Chancellor Rishi Sunak said £700m was being made available to art, culture and sporting institutions dealing with the impact of coronavirus pandemic and to back UK and Ireland's joint 2030 World Cup bid; Culture Secretary says fund will help sports such as cricket, tennis and horse racing
Wednesday 3 March 2021 18:17, UK
The Government has announced a new £300m recovery package for sport in England.
As he unveiled his Budget in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said £700m was being made available to art, culture and sporting institutions dealing with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Treasury on Twitter said there was "£300m to back clubs and governing bodies across a wide range of sports in England".
Sunak also spoke of the Government's support for a potential joint bid from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to host football's 2030 World Cup.
He said in his statement to the Commons: "We're making available £700m to support our incredible art, culture and sporting institutions as they reopen, backing the UK and Ireland's joint 2030 World Cup bid, launching a new approach to apprenticeships in the creative industries, and extending our £500m film and TV production restart scheme."
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said on Twitter that the £300m fund would "help spectator sports such as cricket, tennis and horse racing".
Dowden also said there would be "£25m to build 700 football pitches to support our bid" and an extra £1.2m put towards the England-hosted Women's European Championship, which is set to take place in 2022.
Asked about funding for cricket within the package, England captain Joe Root said on Wednesday: "If it's going to benefit the game all the way down that's fantastic.
"It's really important we all do everything we can to look after the game from top to bottom.
"It does take money to do that. The fact the game is being looked after is a really positive thing and it's great to hear that."
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee chair Julian Knight said: "It is welcome that the Treasury has listened to the case pressed by this committee for additional support for our outstanding arts, creative and sporting sectors that have been hit so hard by the impact of the pandemic.
"However, it is greatly disappointing that the Government appears not to have heard our call to give its backing to cancellation insurance schemes for festivals which would provide a safety net should organisers need to cancel plans and enable more to go ahead with confidence this summer."
The funding announcement on Wednesday follows a £300m sport 'winter survival package' announced by the Government in November last year.
Warwickshire county cricket club chief executive Stuart Cain welcomed the budget, praising both the headline and more subtle elements designed to support sport.
"I think it's been a good budget for sport," Cain told Sky Sports News. "He (Sunak) is in a tough place really with what's been happening, but he's extended furlough which is great because most sport stadiums won't be open until at least June 21st.
"He's looked at the summer sports package, which again is positive; will help with things like cricket, tennis, horse racing and rugby league.
"There's things like the VAT and hospitality, the reduction, it will help us if we start to sell corporate hospitality, hopefully in the second half of the year, things like the business rates are good.
"And even small things like contactless payment up to £100 - if we do end up opening venues with certain restrictions in place, like you can't hand money over or tickets, then things like that will help."
However, the Budget did not satisfy all members of the sports industry, with Total Fitness chief executive Sophie Lawler accusing the government of providing a "lack of inclusion and support".
"There are certainly points in there that bring some relief, absolutely," Lawler told Sky Sports News. "But the health club industry is one that is in need of desperate of oxygen having been closed for eight months of 12 now.
"We had 121 days of very supressed trading and so this is an industry that's been exceptionally damaged.
"I was disappointed to see sort of a lack of inclusion and support for an industry whose sole purpose is so aligned with the government's strategy to protect the NHS.
"I don't really need to point to the abundantly clear link between what we do and the fact that we're in a public health crisis, and we really need more support to be part of the effort so I was disappointed on the lack of inclusion."
