Thank you for contacting me about grassroots football.
I recognise how important it is that local communities have access to good sporting facilities. That is why I welcome that, in partnership with the FA and the Premier League, the Government is investing to significantly improve the access and quality of community football facilities across the country.
The 2019 Manifesto on which I was elected pledged to invest £550 million in grassroots football as part of plans to back a UK and Ireland bid to host the 2030 World Cup, bringing total investment over the period to 2030 to £730 million. I am delighted that work is underway to fulfil that ambition, with the October 2021 Budget and Spending Review having allocated £205 million of new funding to build or transform up to 8,000 state-of-the-art community football pitches across the UK. In addition, the Government confirmed £11 million of funding to back the UK and Ireland bid to host the 2030 men’s Football World Cup.
As you might be aware, the Football Foundation, which works with the Government, the Football Association and the Premier League, oversees £70 million of investment into community sport facilities each year, with the Government contributing £18 million. Sport England and the FA have also worked with the Foundation to produce a local football facility plan for every local authority in the country, mapping out the local investment needs. These can be found at: https://footballfoundation.org.uk/local-plans
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
