DECEMBER 16, 2004

British government pledges $834m to British sport

The British government today pledged to allocate $831m to sport in the United Kingdom in the next three years. The budget for sport was announced by Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

The British government today pledged to allocate $831m to sport in the United Kingdom in the next three years. The budget for sport announced by Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will be $243 in 2005-2006, $288m in 2006-2007 and $300m in 2007-2008. The Sport England and UK Sport bodies will receive most of the money with smaller amounts going to Football Licensing Authority. Exactly how this funding is to be divided has yet to be determined but, according to a statement it will be used to support development in terms of volunteering, participation, facilities and the identification and nurture of talented athletes. The funding will be used to strengthen the grass roots of sport, with a renewed emphasis on school and community sport, while also enabling Britain to identify and nurture a new generation of sporting champions as we build up to the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the possibility of a London Olympics in 2012.

Despite the money that motorsport brings into Britain it is not one of the priority sports for Sport England which prefers to spend its money on such activities as badminton, netball, sailing and squash, in addition to the more mainstream activities such as football, rugby, cricket and athletics. UK Sport spent its money on rowing, swimming, yachting and athletics.