Leeds communities to benefit from share of £250 million sports funding

The £250 million investment which Leeds will receive part of is designed to break down barriers and make sport, physical activity and movement accessible for everyone.

In Leeds the money will be used to work directly with people in communities, building strong connections to design and deliver innovative community-led projects that meet local needs.

The projects will direct resources and build capacity, working side by side with residents to help create environments to maintain healthy lifestyles.

On average, 25% of Leeds adults are physically inactive, meaning they do less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week. Inactivity levels in the most deprived communities are nearly double those of the most affluent.

As part of the Leeds Ambitions launched in 2025, Leeds City Council is aiming to create a fairer and healthier city, partly through encouraging and facilitating physical activity which will help reduce mental and physical health inequalities.

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, said:

“Our Leeds Ambitions set out a mission to tackle poverty and inequality and improve quality of life for everyone who calls Leeds home. We want Leeds to be a city where everyone moves more, which in turn will support people to live healthier lives, contribute to a sustainable city, and help to build strong, safe and welcoming communities.

“We know that where someone lives plays a big part in how active, or not, they will be. That is why we’re pleased to be receiving a share of this Sport England funding, helping us provide further support to community-led initiatives that are central to create active communities and reducing inequalities.”

To tackle inequalities and break down barriers to a more active life, Sport England is taking a place-based approach, partnering with local organisations and leaders who understand both the specific needs of their communities and the local assets that are available - to support people to play sport and get active.

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England’s Executive Director of Partnerships and Place, said:

“We want everyone, no matter where they live or who they are, to have the chance to be active and healthy. To do this, we’re focusing on places, towns, cities, and communities, where people face the biggest challenges. We are proud to announce a further 27 new Sport England place partnerships, in every corner of the country, bringing the total number of places we are working with to more than 90. We are committed to working with local partners and communities to break down the barriers to physical activity so that everyone has equal access to a more active life. We are excited to see what we can achieve together in Leeds.”

Research from Sport England calculates that active lifestyles save £8 billion a year for the healthcare system through illness prevention. This relieves some of the NHS burden, preventing more than 3.3m cases of chronic health conditions a year – including 1.3m cases of depression, 900,000 cases of back pain and 700,000 cases of type 2 diabetes.

ENDS

About Sport England

Sport England is a public body and invests up to £300 million National Lottery and government money each year in projects and programmes that help people get active and play sport. It wants everyone in England - regardless of postcode, background or bank balance – to have the opportunity to get active. Tackling inequalities is at the heart of its 10-year strategy Uniting the Movement, with work focused on helping people who do no, or very little, physical activity and groups who are typically less active - like women, disabled people and people on lower incomes.