Active Partnerships

What Active Partnerships does

Active Partnerships is a charitable company limited by guarantee (legal entity: CSP Network, Company No. 7800542, Charity No. 1144600) headquartered in Loughborough, United Kingdom. It operates a nationwide network of 42 local Active Partnerships covering every part of England and acts as the central coordinating body for place-based delivery of sport, movement and physical activity programmes. Its core workstreams include the Sport Welfare Officer Network (63 welfare officers embedded across the 42 local partnerships supporting National Governing Bodies and grassroots clubs), the Multi-Sport Activity and Facilities Fund (Sport England-funded facility investment), the £57 million three-year Opening School Facilities programme (Department for Education-funded), the Moving Together and Integrating Physical Activity Into Health And Care initiatives (linking physical activity to NHS pathways in partnership with NHS England, OHID, the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK, Move Consulting and Coventry University), and the recently launched Movement in Blue Spaces Playbook. The Active Partnerships National Organisation (APNO) employs 1-10 staff at the national level; the wider operational footprint is delivered through the 42 local Active Partnerships and embedded regional and programme roles.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. APNO is funded primarily by Sport England through National Lottery proceeds, with additional funding from the Department for Education for specific programmes such as Opening School Facilities. No subscription, fee-for-service or commercial pricing is charged for core network services. Go-to-market is community-led and policy-driven: the national body convenes, coordinates and enables the 42 local partnerships, which in turn deliver place-based programmes to local authorities, schools, National Governing Bodies, sports clubs and community groups. Customer segments span children and young people (a primary segment), the health sector (NHS England, Integrated Care Boards), local government and combined authorities, schools, and National Governing Bodies and grassroots sports clubs.

There is no proprietary technology platform underpinning the business. The core 'product' is the network itself: relationships, place-based knowledge, programme management capability, and convening power across the sport, health, education and local government sectors. The strategic moat is therefore institutional and relational rather than technological, and revenue concentration risk is high given dependence on Sport England and DfE.

Name

Active Partnerships

Legal name

CSP Network

Website

https://activepartnerships.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Active Partnerships is a UK charitable network coordinating 42 local organisations across England to expand access to sport, movement and physical activity, funded primarily by Sport England and the Department for Education and serving local authorities, schools, sports clubs and the health sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sport and Physical Activity Network Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE), Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

Keywords

• Community sport development
• Physical activity programmes
• Place-based health initiatives
• Sport safeguarding services
• Active lifestyle network

Headquarters

HQ city

Loughborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Active Partnerships National Organisation is a charitable company funded by and working closely with Sport England. The organisation receives National Lottery funding through Sport England for programmes including the Sport Welfare Officer Network. Additional funding comes from Department for Education for specific programmes like Opening School Facilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Active Partnerships is a charitable network organisation that connects, strengthens and enables 42 local Active Partnerships across England to deliver place-based programmes in physical activity, movement and sport. Its core work includes the Sport Welfare Officer Network (63 officers supporting clubs and National Governing Bodies), the Sport England-funded Multi-Sport Activity and Facilities Fund, the £57 million Opening School Facilities programme with the Department for Education, and health integration initiatives such as Moving Together and the Integrating Physical Activity Into Health And Care project. The organisation is funded primarily by Sport England via National Lottery and government grants, with no consumer-facing paid products.

Product overview

Active Partnerships is a nationwide movement and physical activity charity network that operates as a coordinated national-to-local structure. The Active Partnerships National Organisation serves as the central coordinating body, supported by a network of 42 local Active Partnerships across England that deliver place-based physical activity programmes. Key programmes include the Sport Welfare Officer Network (safeguarding support for clubs), the Multi-Sport Activity and Facilities Fund (Sport England-funded facility investment), Opening School Facilities (community access to school facilities), Moving Together and Integrating Physical Activity Into Health And Care (health sector integration), and the Movement in Blue Spaces Playbook. Strategic focus areas span place-based approaches, health integration, children and young people, and active environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sport Welfare Officer Network

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,183 instances of light-touch support with clubs in reporting period
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered key/important.

• Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA)key/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the National Sector Partners Group working to engage decision makers and political stakeholders to ensure sport, physical activity and movement is embedded in wider public policy.
• Local Government Associationkey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the National Sector Partners Group engaging with local government on sport and physical activity policy.
• Sport and Recreation Alliancekey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the National Sector Partners Group working on sector advocacy and policy.
• Sport for Development Coalitionkey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the National Sector Partners Group focused on using sport for broader social development outcomes.
• Youth Sport Trustkey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the National Sector Partners Group working on children and young people's physical activity.
• ukactivekey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the National Sector Partners Group engaging with the physical activity sector on policy and advocacy.
• Football Foundationkey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner working on the Multi-Sport Activity and Facilities Fund programme alongside Active Partnerships National Organisation and Sport England.
• Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)key/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner working on the Multi-Sport Activity and Facilities Fund programme, providing tennis expertise and facilities investment.
• England Hockeykey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner working on the Multi-Sport Activity and Facilities Fund programme, contributing hockey facilities and participation expertise.
• Move Consultingkey/importantImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSpecialist physical activity consultancy appointed to work on integrating physical activity pathways into health and care systems. 15-month project funded by Sport England.
• Coventry Universitykey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerAppointed as research partner for the physical activity pathways project, led by Dr Nikita Rowley to explore evidence base and develop evidence-informed solutions.
• NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unitkey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the national steering group for the Sport Welfare Officer Network, contributing expertise on child protection in sport.
• Ann Craft Trustkey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the national steering group for the Sport Welfare Officer Network, providing safeguarding expertise.
• Clean Water Sports Alliance (CWSA)key/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to develop the Movement in Blue Spaces Playbook, supporting Active Partnerships to increase participation in water-based physical activity. CWSA represents multiple water sports national governing bodies.
• British Triathlonkey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough CWSA partnership, contributed to the Movement in Blue Spaces Playbook development, with Eve Joseph serving as CWSA playbook lead.
• Plans with Purposekey/importantImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSupported the development and writing of the Movement in Blue Spaces Playbook, providing strategic consultancy.
• Faculty for Sport and Exercise Medicine UK (FSEM)key/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint host of national roundtable for the Moving Together programme, co-leading the initiative to integrate physical activity into health and care by improving pathways between health and activity.
• NHS Englandkey/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner working with Active Partnerships at national level to integrate physical activity into health systems.
• Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID)key/importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner working at national level on health improvement and reducing health disparities through physical activity.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity): The UK membership body for the sport and physical activity workforce. AP is a National Sector Partner of CIMSPA, and both organisations operate as charitable/registered membership bodies representing the PA sector across the UK with overlapping professional and policy stakeholders.
• Sported: A UK charity supporting community sport groups and social enterprises. Sported's mission of strengthening grassroots sport delivery organisations overlaps directly with AP's role of supporting clubs and local partnerships through place-based infrastructure.
• London Sport: The Active Partnership for London and one of the 42 members of the APNO network. London Sport operates the same place-based, Sport England-funded model as the other local Active Partnerships, delivering physical activity programmes and convening partners in its geography.
• StreetGames: A charity that supports sport and physical activity in disadvantaged communities across the UK. StreetGames operates a similar place-based, inequalities-focused mission to AP, targeting under-served young people with Sport England and National Lottery funding.
• ukactive: The membership body for the physical activity sector including gyms, leisure centres and operators. ukactive pursues a similar advocacy, standards and convening role to AP, and both are members of the National Sector Partners Group working on UK physical activity policy.
• Sport for Development Coalition: A coalition of organisations using sport for social development outcomes. AP is a National Sector Partner of this coalition, and both pursue sport-based approaches to address wider social challenges including health and inequalities.
• Youth Sport Trust: A national charity focused on children and young people's PE, school sport and physical activity. Both organisations share Sport England as a key funder, target overlapping CYP segments, and are co-members of the National Sector Partners Group.
• Sport and Recreation Alliance: The membership body for sport and recreation organisations in the UK. Like AP, it is a charitable membership organisation that convenes national and local sport bodies and is a co-member of the National Sector Partners Group.
• Access Sport: A charity working to make sport and physical activity inclusive and accessible for under-served communities. Both organisations focus on removing barriers to participation and operate as Sport England-funded charities tackling physical activity inequalities.

Broad incumbents

• Sport England: The statutory body responsible for distributing National Lottery and government funding for sport and physical activity across England. Sport England is AP's primary funder and strategic partner; while not a peer in the membership sense, it operates in the same sector with overlapping reach and policy influence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ActivePartners_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@activepartnerships6544
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csp-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Active Partnerships