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.

• How LGR will reshape decision-making, commissioning and accountability across place.

• What new unitary authorities and strategic authorities will need to prioritise.

• Where sport, leisure and physical activity risk being lost during transition.

• How prevention, adult social care, public health, community assets and leisure can be better connected.

• What the sector must do now to influence new local structures before decisions are locked in.

• Understanding the different financial markets investing in health outcomes.

• What funders, commissioners and investors need from health-focused interventions.

• How nature-based approaches can inform investment in sport and physical activity.

• Building stronger evidence and business cases around prevention and improved health.

• Creating partnerships that connect health, nature, place and physical activity.

• 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. 

• 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.

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

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

• How the sector needs to evolve from delivery resilience to financial resilience.

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

• 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 evidence matters when building partnerships and attracting investment.

• How the sector can better articulate social value, public value and long-term return.

• What decision-makers outside the sector need to hear.

• How can stronger evidence unlock wider support and better opportunities?

• Recognising when an organisation has outgrown its existing skills and capacity.

• The professional services that smaller organisations can procure.

• Building a credible business plan and realistic financial model.

• Strengthening governance before seeking significant funding.

• Demonstrating demand, outcomes and social impact.

• Becoming investment-ready without losing the organisation’s purpose.

• Common mistakes organisations make when pursuing funding or growth.

• How to choose a consultant and establish a clear, affordable brief.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Why higher and further education should be seen as an investment in participation, workforce, facilities and place.

• How education can support stronger local partnerships, healthier communities and more sustainable delivery models.

• What colleges and universities can do to build participation habits that last beyond education?

• How education providers can become stronger partners in local investment and delivery.

• .

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