Sport and Physical Activity Provision

Sport and physical activity aren’t just about elite competition – they happen every day in clubs, communities, youth centres, workplaces, schools and families. Each format plays a vital role in helping people live healthier, fairer and more active lives. 

Why sport and physical activity matter

Sport and physical activity offer people, communities and society immense value whether that’s as an individual or team; an elite athlete or a community participant; solo or mass participation events; spectator, coach or volunteer.

Benefits include:

• Boosting health, physical and mental wellbeing.

• Improving confidence, joy, fun, achievement, and connection.

• Creating a sense of belonging.

• Building community cohesion and identity.

• Providing opportunities to be part of the legacy of major sports events.

• Providing employment and skills to individuals and economic value to communities, towns and cities, as a powerful economic driver.

Our approach at GM Moving

We will keep growing the GM Moving movement through sport and physical activity.

We will do this by:

• Providing spaces for people and leaders to make connections and strengthen existing ones, working collaboratively across places and organisations.

• Continue to build relationships and create change together, as part of a whole system approach.

• Sharing and using ideas and learnings from local and national initiatives to amplify the contribution of the sport and physical activity sector to GM Moving.

• Leading approaches to shift cultures in sport and physical activity, moving from a culture of safeguarding compliance to an effective welfare culture.

Read our Sports Partnerships Priority Plan (2025-27) for more information on our current ambitions and priorities in relation to Sport and Physical Activity.

Who we’re collaborating with

We collaborate with many organisations who contribute to GM Moving through sport and physical activity. This includes Sport England System Partners (National Governing Bodies, National Disability Sports Organisations, and other leading national partners), community leisure providers, professional sports club foundations, community and grassroots clubs, charities and community organisations, and private providers.