Sport England Places People Play - Protecting Playing Fields

Sport England’s funding programme, Protecting Playing Fields (PPF) is part of our Places People Play Olympic legacy mass participation programme and is investing £10 million of National Lottery funding in community sports projects over three years from 2011-2014.

The programme is being delivered via five funding rounds with up to £2 million being awarded to projects in each round.

Confirmed dates for the first two rounds are:

• Round 4 opened on 10 December 2012 and will close on 18 February 2013
• Round 5 will open on 10 June 2013 and close on 05 August 2013.

Delivering a mass participation legacy for sport from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a top priority for the Government and Sport England.

To help Sport England achieve this, PPF will focus on protecting and improving playing fields and developing community sport.

Through this programme, Sport England intend to fund up to 300 projects for playing field improvements that will contribute to both retaining and increasing participants in sport across England at the local level.

The programme will fund capital projects that create, develop and improve playing fields for sporting and community use and offer long term protection of the site for sport.

Projects are likely to involve the construction of new pitches or improvement of existing ones that need leveling or drainage works.

Who is eligible to apply? 

Applications can be submitted by organisations entitled to receive public funding, voluntary or community organisations, local authorities, sports clubs, playing field associations and education establishments.

Sport England will invest in projects that:

• Offer support from a range of partners to community and voluntary groups and local authorities to protect playing fields
• Create new playing field land
• Bring disused playing fields back into use
• Improve the condition of pitches

Advice and guidance

For more information and guidance about Protecting Playing Fields including how to apply, how your application will be assessed and what we're looking for, click here to visit the Sport England funding page