Contents
- Community sports funding statistics: national public investment and programme scale
- Community sports funding statistics: Ireland’s county allocations and per-person grants
- Community sports funding statistics: allocation by sport and grant size
- Community sports funding: England’s Movement Fund and targeted projects
- Community sports funding: local delivery, facilities and council services
- Sources
Community sports funding statistics: national public investment and programme scale
Public funding figures describe different measures: cumulative allocations, individual grant rounds, programme budgets and broader public spending. Read separately, they show the scale of support without implying that unlike amounts form one total.
Ireland’s Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF) had allocated over €1.4 billion to almost 19,000 projects between its 1998 launch and the start of 2024. In 2023, it allocated over €277 million to 3,048 sporting projects. The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) reports a planned programme allocation of €73.3 million for 2025; that is an allocation for the programme year, not a report of completed spending. Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, Key Messages and Introduction (printed pages 1–3)
The PBO also estimates total expenditure of €481 million in 2025, with approximately €235 million expected to be part-funded by the National Lottery and the remainder by the Exchequer. These are estimates for 2025. The €73.3 million programme allocation and €481 million expenditure estimate have different scopes and should not be added together. Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, Introduction (printed page 3)
For population context, the PBO says approximately €278 million in CSFF grants was allocated in 2023, while Ireland’s 2022 Census recorded a population of over 5.14 million. It presents the resulting national average as approximately €54 in grants per person. This is an approximate comparison of grants and resident population, not an individual payment or a measure of what each community received. Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, section 3.5 (printed page 11)
In England, a 2026 UK Parliament committee report describes Sport England’s Exchequer and National Lottery funding as around £300 million annually. Separately, it records the Government’s June 2025 announcement of £400 million for grassroots sport, with the first allocation due in January 2026. One is an approximate annual funding figure; the other is an announcement with a stated first allocation date, not evidence that the entire sum had been distributed. Source: Game On: Community and school sport, UK Parliament, paragraph 7
| Measure | Amount and scope | Period or status |
|---|---|---|
| CSFF cumulative allocations | Over €1.4 billion to almost 19,000 projects | 1998 to start of 2024 |
| CSFF annual round | Over €277 million for 3,048 projects | 2023 |
| CSFF programme allocation | €73.3 million | Planned for 2025 |
| Sport England funding | Around £300 million annually | Annual amount cited by committee |
| Grassroots sport announcement | £400 million | Announced June 2025; first allocation January 2026 |
Sources: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO (printed pages 1–3); Game On: Community and school sport, UK Parliament, paragraph 7
Community sports funding statistics: Ireland’s county allocations and per-person grants
Across Ireland’s 26 counties, the CSFF total allocation was €56.9 million in 2018, €166.6 million in 2020 and €277.9 million in 2023. The totals describe those rounds; on their own, they do not explain the differences between them. Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, section 3.5, “Grants allocated by County 2018–2023” (printed page 10)
Dublin and Cork had the largest of the county amounts shown here in each round, while Longford’s were smaller. Each percentage is the county’s share of the CSFF allocation for that year, not its share of population or sport participation.
| Round | Total across 26 counties | Dublin | Cork | Longford |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | €56.9 million | €11 million (19.3%) | €6.4 million (11.2%) | €476,565 (0.8%) |
| 2020 | €166.6 million | €25.2 million (15.2%) | €18.4 million (11.1%) | €1.7 million (1%) |
| 2023 | €277.9 million | €38.6 million (13.3%) | €29.1 million (10.5%) | €2 million (0.7%) |
The amounts and shares tell different parts of the story. Dublin’s share moved from 19.3% in 2018 to 15.2% in 2020 and 13.3% in 2023. Cork’s shares were 11.2%, 11.1% and 10.5%; Longford’s were 0.8%, 1% and 0.7%. These figures support comparisons of these counties across the listed rounds, but do not constitute a complete county ranking.
