Sports clubs have long been more than just teams; they are institutions embedded in and having a history of being at the heart of communities.
While delivering results on the pitch remains a core mission, football and rugby clubs across the UK are increasingly playing a much larger role: acting as catalysts for local regeneration, social progress, and economic renewal.
Across the country, clubs are evolving into agents of place-based transformation. From redeveloping outdated stadiums into dynamic, multi-use venues, to launching programmes in health, education, and employment, these clubs are reshaping neighbourhoods, revitalising underused urban space, and instilling renewed civic pride.
In football, one of the most striking examples is Everton FC’s new stadium development at Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool. Far more than a sporting facility, it represents a bold step in urban regeneration, turning a neglected waterfront area into a vibrant community space. The project is designed not only to deliver a modern stadium but also to catalyse broader economic and social development, attracting investment, creating jobs, and reinvigorating the city’s northern docklands.
Similarly, Manchester United is pursuing an ambitious regeneration vision centred around Old Trafford and the surrounding area. The club has set out plans to either redevelop its iconic stadium or build an entirely new one, with a parallel focus on transforming the wider Trafford Wharf area into a dynamic urban district.
This includes proposals for improved transport links, commercial development, community amenities, and housing, aiming to turn the stadium into the heart of a thriving neighbourhood. Like Everton’s project, Manchester United’s plans underscore how major football clubs can act as powerful anchors for long-term urban renewal.
Both of these projects are community-focused, designed to leave a legacy that improves wellbeing, employment prospects, and investment in surrounding areas.
In Rugby League, the Leigh Leopards have shown how sport can be a cornerstone of broader urban regeneration. Their involvement in the Leigh Sports Village has played a central role in revitalising the town, helping it evolve from a post-industrial area into a vibrant regional hub.
The project brings together sport, education, and leisure facilities that benefit the entire community, demonstrating the power of clubs to drive integrated place-making.
Most recently, Hull KR has also embarked on a similar regeneration journey, reflecting both its deep commitment to the local community and its growing ambitions as a Club.
These examples highlight a powerful narrative of social good, one that the UK Government has expressed strong interest in supporting and promoting. Clubs are no longer just sporting institutions; they are drivers of economic development, community wellbeing, and community strength.
A Missed Opportunity in Barnet
However, this progressive trend is not without setbacks.
On 15 July, Barnet Council decisively rejected Barnet Football Club’s proposal to return to their historic home near the former Underhill Stadium by constructing a new 7,000-seat modular stadium on Barnet Playing Fields.
The club’s vision was clear: to bring Barnet FC back to its “spiritual home,” strengthen ties with the local community, and secure long-term financial viability, especially following their recent promotion to EFL League Two.
The regeneration plan included a range of community-facing features: floodlit training pitches and MUGAs (multi-use games areas), a medical and community hub, matchday kiosks, parking facilities, and improved site access.
It also proposed enhancements to local traffic management, including a school drop-off zone and mobile refreshment points, offering tangible benefits to nearby residents.
Despite the promise of community uplift and the wider social, cultural, and economic value of the proposal, the planning committee blocked the development. Their decision cited “substantial and irreversible harm” to the openness and function of the Green Belt and the “failure to demonstrate very special circumstances” to justify this impact.
Other concerns included insufficient biodiversity and archaeology assessments, unresolved parking issues, and the lack of a Section 106 agreement to ensure contributions to community infrastructure.
Localism vs Long-Term Growth
This decision raises a critical question: When do local concerns outweigh the broader benefits of regeneration and growth?
While environmental protections and community consultation are vital, the refusal of Barnet FC’s proposal may represent a broader challenge in the UK’s planning system, one where hyper-local opposition can block initiatives that offer significant long-term value to communities.
In a time when Government is encouraging urban regeneration, place-based investment, and stronger public-private partnerships, planning policy must find a better balance between protecting valued spaces and enabling transformative, community-benefiting development.
A Call to Action
The Government’s forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill presents an opportunity to confront these tensions head-on.
The Bill must address how to weigh local objections against national and regional goals for growth, inclusion, and regeneration, particularly in cases where proposals are tied to public benefit through sport, education, health, and economic opportunity.
If the UK is serious about unlocking the full potential of sport for societal impact, then it must ensure the planning system becomes an enabler, not a barrier, to community-focused regeneration.
Barnet may have missed an opportunity this time, but the broader vision, where clubs become engines of transformation, remains a powerful one. Now is the time to ensure the Government’s policies reflect that ambition.
As the Government moves forward with this Bill, Social will be paying close attention to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill—particularly its final form, the key debates and amendments that shape it along the way, and the broader implications it may have for the planning system.
We will also be closely monitoring how the built environment sector responds, including local authorities, developers, planners, and community stakeholders. Their reactions will provide critical insight into how the Bill is likely to function in practice, as well as any emerging challenges or opportunities.
This continued scrutiny will help inform our understanding of the direction of future policy and the evolving relationship between planning, infrastructure, and sustainable development across the UK.
By Sami Garratt, Account Manager
