Sport in our Communities will consider sports governance and funding across a range of activities that fall under the respective remits of UK Sport and Sport England. The predecessor DCMS Committee concluded that the current football business model was “not sustainable”, while rugby league, rugby union, cricket and swimming are among those described as being in a perilous state. MPs will examine the case for elite professional sports to support the lower leagues and grassroots.

MPs will seek to identify specific action required by ministers to guarantee the future survival of the community sports sector.

Chaired by Julian Knight MP, the DCMS Committee is calling for evidence from sports bodies, researchers and organisations involved in the community sports sectors.

“Grassroots sport has been hit particularly hard by lockdown and concerns over public health. We cannot take for granted the survival of clubs that offer so much to the people who engage with them and support them,” said Knight.

“We’ll be looking at what help is needed now to safeguard sports clubs especially those whose viability was in doubt even before the pandemic. We’ll be questioning the organisations whose role it is to actively support them and asking when it comes to spending public money, how far up the ladder should community sport come?”