A new inquiry launched by the DCMS Committee will examine the
risks to the future of community sport, highlighted by the
Covid-19 pandemic.
The financial viability of our community sports clubs is in
doubt, with many at risk even before the pandemic and ensuing
lockdown measures. Venues that acted as social spaces have lost
revenue from bar spend and hire fees as well as gate receipts.
The loss of our local teams risks the loss of sports facilities,
social clubs and community centres, not to mention the damage to
health and wellbeing.
Sport in
our communities will consider sports governance and funding
across a range of activities that fall under the respective
remits of UK Sport and Sport England. The predecessor DCMS
Committee concluded that the current football business model was
“not sustainable”, while rugby league, rugby union, cricket and
swimming are among those described as being in a perilous state.
MPs will examine the case for elite professional sports to
support the lower leagues and grassroots.
MPs will seek to identify specific action required by ministers
to guarantee the future survival of the community sports sector.
The DCMS Committee is calling for evidence from sports bodies,
researchers and organisations involved in the community sports
sectors.
DCMS Committee Chair said:
“We’ve heard a lot about Covid’s impact on elite
professional sport but we want to shift the focus to our
communities - our venues, clubs and local teams, who play
football, rugby or cricket.
“Grassroots sport has been hit particularly hard by
lockdown and concerns over public health. We cannot take for
granted the survival of clubs that offer so much to the people
who engage with them and support them.
“We’ll be looking at the what help is needed now to
safeguard sports clubs especially those whose viability was in
doubt even before the pandemic. We’ll be questioning the
organisations whose role it is to actively support them and
asking when it comes to spending public money, how far up the
ladder should community sport come?”
ENDS
Terms of Reference:
The DCMS Committee is inviting written submissions on sport in
our communities by Friday 16 November that
address all or some of the following areas:
- Are current sports governance models fit for purpose?
-
- At what level of sport should the government consider
spending public money?
- What are the biggest risks to the long-term viability of
grassroots sport?
-
- What key measures could the Government introduce to
increase the resilience of sports clubs and venues?
- To what extent should elite professional sports support the
lower leagues and grassroots?
-
- How should the Government make this happen?
