Sport England provides the strategic lead for sport in this country and is a distributor of lottery funds to this country.  Our mission is to make England an active and successful sporting nation.

Sport England’s investment in the Manchester Commonwealth Games made the Games happen.  Our investment was not just for the ten days of the event, it was for the 30 years following the Games.

Sport England invested £165 million in the Commonwealth Games to:

• present a world class environment
• achieve a lasting legacy for sport
• provide a catalyst for regeneration
• support Team England

The local community now have guaranteed access to a range of excellent venues and benefit from an extensive sports development programme. Some of the equipment used during the Games has been passed on to local sports clubs, ensuring a legacy of sport rather than a legacy of debt.

The Games have created a series of new opportunities for venues and helped Salford Quays host triathlon events, including in July 2003, the first World Cup event to be held in Britain.

In addition, our investment is helping to enhance regeneration in Manchester and the surrounding area, improving the commercial potential and creating jobs. An extra 300,000 tourists, generating £18m, will visit the city this year, more local investment is estimated at £22m, and 6,300 new jobs have been created with applications to attend Manchester University up by 22% since the Commonwealth Games.