“Sport England’s goal is to get everyone active – no matter who they are”

We’re excited to announce that ParkPlay will continue to receive support from Sport England as part of their Uniting the Movement strategy.

ParkPlay will work in partnership with Sport England to level up access to sport and physical activity across the country. As part of the partnership, we will receive expertise, support and an investment of National Lottery funding from Sport England which will support their Uniting the Movement strategy.

Sport England has been ParkPlay’s cornerstone partner since our inception, supporting the development of the initial concept, launch and roll out across six regions to date; Essex, West London, Cornwall, Leeds, County Durham and Cumbria.

ParkPlay is playing a critical role in supporting people’s health and happiness, with those hardest hit over the past couple of years benefiting most from our community events. Our ParkPlay research shows that many groups feel isolated, lack confidence, money or they don’t feel they belong in organised sport and play. ParkPlay is addressing this challenges and is on a mission to build stronger, healthier, connected communities nationwide; through the life-changing power of play, with a healthy mix of fresh air, endorphins, proper conversation, happiness and positivity.

There are currently 39 ParkPlays in the UK, and Sport England’s continued support will help ParkPlay evolve and grow further into 2023, and positively impact communities across the country. ParkPlay’s recent research showed that 81% of ParkPlayers agree that ParkPlay has improved their mental wellbeing, and 59% said their physical activity levels have increased as a result of attending ParkPlay.

ParkPlay is designed to do “what it says on the tin” – bringing play to parks, offering people in the community of all ages the chance to have fun in a relaxed setting. With games expertly developed for all abilities, ParkPlay creates a unique welcoming community environment that builds confidence. ParkPlay runs for 2 hours every Saturday morning and is completely free, with ParkPlay providing all the support for local people to put on ParkPlay for their community.

Jayne Molyneux, Director of Children and Young People Sport England, said:

“Sport England’s goal is to get everyone active– no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background is. It’s fantastic to see just how many people of all generations have embraced getting active together at their local ParkPlay and we are delighted to be able to continue to support ParkPlay into 2023.”

Rick Jenner, CEO ParkPlay added:

ParkPlay CEO, Rick Jenner says: “We are truly thrilled that Sport England will continue our successful partnership into 2023 as we continue to grow and support communities across the country. We, as an organisation, are 100% committed to Sport England’s Uniting the Movement strategy to level up access to sport and physical activity across the country, and are proud to be supporting this vision.

“Our development has been based on Sport England’s insight into groups that are less active, so we’re delighted to be breaking down barriers with community based events that are free for everyone and require no experience. Together, we will continue to bring people together and hopefully one day, there will be a ParkPlay event within walking distance of everyone across the country”.

Find your local ParkPlay

Please visit our ParkPlay Parks page to find your local ParkPlay and come and join us for your ParkPlay session. We play every Saturday morning.