Government pledges £900m for sports events & facilities

As part of a “transformational” investment, the government has pledged to spend £900 million on significant sporting events and grassroots facilities all over the UK.

The UK and Ireland will host “a pipeline of major international events” involving Euro 2028, which will be held there, with more than £0.5 billion being used to support the delivery of the project.

The Birmingham Grand Departs of the 2027 Men’s and Women’s Tour de France cycling competitions will also benefit from the 2026 European Athletics Championships.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is continuing to work with the home nations’ football associations on behalf of the proposed UK bid to host the women’s football World Cup in 2035. All of those events had already received government support.

More than 100 of Britain’s most renowned athletes urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to do so earlier this month, prompting the government to make a decision regarding its support for London’s bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

Sport unite communities, inspire millions, and showcase our country on the global stage, according to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.

We applaud the government’s continued commitment to hosting the Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, and Euro 2028, as well as their commitment to ensuring the pipeline of significant events beyond 2028 so we can continue to reach, inspire, and unite people in every region of the nation, said Nick Webborn, her successor.

The government is not believed to be backing any bids for golf’s Ryder Cup or Solheim Cup, but it is reported that Britain will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the women’s rugby union World Cup this year.

The DCMS claims that a minimum of £400 million will also be put into “new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities” that promote health, wellbeing, and community cohesion over the course of the next four years as part of the funding commitment.

The government made plans for a new school sport partnership and enrichment framework for schools on Thursday, stating that all students had equal access to high-quality sports and extracurricular activities.

The government should be thanking us, according to Ali Oliver, the Youth Sport Trust’s CEO, for listening and responding to our sector’s call for a redesigned approach to PE and school sport. This will give those who work so tirelessly in PE and school sport, often against the clock, an incredible boost.