A chance to connect with senior leaders from across sport, physical activity, health, education, local government, facilities, investment and the wider active economy before the conference begins.

Policy, Strategy and the 2027 Opportunity Landscape.

• As the sector looks ahead to new funding requirements, changing expectations and increasing pressure to deliver long-term value, this conference will ask what it will take to build a more economically sustainable, investable and impactful future for sport and physical activity.

• What local government reorganisation and devolution could mean for sport, leisure and physical activity services.

• Protecting prevention, community wellbeing and local services during a period of change.

• Developing more integrated approaches to commissioning, investment and delivery across councils, the NHS and local partners to strengthen the contribution of physical activity.

• The support and leadership councils need from national government and sector partners.

• Understand the health funding and investment landscape and its implications for nature-based interventions.

• Explore how nature-based interventions can meet investor priorities through clearer health benefits, stronger partnerships and compelling propositions.

• Consider shared investment challenges and opportunities for nature and physical activity, and how they can make a stronger case together.

• Understand how place-based decisions and local partnerships can connect nature, physical activity and health outcomes with funders’ priorities.

• Shape the next phase of collaboration to test investment approaches and build sustainable funding models for nature, health and people.

• Where current investment is flowing and where the most significant gaps remain.

• Why the sector must evolve beyond fragile grant dependency.

• What a stronger, more resilient funding future could look like.

• How organisations can begin positioning themselves for the next phase of opportunity.

•  How Courtside identifies underused park facilities and works with councils to bring them back into use.

• How investment, partnerships and a mix of free, low-cost and paid activities support a sustainable hub.

• What Courtside has learned about attracting people into physical and social activity.

• The outcomes achieved and the lessons other places could apply.

Served for all attendees

• Investing In Our Futures. 

• The role of leadership and professional standards in creating economic sustainability.

• Why workforce quality is an investment issue, not simply an operational issue.

• What partners, funders and investors expect from credible organisations.

• How the funding and commissioning landscape is shifting.

• Which partnerships and propositions are most likely to attract support?

• What organisations need to do now to become opportunity-ready.

• How delegates can position themselves ahead of 2027.

• Ten years of co-investment within Greater Manchester’s devolution journey.

• Aligning physical activity with the priorities and outcomes of different investors.

• Using evidence, evaluation and compelling stories to strengthen the investment case.

• Building trusted relationships through collaboration, co-design and shared purpose.

• Transferable lessons for community organisations, system partners and national bodies.

Masterclass presentations offer structured, in-depth sessions that connect delegates with the tools, products, and expertise needed to implement the policies and strategies discussed throughout the event.

• Why communities with the greatest need often struggle to secure investment.

• Where strong community ideas are lost in the funding process.

• A practical test to assess investment readiness.

• What effective and scalable capacity-building support looks like.

• Evidence from Build My Bids and its impact on organisations and projects.

• How to create fairer access to investment for community-led organisations.

How investment, specialist support and stronger business foundations can help smaller sport and physical activity organisations survive, grow and increase their impact.

• WHY: Constraints on public spending are severe. It is more important than ever to focus investment where it makes the most difference whilst supporting the sector as a whole:

• 25% of the population are inactive, and public funding must focus on evidence of health outcomes for this demographic. 

• But there is a wider market that also needs support. We can finance the sector differently to deliver greater benefits and return on investment.

• HOW: Using grants more effectively and efficiently will create a more sustainable and impactful sector:

• Grants for physical activity need to be attached to consistent and robust evidence of social value (health and wellbeing). Our T-shaped evaluation model of estimates and evidence does this democratically and transparently. 

• With support, the sector can become more enterprising. In turn, this will allow more organisations to support themselves through repayable investment - loans. 

• WHO: This isn’t theory; this is working effectively now:

• Sporting Capital demonstrates loans can be 4x more cost-effective than grants, with wider ripple effects into local communities.

• Sport England’s model shows that the value of physical activity varies significantly based on whom you engage. (the demographics).

• GM Active evidence for GP referral schemes shows that complex, place-based system change across 8 Boroughs of Manchester can evidence x 10 greater value than working with the average adult.

• 2-course buffet lunch

Masterclass presentations offer structured, in-depth sessions that connect delegates with the tools, products, and expertise needed to implement the policies and strategies discussed throughout the event.

New ideas, practical models and lessons from the field

An interactive session exploring how sports and physical activity organisations can build stronger, more sustainable foundations. Delegates will share experiences, identify common barriers to growth and discuss the professional support, partnerships and investment needed to overcome them.

• Identify the data that matters most to funders, investors and partners.

• Turn monitoring and evaluation into a compelling evidence-led investment case.

• Demonstrate social impact clearly, consistently and credibly.

• Use practical insights to strengthen future funding applications and partnerships.

Diversifying Income 

• What should still be grant-funded, and what should not.

• How organisations can diversify income and strengthen resilience.

• Where commissioning, earned income, investment and partnership can play a greater role.

• What realistic sustainability looks like in practice.

• Why the sector must reduce its reliance on fragile grant cycles.

• What investors look for in credible, outcomes-driven projects.

• How sport and physical activity can attract more long-term capital.

• What organisations need to do to become investment-ready.

• What Movement for Change set out to achieve and the need it was designed to address.

• Key outcomes and lessons from supporting 79 social entrepreneurs.

• Why funding alone is often insufficient for smaller organisations.

• The importance of business support, leadership development, governance and financial resilience.

• How grants, social investment and other forms of finance can work together.

• What funders, local authorities and sector partners can do to help successful community-led ventures grow.

• The next phase of UnLtd’s work and the opportunity to build a stronger support ecosystem.

• How investment in community organisations, people and partnerships can create lasting opportunities for sport and physical activity.

• What meaningful impact looks like beyond participation numbers—and how we can build a stronger case for sustained investment.

• .

• Thank you for supporting the Investing In Sports and Physical Activity Conference.