Reform of National Sports Governance
September 2026
This is an idea to reform publicly funded sports in England and the UK
I am proposing a significant reform of the publicly funded sports landscape in England and the United Kingdom through the merger of UK Sport and Sport England, alongside wider governance reforms affecting National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
At present, UK Sport is responsible for elite Olympic and Paralympic sport, while Sport England focuses on grassroots participation and community sport. Both are sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and both distribute public and National Lottery funding into sport. [uksport.gov.uk], [gov.uk], [gov.uk]
Whilst their programmatic objectives differ, each organisation maintains a full complement of executive leadership and corporate services, including finance, human resources, communications, legal, governance, procurement, digital, data, and policy teams. In an era of increasing pressure on public finances, it is appropriate to question whether the continued operation of two separate organisations represents the most efficient use of public funds.
Merger Proposal
I propose the creation of a single national sports agency, bringing together the functions of both organisations under one executive structure.
Such a merger would enable the removal of duplicated:
- Chief Executive and executive leadership functions;
- Finance departments;
- Human Resources teams;
- Communications and public affairs teams;
- Legal services;
- Governance and compliance functions;
- IT, digital and data services;
- Administrative support functions.
Based on the scale and staffing of both organisations, I estimate that savings of approximately £30 million per annum could be realised through consolidation, reduction of management layers, procurement efficiencies, property rationalisation and the elimination of duplicate back-office functions.
The savings generated could be redirected into:
- Grassroots participation programmes;
- Community sports facilities;
- Coach development;
- Talent pathways;
- Support for volunteers;
- Youth sport initiatives.
Reform of National Governing Bodies
A similar challenge exists across the network of National Governing Bodies.
Most NGBs maintain independent:
- Chief Executives;
- Finance departments;
- HR functions;
- Communications teams;
- Governance teams;
- Legal and compliance support.
While sporting expertise must remain sport-specific, many administrative functions could operate through shared-service arrangements.
A national shared-services framework could provide finance, HR, payroll, procurement, governance and legal support to multiple sports from a single platform while preserving each NGB’s sporting independence.
I estimate that efficiencies of approximately £250,000 per year per sport could be achieved through reduced duplication and economies of scale. Across dozens of funded sports, these savings could amount to many millions of pounds annually, allowing a greater proportion of public funding to reach athletes, clubs and participants rather than administration.
Creation of an Independent Sports Governance Regulator
The recent history of disputes within several sports has demonstrated the limitations of the current governance framework.
Many disputes involving:
- Board conduct;
- Elections;
- Governance failures;
- Athlete representation;
- Whistleblowing concerns;
- Conflicts of interest;
must currently be resolved internally or through expensive legal processes.
I therefore propose that the governance functions of the merged organisation be expanded to include an Independent Sports Governance Regulator.
The regulator should:
- Investigate complaints relating to governance failures within NGBs;
- Act as an escalation route when internal procedures have been exhausted;
- Conduct independent reviews and audits;
- Issue improvement notices;
- Require governance reforms;
- Impose funding-related sanctions for non-compliance;
- Recommend the suspension of recognition for persistently non-compliant organisations.
Such a body would strengthen confidence among athletes, volunteers, clubs and stakeholders by ensuring consistent governance standards throughout British sport.
Independent Value-for-Money Review
The savings estimates outlined in this proposal, namely approximately £30 million per annum from the merger of UK Sport and Sport England and approximately £250,000 per annum per sport through shared-service arrangements across National Governing Bodies, are intended as indicative estimates rather than definitive forecasts.
Given the scale of potential reform and the importance of ensuring that decisions are evidence-based, I recommend that the Government commission an independent Value-for-Money Review to assess these proposals in detail.
The review should be undertaken by an appropriately qualified independent body, such as the National Audit Office, an independent consultancy appointed through open competition, or a specially constituted expert panel reporting to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The review should be tasked with:
- Identifying duplication of management and corporate functions across UK Sport and Sport England;
- Assessing the feasibility, risks and benefits of a merger;
- Quantifying potential savings from consolidation of executive, governance and support services;
- Examining opportunities for shared services across National Governing Bodies;
- Evaluating the financial and operational impact of creating a national sports governance regulator;
- Benchmarking UK sporting governance arrangements against comparable international models;
- Recommending whether legislative changes would be required to implement reform.
The review should publish its findings within twelve months and provide a clear assessment of the extent to which funds currently directed towards administration could be redirected towards participation, facilities, coaching, athlete development and sporting performance.
Conclusion
The United Kingdom has one of the most successful sporting systems in the world. However, success should not prevent scrutiny of whether existing structures continue to offer the best value for athletes, participants and taxpayers.
A merger of UK Sport and Sport England, combined with greater use of shared services across National Governing Bodies and the establishment of an independent sports governance regulator, has the potential to reduce administrative duplication, strengthen accountability and release significant additional resources for frontline sporting activity. The exact scale of those benefits should be determined through an independent Value-for-Money Review before any final decisions are taken.