Game On for play

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has published its long-awaited Game On report, which makes a series of recommendations to the government with the aim of strengthening play, physical activity and grassroots sport. The report’s recommendations could, if adopted by government, represent a turning point for the future of play and community activity across England

rom active travel to more child-friendly urban design, there has been an increased drive in recent years for children’s physical activity opportunities to be shaped as much by the spaces around them as by formal provision. The UK Parliament’s new Game On: Community and School Sport report suggests those arguments are finally gaining significant political traction. Published by the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee, following a year-long inquiry into grassroots and school sport, the report is broad in scope. It examines everything from PE provision and school sport partnerships to facility funding, planning reform and health policy. Yet, among the headline recommendations are several proposals that directly align with long-running campaigns from the play sector.

Most notably, MPs have called for the removal of unnecessary “No Ball Games” signs, stronger planning protections for playing fields and renewed investment in opening school facilities for community use. For organisations working across play, recreation and community activation, the report represents one of the clearest acknowledgements in recent years that informal play spaces are a crucial part of the nation’s physical activity infrastructure.

The Committee’s inquiry gathered evidence from a wide range of organisations across sport, leisure, health and education, including play-focused bodies and community activity organisations. MPs concluded that while there is strong demand for sport and physical activity, participation is being constrained by ageing facilities, inconsistent funding and a lack of coordinated national strategy.

More ball games

Among the report’s most eye-catching recommendations is a proposal for legislation requiring local authorities and housing associations to limit the use of No Ball Games signs in public spaces. The Committee stated: “We recommend that the Government legislate to require local authorities and housing associations to remove unnecessary ‘No Ball Games’ signs, to make public spaces more usable for children’s play.”

For many in the play sector, that recommendation marks a significant cultural shift. Campaigns against restrictive signage have intensified in recent years, led by Play England and London Sport through the “More Ball Games” initiative. Advocates have long argued that negative signs send a message that children are unwelcome in public space and disproportionately affect young people living in higher-density urban environments with limited access to formal recreation facilities.

The Game On report suggests that MPs have recognised that enabling children to be active is not solely about building new sports infrastructure, but also about ensuring that everyday streets, estates and green spaces remain available for spontaneous play and informal recreation.

London Sport welcomed the recommendation, describing it as support for “practical, scalable solutions” that can remove barriers to physical activity. The organisation argued that unlocking everyday spaces for play could have a particularly important impact in underserved communities where access to organised sport is often more limited.

The Committee explicitly recognised the importance of creating and preserving everyday spaces where children can be active, play and socialise close to home

The recommendation also reflects a broader shift in how policymakers increasingly view physical activity. Rather than focusing purely on organised sport participation, the report acknowledges the importance of play, informal movement and accessible local environments.

For the play sector and its providers – from operators and suppliers to designers – that change in tone matters. It suggests that the policy conversation has recognised play as an essential contributor to public health and community wellbeing, rather than simply a supplementary leisure activity.

Protecting spaces before they disappear

The report also delivers a strong warning over the future of community recreation land and playing fields. MPs concluded that any future planning reforms must include “a robust and enforceable mechanism to protect playing fields and sports facilities”.

That recommendation comes amid continuing concerns across both sport and play sectors regarding the loss of accessible open space, particularly in urban and high-growth areas. The Committee heard evidence that ageing facilities, uneven provision and the continued pressure on local authority budgets are already restricting opportunities for participation.

The issue is particularly significant for the play industry because informal recreation spaces are often vulnerable within wider planning and regeneration programmes. Smaller neighbourhood play areas and open spaces may lack the formal protections attached to larger sports venues, despite being heavily used by local families and communities.

Fields in Trust welcomed the Committee’s stance, particularly its support for retaining Sport England’s role as a statutory consultee in planning decisions affecting playing fields. The charity warned that weakening existing protections could place valuable recreational land at greater risk.

Importantly, the report goes beyond traditional organised sport facilities. The Committee explicitly recognised the importance of creating and preserving everyday spaces where children can be active, play and socialise close to home. For play professionals, that acknowledgement reinforces the growing overlap between play policy, planning policy and public health strategy.

Opening schools to communities again

Another key recommendation likely to resonate strongly across the sector concerns the future of the Opening School Facilities (OSF) Fund. The previous programme invested £57m over three years to help schools make sports facilities available to pupils and local communities outside normal teaching hours. Delivered through organisations including the Youth Sport Trust, StreetGames, ukactive and the Active Partnerships network, the scheme ended in March 2025.

While the Committee acknowledged mixed views about the programme’s implementation, MPs expressed concern that the closure of the fund had left facilities underused despite clear community demand.

The report therefore recommends that Government reinstate support for opening school facilities, but through a longer-term, place-based funding model designed around local need and sustainability.

That recommendation has significant implications for the play and activity sector.

In many communities, school sites represent some of the best-quality outdoor spaces available. Yet access outside teaching hours can remain limited due to staffing pressures, safeguarding concerns, funding challenges or operational barriers.

The Committee’s findings suggest there is increasing recognition that maximising existing assets may often be more effective than relying solely on major new capital investment.

London Sport said the report’s recognition of initiatives like the OSF Fund demonstrates “the value of making better use of the spaces we already have to support more people to be active”.

That principle is likely to resonate across the play industry, particularly among operators working in densely populated urban environments where access to land for new provision is increasingly constrained.

SAPCA welcomes long-term infrastructure focus

The response from the Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA), has been particularly supportive of the report’s wider infrastructure agenda. The organisation welcomed the Committee’s recognition that facilities remain one of the biggest barriers to participation and supported calls for longer-term investment planning, protection of community spaces and more sustainable approaches to facility development.

For SAPCA members, who operate across sport and play construction, the report reinforces the importance of treating recreation infrastructure as an essential public asset rather than discretionary spending.

SAPCA CEO, Richard Shaw, said: “The Game On report is a timely and welcome intervention that recognises the fundamental role high-quality facilities play in getting more people active. Delivering accessible, durable and high-quality facilities requires expertise, standards and collaboration across the sector. SAPCA and its members stand ready to support Government and partners in turning these recommendations into lasting, impactful change on the ground.”

What happens next?

As with all select committee reports, the Government is not obliged to accept every recommendation. However, the report carries political weight, particularly given the breadth of evidence gathered during the inquiry and the increasingly prominent public debate around inactivity, children’s wellbeing and community health.

The report repeatedly positions play, recreation & informal activity as central components of national wellbeing infrastructure

For the play sector, the significance of Game On lies not only in its individual recommendations, but in the broader shift it represents. The report repeatedly positions play, recreation and informal activity as central components of national wellbeing infrastructure. It recognises that children’s physical activity is shaped not just by formal sports participation, but by whether neighbourhoods are designed to support movement, freedom and social interaction.

From removing unnecessary “No Ball Games” signs to protecting playing fields and reopening school spaces, the Committee’s recommendations collectively point towards a more play-friendly approach to public policy.

Whether the Government now translates those recommendations into legislation and funding will determine whether Game On becomes merely another parliamentary report — or a genuine turning point for the future of play and community activity across England.