West Berkshire celebrates the power of sport with new Playing Pitch Strategy
Communities across West Berkshire are set to benefit from improved access to high-quality sports pitches
Communities across West Berkshire are set to benefit from improved access to high-quality sports pitches, helping people of all ages and backgrounds to stay active, connect with others and enjoy the many benefits of outdoor sport.
At a meeting of the Council's Executive on 21 May, councillors agreed to adopt the district's new Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS), a long-term plan to support and enhance facilities for sports including football, cricket, rugby, hockey, tennis, lacrosse and netball through to 2041.
While the strategy sets out a clear delivery plan, its focus is ultimately on people. Playing pitches are important community assets, giving residents welcoming and accessible places to play, train and compete, while helping local clubs continue to thrive.
These spaces bring people together, support physical and mental wellbeing, help young people build skills and confidence, and reduce loneliness by strengthening social connections. They also encourage healthy lifestyles and support grassroots sport.
The new strategy recognises the growing and changing needs of local communities, including the continued rise in participation among women and girls. It sets out a coordinated approach to ensure that facilities keep pace with demand, with recommendations on improving supporting infrastructure, such as changing facilities to ensure they are suitable for all users.
The PPS has been developed in line with Sport England's national framework, with input from a wide range of partners, including national governing bodies such as the FA, England Netball, RFU, England Hockey, the LTA, and the ECB.
This collaborative approach ensures the strategy reflects both current demand and future growth across all sports and provides a shared framework for West Berkshire Council and its partners to deliver the recommendations.
Importantly, improvements identified in the strategy are already being delivered. Recent projects include the redevelopment of courts at Henwick Worthy, the Cotswold Sport Centre and Kennet School, helping to ensure quality local facilities are suitable for a wider range of sports, including netball, and accessible to more people.
"Sport plays a hugely important role in bringing our communities together and supporting both physical and mental wellbeing, and our playing pitches are at the heart of that."
"This strategy is about making sure that everyone - regardless of age, gender, ability, or background - can get involved and enjoy the benefits that sport can bring. We know participation in women's and girls' sport is growing rapidly, and we are committed to ensuring our facilities reflect that. In addition, we will ensure disabled sports users are not overlooked. By investing in better-quality pitches and improving supporting facilities, such as changing provision, we're creating more welcoming and inclusive spaces for everyone.
"Working closely with our partners, we're already seeing positive progress on the ground, and we look forward to building on this by delivering more projects that benefit our communities in the years ahead."
The delivery of the strategy will be overseen by a Playing Pitch Strategy Delivery Steering Group, bringing together key partners to coordinate investment and ensure that opportunities for all users remain at the forefront as the strategy is implemented.
The new Playing Pitch Strategy is available to view here Strategies, policies and plans - West Berkshire Council
Residents will soon be able to stay up to date with progress against the Playing Pitch Strategy recommendations by viewing a new PPS delivery plan web page, which will be available shortly and updated regularly.
