The Youth Sport Trust will receive expertise, support and an investment of £17 million of government and National Lottery funding from Sport England up to 2027 to co-deliver the ambitions of its 10-year Uniting the Movement strategy.

Sport England research shows that some groups are typically less active – like women, people with long-term health conditions, disabled people, people from ethnically diverse communities and lower socio-economic groups. Right now, the opportunities to get involved in sport and activity – and reap the rewards of being active – depend too much on your background, your gender, your bank balance and your postcode.

The confirmation comes on the eve of the Youth Sport Trust publishing its new strategy 'Inspiring Changemakers, Building Belonging'. The strategy sets out a path to play and sport being fundamental to every young person’s education and development by 2035. It starts with the need for urgent action to build back healthier, happier and more resilient young people and level the playing field for those most disadvantaged.

Over £550million is being invested in total, with the partners including the Youth Sport Trust receiving funding for up to five years. This new funding model from Sport England provides longer-term financial security as organisations recover and reinvent from the Covid-19 pandemic. 

All partner organisations were selected by Sport England due to their ability to influence change and improvement at the heart of the system they are a part of, no matter how big or small. This is the first step on a journey to revolutionise Sport England’s approach to long-term partnerships as it seeks to partner and collaborate with innovative organisations to deliver Uniting the Movement and build a nation where everyone can get active.

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said:

“Sport England’s goal is to get everyone active– no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background is. But we know that certain groups are more likely to be inactive. We can only innovate and tackle inequalities effectively by thinking about long-term change; Uniting the Movement is a long-term vision, and our funding approach needs to reflect that. Changes to our funding model will help us achieve our goal, by making it easier for our partners to do what they need to do to level up and deliver.”

Ali Oliver MBE, CEO of the Youth Sport Trust, said:

“The Youth Sport Trust has a long track record of galvanising system change, working in partnership with others to deliver whole school improvement and foster inclusion, develop character and leadership, and improve health.

“We are proud to be a Sport England system partner. This exciting collaboration with Sport England and the opportunity it will bring for long-term planning will be a real gamechanger as we embark upon an ambitious new 13-year strategy - Inspiring Changemakers, Building Belonging.

“Under the umbrella of Sport England’s Uniting the Movement ambition, our strategy signals an even greater intent to collaborate with others to drive societal change and tackle the inequalities which prevent too many young people from enjoying the life-changing benefits of play and sport.

"Children deserve to grow up in a world where play and sport are valued as essential to their education and development. It takes organisations working together for the long-term to achieve this scale of societal change. We’re incredibly grateful to Sport England and the National Lottery for the exciting opportunity this collaboration will bring.”