“Health Ready” Community Sport Hubs

One in four UK adults has a physical or mental health condition that limits their day-to-day activities. In London, 15% of the working-age population has a work-limiting long-term health condition. Around £7 in every £10 of England’s health and care spend goes on caring for people with long-term conditions, and these conditions are more common in the most deprived communities.

Physical activity is one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent and manage these conditions. Two thirds of people with long-term conditions say they would like to be more active.

London has almost 7,000 sports clubs. They are embedded in their communities, trusted by participants, and often already welcoming people with health conditions. With the right support, they could play a much bigger role in London’s health system.

Between April and June 2026, we commissioned research combining desk research, expert interviews, visits to six clubs across London, a workshop with 21 sector leaders, and a survey of over 150 grassroots clubs.

Clubs have a strong foundation to build on:

• Willingness is high. Over 70% of clubs surveyed are willing to increase their provision for people with long-term health conditions.
• Local knowledge and lived experience run deep. Club leaders often know the health needs of their community first-hand, and nearly half of survey respondents live with a long-term health condition themselves.
• Welcoming cultures are common. Two thirds strongly agreed their club makes everyone feel welcome regardless of health conditions, and many are already adapting sessions, for example through walking football or adapted cycling.
• Many clubs already cater well for lower-need conditions such as mild asthma, obesity or diabetes.

But there are gaps to close:

• Willingness isn’t yet translating into inclusion. Only one in eight clubs reported a proportion of participants with long-term conditions above the UK average.
• Clubs and the health system are disconnected. Only 7% of clubs receive participants via referrals from GPs, hospitals, Primary Care Networks or health charities.
• Capacity is stretched. Nearly three quarters of clubs are run mainly by volunteers. Almost half say they lack funding for training, and many can’t take on more without additional resource.
• Venues and data are barriers. 55% of clubs don’t own their facilities or can’t afford to adapt them, and a significant minority don’t collect key health information such as emergency contacts or medication needs.

Our research defines health ready clubs as those capable of holding relationships with both people living with long-term health conditions and the health system. They have strengths across four areas:

• People: confidence, health-related skills such as first aid, safeguarding and condition-specific training, and lived experience
• Systems: effective recruitment, appropriate data collection, safe approaches to risk, and sustainable funding
• Culture: inclusion, empathy and adaptability
• Accessibility: venues that are physically adapted, safe and welcoming

The research also identifies five club “personas”, from clubs that are already health ready to those better suited to other priorities. It highlights “health-curious” clubs, which are willing but held back by capacity, funding or a lack of health connections, as the priority for the pilot.

The research makes five recommendations, each with a short-term focus for our pilot and a longer-term focus for the wider system:

1. Take a tiered approach to health conditions. Conditions with lower support needs can already be safely included in welcoming, adaptable clubs. Higher-need conditions may be better suited to tailored provision. Longer term, local health systems should map different needs to different types of provision.
2. Connect clubs and local health organisations. This includes referrals, joint workshops and shared best practice, supported by longer-term campaigns that encourage health bodies to refer into community sport.
3. Work locally. Focus the pilot on one geography, and develop clear local maps and contacts so clubs know who to talk to.
4. Ease the burden on clubs. Provide sustainable funding, simplify training and use clear language, while building the capacity of National Governing Bodies.
5. Involve people with long-term health conditions. People with lived experience, including club leaders, should shape both pilot design and long-term policy.

We know many clubs are already stretched, which is exactly what our research heard. Becoming health ready could bring real benefits:

• Reach new participants, including people who are inactive or living with long-term health conditions
• Build skills and confidence through training and resources designed around volunteers’ time
• Strengthen local partnerships and gain credibility with health partners
• Access support, including potential grant funding for equipment, adaptations, or workforce development
• Demonstrate impact with clearer evidence of community value for future funding bids
• Deliver on your mission, since most clubs we spoke to already want to serve their whole community

Phase 1: Research COMPLETE

We spoke directly with grassroots community clubs, health professionals, National Governing Bodies and sector partners to understand what clubs need to become health ready, and the barriers standing in the way. The findings are available to download below.

Phase 2: Test and Learn Pilot (in Development)

Guided by the research recommendations, we’ll work with a cohort of clubs to test practical support. This could include:

• Upskilling volunteers and coaches without adding unnecessary burden
• Building referral and signposting relationships with local health partners
• Providing grant support to address practical barriers
• Evaluating what works and what doesn’t

Phase 3: Evaluation and Learning

We’ll share what we learn and develop a tested, scalable model that can benefit clubs across London and beyond.

• Community sports clubs, the heart of this work
• Strategic bodies working with clubs, such as National Governing Bodies (NGBs), Sports Foundations and Club Community Organisations (CCOs)
• Health partners, including ICBs, public health teams, Primary Care Networks and social prescribers
• Sport England and sector partners, sharing learning and best practice

Thank you to all the clubs, partners and individuals who gave their time to the research. It was carried out by Jules Moscovici Research, with support from Marie-Claude Gervais (Versiti), Tinashe Mandimika and Jamie Hignett (Unit 38).

For clubs: If your club is keen to welcome more people with long-term health conditions but needs support to do it, we’d love to hear from you ahead of the pilot.

For strategic bodies (NGBs, CCOs etc): We’re looking for partners to help us reach clubs and align the pilot with your workforce development goals.

For health partners: We want to build credible, local pathways between health and community sport. Get in touch to explore how the findings could support your priorities.

*The Easy Read version uses easier words and supporting pictures. You might find it easier to understand than the main version.