The PBO identifies Leitrim as having the highest county-level CSFF allocation per person in 2023, at €102.92. This is distinct from the national approximate average of €54 per person. The county comparison uses county population data; the national figure uses 2023 grants and the 2022 Census population. Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, section 3.5, narrative following Figure 5 (printed page 11)
Community sports funding statistics: allocation by sport and grant size
The PBO’s breakdown of the 2018, 2020 and 2023 CSFF rounds identifies 67 distinct sport types across the 3 rounds. The year-specific counts were 66 in 2018, 60 in 2020 and 58 in 2023. Those counts overlap and cannot be summed to represent distinct sports over the full period. Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, section 3.6 and footnote 12 (printed page 13)
The leading 7 categories, including multi-sport, accounted for most of the reported funding in each round. In 2018, they received 84% (€47.8 million), while the other 59 sports shared €9.1 million. Gaelic Games, excluding Camogie and Ladies Gaelic Football in this category, received just under €19.3 million, or 33.8% of total funding. Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, section 3.6 (printed page 13)
In 2020, the 7 leading categories received 87.6% of funding, or €146.03 million. The PBO describes this as a 305% increase against the previous year’s allocation of €47.7 million. Gaelic Games was the highest beneficiary at €65.4 million (39.2% of total allocation); 53 other sports shared €20.6 million. These figures are stated as reported. Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, section 3.6 (printed page 13)
In 2023, the top 7 sports shared 88.2% (€245.2 million). Gaelic Games received 38.8% (€107.78 million) of total allocation, while the other 51 sports shared €32.8 million (11.8%). The detailed sport section gives €107.78 million; the report’s Key Messages separately rounds this to €107 million. Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, section 3.6 (printed page 13)
| CSFF round | Leading categories | Gaelic Games | Other sports described |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Top 7: 84% (€47.8 million) | Just under €19.3 million (33.8%); excludes Camogie and Ladies Gaelic Football | 59 sports shared €9.1 million |
| 2020 | 7: 87.6% (€146.03 million) | €65.4 million (39.2%) | 53 sports shared €20.6 million |
| 2023 | Top 7: 88.2% (€245.2 million) | €107.78 million (38.8%) | 51 sports shared €32.8 million (11.8%) |
Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, section 3.6 (printed page 13)
Average grant size is separate from total allocations. The PBO reports an average CSFF grant of €33,842 in 2017 and €91,204 in 2023. These are observations for the stated years, not a complete annual series or a count of grants. Source: Community Sport Facilities Fund, PBO, section 3.4 (printed page 9)
Community sports funding: England’s Movement Fund and targeted projects
Sport England launched its £160 million Movement Fund in April 2024. It offers grants and crowdfunding pledges from £300 to £15,000 to help address barriers that prevent people from being active. During the year ended 31 March 2025, Sport England committed £18.5 million in Movement Fund grants. The fund’s size, award range and annual commitments measure different things. Source: Sport England Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025, “Launching the Movement Fund” (printed page 18) and Movement Fund update (printed page 10)
Sport England’s 2024–25 strategic KPI summary says 45% of projects receiving Movement Fund investment were in the top 25% of places of greatest need under its Place Need Classification. It also reports that 74% of projects were engaging underrepresented groups. These are project indicators, not measurements of the share of residents who became active. Source: Sport England Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025, Summary of progress against Strategic KPIs (printed page 48)
Crowdfunding contributions secured to date for relevant Movement Fund projects totalled £1,095,000 in the annual report. Sport England says the contributions more than match its investment in those projects. This is a cumulative contribution figure, not the overall fund budget or total grants committed during 2024–25. Source: Sport England Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025, strategic KPI discussion, crowdfunding passage
Sport England’s wider System Partner portfolio is a separate measure. From 2022 onwards, it had committed £650 million to 138 partners and agreed a further £79 million in in-principle Exchequer awards for future years. Elsewhere, the report says it had invested more than £600 million in System Partner organisations since 2022. These portfolio-wide figures are broader than Movement Fund grants; the future awards are in-principle, and the investment and commitment descriptions retain their reported terms. Source: Sport England Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025, “Building a movement for change” (printed page 13) and “Adapting. Learning. Growing.” (printed page 10)
The Swimming Pool Support Fund was an £80 million joint investment by Sport England and Government and ran in the third quarter of 2023. It supported pools and is distinct from the Movement Fund’s grants and crowdfunding pledges. Source: Sport England Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025, “Adapting. Learning. Growing.” (printed page 10)
Community sports funding: local delivery, facilities and council services
Sport England’s 2024–25 regional funding map reports regional shares and amounts for Exchequer and Lottery grant commitments, less lapsed or revoked grants and excluding clawbacks. It uses funded-organisation data returns and assigns regions according to delivery or targeted delivery location. The map does not state a multiplier for the pound amounts, so they are reproduced as printed. Source: Sport England Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025, “Geographic breakdown of funding awards” (printed page 44)
| Region | Share shown | Amount shown |
|---|---|---|
| North East | 8% | £27,538 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 14% | £48,084 |
| North West | 15% | £49,184 |
| East Midlands | 9% | £31,575 |
| West Midlands | 10% | £32,775 |
| East | 13% | £43,311 |
The same report describes local delivery through access and planning work. Sport England reports 152 sites, such as schools, opening facilities for wider community use, and engagement with 70 local authorities to support strategic leisure plans. These are counts within its Place work, not counts of all schools or authorities providing community access. Source: Sport England Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025, Summary of progress against Strategic KPIs (printed page 48)
Sport England also reports that it had built or improved 9,070 football and multisport pitches to a good standard. Under Place work, it invested £13.8 million in 14 capital projects during 2024–25. The pitch figure is a reported facility outcome; the investment and project count refer to that financial year. Source: Sport England Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025, Summary of progress against Strategic KPIs (printed page 48)
Council services are a broader form of local provision than individual community sport grants. The UK Parliament committee report says the Local Government Association told it councils spent £1.4 billion a year in England on public sport and leisure services. It also records Swim England’s statement that local authorities had seen a £2.3 billion real-terms fall in culture and leisure spending since 2010. The latter covers a broader category than community sport and is an attributed figure. Source: Game On: Community and school sport, UK Parliament, paragraphs 7–8
Facility condition was also raised in evidence to the committee. Peter Mason told it that around £875 million would be needed to bring 2 thirds of public facilities deemed not fit for purpose up to modern standards. This is a witness estimate for upgrades, not an allocated amount or verified programme budget. Source: Game On: Community and school sport, UK Parliament, paragraph 8 and footnote 9 (Q166)