Grassroots sport first to return after lockdown, says Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden
Digital, culture, media and sport minister Nigel Huddleston has said leisure centres and other facilities will soon be able to bid for a £100m Government fund to help them survive
By PA
Last Updated: 05/11/20 2:23pm
Grassroots sports will be among the first areas of society to reopen once it is deemed safe, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said on Thursday.
Dowden was responding during DCMS questions at the House of Commons to MP Shaun Bailey, who highlighted the plight of grassroots football clubs in his West Bromwich constituency.
Dowden said: "I know that football clubs large and small make a huge contribution to their community on and off the pitch.
"And I can assure my honourable friend they won't be forgotten. As soon as we're in a position to start lifting restrictions, grassroots sports will be one of the first to return.
"But, until then, we have made sure that families can keep exercising throughout this lockdown so I would urge people to get out and get fit."
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There has been widespread criticism of the decision to shut down children's sport during the four-week coronavirus lockdown in England, while golf and tennis bodies unsuccessfully lobbied the Government for facilities to be allowed to remain open.
Indoor sporting facilities have had a particularly challenging time, with many not reopening at all since the initial lifting of lockdown restrictions earlier this year.
Digital, culture, media and sport minister Nigel Huddleston said leisure centres and other facilities would soon be able to bid for a £100m Government fund to help them survive.
Huddleston said: "I completely understand the challenges facing many leisure facilities right across the country.
"Some of them have been able to open, some of them haven't. Some are open but we're aware they're in a precarious financial state."
Dowden added that swimming pools, gyms and golf courses would all be "at the front of the queue to return when these restrictions expire".
Mark Arthur, the chief executive of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, said the approach the Government had taken on grassroots sport was "illogical".
"I don't think the Government understands sport," he said during a Yorkshire sport webinar on Thursday.
"I would like the Government to understand that sport has a real job to do in society and that's what does bring people together, and it should trust sport a little bit more to deal with some of the social issues this country faces.
"Robbie Savage did a podcast yesterday questioning why children can mix together in a classroom but they can't play football together outside in the open air.
"Some of the decisions the Government have been making have been illogical and I would like to see some proper dialogue going on when we get out of this pandemic about how sport can play a major part in inclusion within our society."
Mental health
Grassroots youth sport should be able to continue throughout the Government's second national lockdown for the benefit of children's mental and physical health, Damian Collins MP told Sky Sports News earlier in the week.
Collins said: "The big difference between the lockdown we're going to have in the next few weeks and the one we had in the spring and summer is that the schools are going to be allowed to stay open.
"That's absolutely right, because it's important for children's wellbeing, as well as their education, that they're back in school. But if we recognise that children are better off in school, even with Covid, then I think we should recognise that they're better off doing grassroots sports than they are being stuck at home.
"We know the rate of infection in outdoor settings is lower than indoor ones, and the danger to children's health is much lower from coronavirus. Being allowed to take part in grassroots sports will be much better for the mental and physical health of young people."
