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About us
Who we are and what we do
We're an arms-length body of government responsible for growing and developing grassroots sport and getting more people active across England.
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We started out as The Sports Council, an independent body under the Department of National Heritage, that was established by Royal Charter in 1972.
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In 1996 an amended Royal Charter established The English Sports Council, which came into being on 1 January 1997 as The Sports Council was reorganised into UK Sport and the home nations sports councils – we were then rebranded as Sport England in 1999.
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We’re working to keep movement, sport and physical activity central to the lives of everyone through a combination of National Lottery funding and grant-in-aid from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which classifies us as a non-departmental government body.
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Around two-thirds of our funding comes from National Lottery players.
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We’re here to invest in sport and physical activity to make it a normal part of life for everyone in England, regardless of who you are.
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Because it’s not always a level playing field. Right now, the opportunities to get involved in sport and activity – and reap the rewards of being active – depend too much on your background, your gender, your bank balance and your postcode.
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We’re determined to tackle this and unlock the advantages of sport and physical activity for everyone.
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This isn’t just about our long-standing purpose of helping more people to enjoy playing sport and being physically active. We believe that by removing existing barriers to sport and activity, we can be part of a bigger picture of work that helps to address many of society’s biggest challenges.
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Uniting the Movement is our 10-year strategy for 2021-31 aiming to do just that.
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Together, we can change lives for the better in every home, and in every community, right across the country.
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Organisation values and behaviours
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Ambitious – Determined in pursuit of our goals, prioritising work and partnerships that will most advance our mission, help us succeed and make a positive impact on our nation.
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Innovative – Curious, optimistic and relentless, we question established ways of working and learn from each other and from our experiences.
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Inclusive – Harnessing our collective strength and respecting differences to create the conditions for everyone to engage and to excel.
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Collaborative – One team, committed to delivering together and working with others to make a difference to people’s lives.
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