experience and get people active whilst protecting some of the most sensitive nature areas.

We are strengthening our knowledge and skills in designing experiences that deliver real, meaningful and lasting nature connection to inspire more people to care for nature and their local environment.

Looking ahead

As I reflect on the past decade, I feel proud of what we’ve achieved and even more hopeful about what’s to come.

Our partnership with Sport England shows that when we focus on people, place and purpose, we can create spaces that are not only beautiful, but truly inclusive and life-enhancing.

And that’s something worth building on.

At EMD UK, we believe group exercise should be for everyone, but for many women – especially Muslim women – challenges to accessing group exercise still exist.

That’s why in 2024 we partnered with Active Together to launch support for women from ethnically diverse communities to become Level 2 Group Exercise Instructors.

The aim was to create a workforce that mirrored the communities it served by driving greater diversity and inclusion within the group exercise sector.

Giving back to their communities

We worked with Active Women, of Leicester City in the Community, to recruit women, to provide local support to build a community amongst the learners and to keep them motivated and engaged.

The goal was to provide a learning and training opportunity for the women that was safe, culturally aware and empowering.

In total, 12 women were enrolled.

They were aged between 25 and 54 and came from global majority communities, including Muslim, Hindu and those of no faith.

The programme offered a fully-funded Level 2 Group Exercise Instructor qualification through Drummond Education.

These women’s beliefs may have been different from each other, but they all brought with them a deep desire to give back to their communities.

Most had wanted to train for years but faced barriers like the costs involved, childcare needs or the lack of local opportunities.

But now they were able to join because the programme was tailored to them and because support was finally available.
 

Confidence levels were moderate to high, but concerns remained as some feared failure and others worried about language, memory or balancing family-related responsibilities. And yet, despite everything, motivation was strong.

Many saw this as a way to serve their communities and especially other Muslim women, which aligned with the principle of Sadaqah: giving back without expecting anything in return.

One participant said she was excited to see how quickly she could pick up the lessons, while another mentioned the timing for her was perfect as she had just finished her master’s degree.

We also spent time asking what support they’d need after qualifying as it’s often at this stage that dropouts are most prevalent.

They asked for help with marketing, setting up classes and accessing venues and equipment.

They also wanted guidance on business development and networking, and this is where the EMD UK membership came into its own.

Along with the newly launched Reach Up programme, in collaboration with This Girl Can, our members also have access to over 400 support resources, CPD training and content to support their group exercise teaching.

Supporting our students beyond the classroom

We also asked what they wanted from us and the training provider as part of their involvement in the programme, and they requested prayer space, female-only sessions and options without music.

They also wanted their dress codes to be respected, local sessions and female tutors.

They reminded us that English wasn’t their first language and asked us to understand their personal circumstances, which were full of family commitments and cultural nuance.

We listened and we’re now committed to continuing that listening as time goes by.

At this point, having commenced in autumn 2024 with four in-person sessions (that was the delivery style they said they needed), nine learners have completed their practical assessment with the remaining finishing the course in 2025.

The successes of this project continue to emerge.

One standout achievement was the attendance of a learner as a presenter on the EMD UK stage at the International Fitness Showcase in Blackpool back in March.

This was her first experience of instructing group exercise and her presentation of Latin-inspired dance fitness for over 100 participants was an impressive debut to kick off her career.

All students now have access to the EMD UK membership and we are committed to supporting them long-term.

Feedback from the cohort on the support given, including its effectiveness and inclusivity, plus on the course as a whole, has been overwhelmingly positive.

They found the programme interesting, engaging, beneficial and welcoming, with the challenge it provided defined as “exciting and aspirational”.

Whilst many of them knew each other before the course started, they left the in-person sessions feeling “connected to each other” and their communities, and proud of themselves.  

What’s more, Active Together reported that the development and engagement of these local women as mentors was imperative to build community confidence in group exercise and that, while funding was critical, it was the community support role of Active Women that ensured this was a success.

Active Women reported this project demonstrated the clear need for these kinds of initiatives to upskill underrepresented communities and to help them continue their mission to “grown [their] own”.

Because this is more than a training programme.

It’s a step toward equity in fitness.

It’s about recognising the whole person.

And it’s about creating space for women who’ve been excluded for too long.

We’re proud to be part of that change and we’re just getting started.
 

The fact that you are reading this blog means you have a good level of digital inclusion. You have access to a device (phone, laptop, tablet), connection to the internet and the skills and confidence to find this post.

Many people face barriers to getting online, experiencing what is known as ‘digital exclusion’.

But in a world where our smartphones can defrost the car from the comfort of our own home, a ring can track all of our health and activity data, and banks are operating solely online, digital connectivity is fundamental to how we now operate.

Not a ‘fixed state’

Digital exclusion is about not having the access, skills and/or confidence to use the internet and benefit fully from digital technology in everyday life.

This is a widespread issue, impacting millions of people across the UK and limiting the extent to which they’re able to participate in our ever-more digital society:

• 6.8 million UK households (24%) report difficulty affording communications services
• 1.5m of the adult population (3%) don’t have a smartphone, tablet or laptop
• 2m young people in the UK (14%) don’t have access to a digital device for learning
• 7.9m adults in the UK (15%) don’t have the eight foundational digital skills
• 3.7m UK households with children (45%) don’t meet the Minimum Digital Living Standard

Interestingly, though, being digitally excluded is not a ‘fixed state’.

People may face one or more digital barriers, to different degrees, at different times and related to other vulnerabilities or life events, plus people may gain or lose access, skills and/or confidence to do things digitally. 

Digital inclusion and physical activity

As a sector we must ensure we not only keep pace with new digital developments and the exciting opportunities these provide, because we also need to ensure that no-one is left behind.

We recently commissioned Good Things Foundation to conduct some research into the topic of digital inclusion in order to better understand how digital exclusion might contribute to inequalities in people getting active.

Good Things Foundation also investigated the role that digital inclusion could play in increasing people’s activity levels and looked into the opportunities for Sport England to support digital inclusion across the sector.

The research confirmed our assumption: while many of us enjoy the convenience and connectivity of a digital world, digital exclusion disproportionately affects the audiences we most want to support to enjoy the benefits of a physically active life.

We really appreciate the great work that Good Things Foundation have done on this and we are pleased to be able to share our key findings as well as the full report.

What did we learn?

There is an extensive report from this initial desktop research, but a few valuable findings include:

• sections of the population who are digitally excluded are very similar to those with the lowest activity levels and those facing health inequalities. This includes older adults, disabled people, people experiencing poverty and people living with long-term health conditions
• digital access, skills and accessibility all shape people’s journeys to being physically active. Growing reliance on digital platforms for accessing leisure and sport services means it is increasingly difficult for those without digital connectivity, devices and/or skills to engage with these services  
• we are investing in places where we need to consider digital inclusion and 84% of new Sport England's Place Expansion Partnerships are in areas where internet access is at its lowest.

Whilst digital exclusion isn’t the most influential factor in shaping people’s physical activity levels, it should still be a key consideration when designing new services to engage underserved audiences.

Otherwise, we could be inadvertently excluding people from getting active if we only use digital solutions to promote, design and provide access to sport and physical activity offers.

What next?

This is just the start of our understanding of digital inclusion and its role in tackling inequalities in sport and physical activity.

In the autumn we will be doing further research to deepen our understanding of the audiences most impacted, as well as partners’ experiences of addressing the challenge of digital exclusion in their work.

We would love to connect with a range of partners to understand how digital inclusion is being factored into their existing work as well as what the sector needs to ensure digital inclusion is considered when supporting people to get active.

So watch this space and please get in touch if you are interested in getting involved!