Green Goals 2026: From Strategy to Action, and From Conversation to Change.

On Thursday 2nd July 2026, the Why Sports community came together at the Manchester Conference Centre for the Green Goals Conference 2026: From Strategy to Action.

The conference brought together leaders, professionals, practitioners, partners and organisations from across sport, leisure, physical activity, public health, local government, community development, sustainability, transport, planning, energy and the built environment.

The purpose was clear. To move beyond policy language. To cut through the jargon. To understand what environmental sustainability really means for our sector. And to explore how climate action, healthier places, public health and physical activity must now be understood as part of the same conversation.

Green Goals 2026 was never designed to be a conference about sustainability in isolation. It was designed to ask a much bigger question. How do we protect the places, facilities, communities and environments that allow people to move, connect, participate and live healthier lives?

Why This Conversation Matters.

Climate change is no longer a distant challenge. It is already influencing the way people live, travel, work, play and participate. Extreme weather, rising temperatures, flooding, air quality, energy costs, transport pressures and the resilience of our facilities are all becoming increasingly relevant to the sport, leisure and physical activity sector.

For many organisations, environmental sustainability can feel complex. It can feel technical. It can feel like a conversation dominated by targets, carbon reporting, policy documents and specialist terminology.

But Green Goals 2026 showed that the subject is, at its heart, about people. It is about whether communities have access to safe, clean, welcoming and inspiring places to be active. It is about whether children can play outdoors. It is about whether people can walk, wheel or cycle safely. It is about whether leisure facilities can remain open, affordable and resilient. It is about whether green and blue spaces are protected and accessible. It is about whether sport and physical activity can continue to support health, wellbeing and connection in a changing climate.

Environmental sustainability is not separate from the health and wellbeing agenda. It is now central to it.

Healthier Places Create Healthier Lives.

Throughout the day, speakers explored the connection between climate, nature, public health, movement and place.

The opening plenary helped frame the challenge. David Gent, CEO of Active Humber and Conference Chair, set the tone by reminding delegates that sustainability must mean more than targets and terminology. It must be connected to leadership, implementation and the everyday places where people live their lives.

Olivia Shears from the Climate Change Committee provided important context on climate risk, adaptation and resilience, highlighting why organisations responsible for buildings, facilities, outdoor spaces and community assets must better understand the risks ahead.

Dave Bell from Natural England explored the relationship between nature, health and participation, showing why access to the natural environment is a public health issue as well as an environmental one.

Denise Ludlam from Sport England helped connect national sustainability ambition to local community outcomes, including the importance of the Every Move strategy and the need to support better decision-making across the sector.

Dr Katrina Davies from Greener Practice brought a vital healthcare perspective, helping delegates understand the links between planetary health, prevention, sustainable healthcare and the role of communities in creating healthier futures.

Together, these contributions helped shift the conversation away from sustainability as a narrow organisational responsibility and towards sustainability as a shared commitment to healthier lives, healthier places and a healthier nation.

From Buildings to Places.

One of the strongest messages from Green Goals 2026 was that the sector must think beyond buildings alone.

Of course, buildings matter. Leisure centres, sports facilities, clubhouses, community hubs and physical activity spaces are central to local life. They are also under pressure from rising energy costs, ageing infrastructure and increasing expectations around carbon reduction.

The Future Leisure Facility session, delivered by Jennifer Huygen from Community Leisure UK and Jeremy Gould from GLL, explored the national challenge facing public leisure facilities and the opportunity to create lower-carbon, higher-social-value places that continue to serve communities.

Adrian Thomas from Solar Sense showcased practical lessons from sports and leisure clubs already taking action to protect against rising energy costs, accelerate net zero and build long-term operational resilience.

But the conference also reminded us that sustainability must extend beyond the facility door. Transport, planning, landscape, active travel, air quality, community design and local leadership all influence whether people are able to be active in the first place.

