London Sport, in partnership with Play England, the Play Commission, London Play, Playing Out, and Know Ball Games, has today issued a powerful joint letter to policymakers, decision-makers, local authorities and housing associations across London and England.
The joint letter outlines the stark reality:
- Over half of young Londoners don’t meet recommended activity levels.
- Children in deprived communities are disproportionately affected by restricted access to play.
- Removing each ‘No Ball Games’ sign can help up to 80 children become more active – yet more than 7,000 such signs remain in place in London alone.
The call to action? Remove restrictive ‘No Ball Games’ signs and reimagine public spaces as inclusive environments where all children and communities can play, move, and thrive.
This united front is a key milestone off the back of London Sport’s “More Ball Games” campaign, which challenges the outdated mindset that play should be confined or discouraged in urban spaces. The campaign highlights how these signs – often found in the very areas where children live – send a damaging message that play is not welcome.
“How can we encourage young people to be physically active when they are literally being told not to play?” said Emily Robinson, London Sport’s CEO, during an evidence session with the Government’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
The letter is urging local authorities, housing providers and policymakers to:
- Remove restrictive ‘No Ball Games’ signs.
- Reimagine public spaces: the design of safe, inclusive, and accessible play spaces.
- Recognise play as a fundamental right—not a public nuisance.
Together, these organisations are also coordinating an online petition which has currently amassed 1,200+ signatures and counting – and continue to call for a culture shift that embeds play, movement, and sport into everyday life—making active lifestyles the norm, not the exception.
This follows the Interim Report by the Raising the Nation Play Commission inquiry which was published on 24 February 2025, which explores why children are playing less in England. The report sets out the huge benefits of play for children and calls on the Government to introduce a National Play Strategy to ‘get children playing again’, alongside legally binding requirement for councils in England to provide play facilities and opportunities for children, new funding for playgrounds, and a review into the use of ‘No Ball Games’ signs. The Commission’s full report is expected in June.
To find out more about the More Ball Games campaign or to support this growing movement, visit: https://londonsport.org/our-events/moreballgames
ENDS
About London Sport
London Sport is a charity helping all Londoners live longer, happier, healthier lives through being active.
As a strategic leader, advocate and convenor for London’s grassroots sport and physical activity sector, we collaborate with London’s local authorities and other organisations to ensure more equitable access to sport and physical activity.
As part of a national network of 43 Active Partnerships with a collective voice to influence nationally, our work aims to break the link between inactivity and inequality to improve health and wellbeing of those from the most deprived communities
For more information on London Sport, visit www.londonsport.org
