British sport under-prepared for climate risks as costs rise, report says

LONDON, Nov 5 : Climate change is becoming a growing threat to British sport, damaging facilities, disrupting fixtures, increasing costs and deterring participation, according to a report that warns the sector is dangerously under-prepared for extreme weather.

Every organisation surveyed reported being affected by extreme weather in 2026 and 94 per cent said sport was under-prepared for climate change. Yet a separate review of professional club disclosures found only nine had explicitly identified climate or extreme weather as a business risk.

The report by the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) paints a stark picture of a sporting landscape built for weather conditions that no longer exist, with impacts felt from Premier League stadiums to grassroots playing fields.

"Sport is already paying the price for climate change through damaged grounds, rising insurance costs, lost match-day income and lost opportunities for people to be active," BASIS founder Russell Seymour said in the report.

"The game has changed. Extreme weather is no longer a series of isolated disruptions; it is a material, recurring and intensifying business risk."

Among more than 200 clubs, venues and governing bodies surveyed, 86 per cent reported being affected by extreme heat, 78 per cent by drought, 31 per cent by storm damage and 28 per cent by flooding.

The financial risks are becoming increasingly apparent.

BASIS said 27 per cent of professional soccer, rugby league and rugby union stadiums it analysed in England face high direct flood risk, a figure projected to rise to 35 per cent under future climate scenarios.

Several clubs have felt the impact. AFC Wimbledon reported nearly £900,000 ($1.2 million) in stadium flood costs in their 2025 accounts.

MANCHESTER UNITED WARNING

Manchester United have warned investors that extreme weather could damage property, disrupt match-day operations and cause losses that may not be fully covered by insurance.

"If a club with Manchester United's scale and resources considers this risk sufficiently material to disclose to investors, smaller and less financially resilient institutions cannot reasonably treat it as peripheral," the report said.

Worcestershire County Cricket Club's flood-prone New Road ground has repeatedly faced questions about its long-term viability, and Carlisle United have described flood insurance for Brunton Park as increasingly unaffordable.

The report also highlighted the effect on competition schedules. Research cited by BASIS found at least 118 weather-related postponements across the top six tiers of English men's football between the 2021-22 and 2025-26 seasons, with lower-league and non-league clubs bearing the brunt.

Cancelled or rearranged matches can mean lower attendances and reduced revenue for lower division clubs operating on tight budgets.

The impact of Britain's long, hot and exceptionally dry summer became visible across sport in 2026. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) took the unprecedented step of postponing the start of the community rugby season in September because of rock-hard pitches and player welfare concerns.

Beyond elite sport, BASIS warned that climate change risks undermining public health. Sport England found that nearly three-quarters of people affected by this year's unprecedented heatwaves participated in less sport and physical activity.

The report called for climate resilience to become a boardroom priority across British sport, including dedicated adaptation plans, improved reporting and a £30 million annual fund to help protect grassroots facilities from increasingly volatile weather.