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Uniting the Movement

Our 10-year vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity.

A girl runs with a rugby ball as three other players follow her.

Uniting the Movement is our 10-year vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity.

As we adapt and rebuild from the huge disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we need to collectively reimagine how we keep movement, sport and activity central to the lives of everyone. Because if we harness its power, we’ll be able to improve people’s lives in so many ways.

We believe sport and physical activity has a big role to play in improving the physical and mental health of the nation, supporting the economy, reconnecting communities and rebuilding a stronger society for all.

For too long, people with the most to gain from being active have been the least able to take part. As a result of the huge disruption 2020 has caused, and the inequalities it’s reinforced or even exacerbated – such as those around socio-economic status and ethnicity – our drive to do things differently and confront these inequalities head on is stronger than ever. 

This strategy is different not just because it’s a vision for the next 10 years. It sets how we need to change as a sector and an ecosystem, so that we can give people the opportunities they need now and in the future. 

More than anything, it seeks to tackle the inequalities we’ve long seen in sport and physical activity. Providing opportunities to people and communities that have traditionally been left behind, and helping to remove the barriers to activity, has never been more important.

How we got here

In the 18 months before launching our strategy, we consulted extensively with a wide range of partners and other stakeholders to help us shape Uniting the Movement.  
 

The story so far

Horizon scanning

In 2021 we undertook a horizon scanning project, to provide foresight on the trends that will impact sport and physical activity to 2031 and beyond.

The project explored the implications for the sector and helped us to identify and understand future strategic issues - ensuring we’re fit to face the future.

Find out more and read the report

Years 2-4 implementation plan

Learn all about what we'll do from 2022-2025 to help make Uniting the Movement's mission a reality.

See our plan for years 2-4

Year 1 implementation plan

Our implementation plan outlines the work we’ll do to deliver Uniting the Movement in this first year, to the end of March 2022.

Read our year 1 implementation plan

The five big issues

Our five big issues are where we see the greatest potential for preventing and tackling inequalities in sport and physical activity. Each one is a building block that, on its own, would make a difference, but together, could change things profoundly:

Recover and reinvent

Recovering from the biggest crisis in a generation and reinventing as a vibrant, relevant and sustainable network of organisations providing sport and physical activity opportunities that meet the needs of different people.

Recover and reinvent

A teenage girl crouches down as she fires a foam arrow in a sports hall
Women playing a game of rounders in a park

Connecting communities

Focusing on sport and physical activity’s ability to make better places to live and bring people together.

Connecting communities

Positive experiences for children and young people

Unrelenting focus on positive experiences for all children and young people as the foundations for a long and healthy life.

Positive experiences for children and young people

A girl with cerebral palsy, in a wheelchair, hits a ball with a cricket bat, from a tee
A man stretches before a run.

Connecting with health and wellbeing

Strengthening the connections between sport, physical activity, health and wellbeing, so more people can feel the benefits of, and advocate for, an active life.

Connecting with health and wellbeing

Active environments

Creating and protecting the places and spaces that make it easier for people to be active.

Active environments

A woman rides a bike in a park.

Accessible versions

Our strategy is available in a variety of formats. You can listen to an audio recording, watch it in British Sign Language and order a copy in Braille.
 

Alternative formats

Watch our launch event

 

Support for Uniting the Movement

Our strategy has been backed by many organisations in the sport and physical activity sector.
 

Find out more

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