At StreetGames, we’re here to bring sport to young people’s doorsteps and to amplify their voice.
That’s why the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s report on community and school sport matters, because it clearly recognises something many of us have been saying for a long time: community sport plays a vital role in young people’s lives, and too many young people are being left out.
The report acknowledges that sport brings wide benefits, for health, wellbeing, communities and the economy — but that these benefits are not shared evenly. The biggest barriers sit in communities facing high levels of deprivation and fewer local facilities. The report also recognises the pressure being placed on volunteers and grassroots organisations who are often expected to do more with less.
That honesty is welcome. Because if we want things to change, we must start by being clear about what’s really going on.
It’s not a lack of interest, it’s a lack of opportunity
When young people aren’t active, it’s often described as a motivation problem. On the ground, we see something very different.
Young people in under-served communities don’t choose to opt out of sport and physical activity. They’re pushed out by a lack of spaces they’re welcome in, by costs, by safety concerns, and by systems that simply are not designed with their lives in mind.
We work with local organisations across the country who understand this better than anyone. They know their communities, they know their young people, and they know what works. We’re proud to support and speak up for them, because lasting change starts locally.
That’s why we welcome the report’s backing of place- based approaches. When communities are trusted and properly supported, participation grows. But this only works if funding really reaches the places facing the greatest challenges. Clear measures and regular reviews are essential, otherwise the people who most need support are too easily missed.
Sport is an investment, not an optional extra
One of the most important recommendations in the report is the call for a statutory duty on local authorities to provide sport and leisure facilities, backed by extra funding to make it possible.
This is something we’ve argued for consistently. Putting this duty into law would help protect local facilities that are too often at risk when budgets are tight.
Just as importantly, the report frames spending on sport the right way: as investment.
Investment in healthier communities. Investment in young people’s confidence and wellbeing. Investment that saves money elsewhere by preventing problems before they start. As highlighted in the DCMS National Youth Strategy, investing in providing more opportunities for young people is a vital part of this. If we’re serious about being an increasingly active nation, safe, affordable and welcoming places to be active must be treated as essential infrastructure.
Give young people space to play, close to home
Another recommendation really stood out to us: removing unnecessary “No Ball Games” signs to make public spaces more usable for children and young people.
This might sound small, but it’s anything but. For many young people, especially in built up neighbourhoods, access to the right space is one of the biggest barriers to being active. When you’re constantly told where you can’t play, it sends a clear message about what and who public spaces are for.
StreetGames has long championed our Doorstep Sport approach – activity that happens close to home, in familiar places, supported by trusted adults. Taking down signs is a good starting point. But the real opportunity is creating neighbourhoods where play is welcomed, supported and understood, not shut down. Because sport isn’t just about programmes. It’s about belonging.
We know what works, now let’s make it stick
The report also calls for national funding to help local organisations expand inclusive activities that reach people who are often overlooked.
We strongly support this, with one important caveat. The challenge is not necessarily about coming up with new ideas. It’s taking the ingredients of what we already know works and making it part of everyday life in more places. Too often, funding is short-term and focused on innovation, when what’s really needed is support to replicate proven approaches well.
Our Doorstep Sport Club work showed how effective local, relationship‑based sport can be for young people from low affluence families. What’s been missing is the long‑term backing to embed this kind of work properly. If we want real change, this must be a priority.
Joined up problems need joined up solutions
The report’s call for a cross-government Movement for Health strategy is a step in the right direction. Being active is shaped by decisions in health, education, transport, planning and communities, and those decisions need to line up better.
But we should be even more ambitious. Sport plays a vital role not just in health, but in building social connection, strengthening community safety and creating positive routes to skills, confidence and employability. As recognised in the Home Office’s Knife Crime Plan, creating safe, trusted spaces and constructive opportunities for young people is essential to preventing harm before it happens. Young people don’t experience their lives in neat policy boxes, and neither should the solutions designed to support them.
The message is clear, now action must follow
The report says it plainly: the evidence is clear, but urgency is missing.
That’s where StreetGames will continue to push. We can’t afford to wait for perfect systems or another round of short-term pilots. Young people need spaces, activities, support and opportunities now — on their doorsteps, in their communities.
We’re proud to be playing our part in changing the systems and structures around sport and physical activity for children and young people from low affluence backgrounds, supported by key partners like Sport England and Sport Wales. We’re proud of the young people and local organisations we work with every day. And we’ll keep speaking up for them, in communities and in national conversations, until every young person has access to sport and physical activity and a fair chance to thrive.
The direction is right. Now it’s time to move.