Steve Gilholme from Greater Manchester Combined Authority explored the role of sustainable transport in delivering healthier lives and places, including the importance of reducing car dependency and using events to support behaviour change.

Louise Robbins from GM Moving showed how Greater Manchester is connecting climate ambition, active lives and local leadership, embedding environmental thinking into physical activity, transport, place and partnership work.

Jennette Emery-Wallis from LUC brought this to life through the Wimbledon Park Planning Project, demonstrating how landscape, movement, health, nature and design can be considered together to create environments that encourage interaction, activity and wellbeing.

This is where the agenda becomes real.

A sustainable sector is not only one that reduces emissions. It is one that helps create communities where movement is easier, cleaner, safer and more accessible.

Grassroots Action, Practical Tools and Everyday Change.

The day also demonstrated that meaningful change is already happening across the sector.

Ian Grange from The Football Association and Scott Sommerville from E.ON explored how grassroots clubs can become more sustainable, sharing the importance of tools, knowledge, investment and support for local sport.

The afternoon panel debate brought together voices from Pledgeball, Mobilityways, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greener Practice to discuss healthier places, cleaner air and more active lives. The debate challenged delegates to think about travel, behaviour change, implementation and what organisations can realistically deliver over the next 12 months.

Antony Gough and Jo Holmes from Investors in the Environment provided a practical look at how organisations can move from ambition to action by improving internal understanding, strengthening processes and embedding environmental responsibility across teams.

Richard Dickson from Play It Green closed the implementation-focused sessions by reminding delegates that sustainability needs to feel accessible, practical and real. Small everyday choices, when supported by clear education, visible action and measurable impact, can help organisations engage their workforce, customers and communities in meaningful change.

This was one of the most important themes of the conference. Sustainability cannot remain trapped in strategy documents. It must become part of organisational culture, decision-making, procurement, travel, operations, investment, communication and community engagement.

It must become something people understand, value and act upon.

A Platform for the Sector.

For Why Sports, Green Goals 2026 represented another important step in our commitment to providing a platform for the conversations that matter.

Our ambition is to remain a trusted space where the sport, leisure, physical activity, health, public sector, community and private sectors can come together to share knowledge, challenge thinking and develop practical solutions. We believe the sustainability agenda must be understood properly by the sector. Not as an additional burden. Not as a tick-box exercise. Not simply as a response to policy pressure. But as an opportunity, to reduce costs, improve resilience, to protect facilities, to create healthier environments.  An opportunity to support prevention, increase participation, and to improve lives.

Sport and physical activity have a powerful role to play in shaping the future of communities. But that future must be greener, healthier, fairer and more resilient.

Green Goals exists to help drive that conversation forward.

Thank You.

We would like to thank every speaker, partner, exhibitor and delegate who contributed to the success of Green Goals 2026.

Thank you to those who shared their knowledge, insight and experience. Thank you to those who challenged the room to think differently. Thank you to those who showcased practical products, solutions and services. Thank you to those who travelled, networked, asked questions and helped make the day such a positive and purposeful event.

The energy in the room showed that the sector is ready to move beyond conversation.

There is a clear desire to understand the subject more deeply, to learn from others, to make better decisions and to ensure that environmental sustainability is aligned with the wider ambition to create healthier, more active communities.

What Happens Next?

The challenge now is implementation.

Every organisation will be at a different stage. Some will already have sustainability strategies in place. Others may be beginning to understand what is required. Some may be focusing on energy and facilities. Others may be looking at transport, procurement, behaviour change, nature, air quality, active travel, community engagement or workforce education.

There is no single starting point. But there must be a starting point.

So, the question we leave with is this:

How well does your organisation understand the connection between climate change, public health, movement and participation?

And more importantly, are you implementing strategies that drive innovation, improve resilience and create meaningful change?

Green Goals 2026 showed what is possible when the sector comes together with honesty, ambition and a willingness to learn.

The conversation must continue. The action must now follow.