Younger children will get more help to take part in sport as part of a government strategy announced by Sports Minister Tracey Crouch today.

At the moment Sport England invests in sport for those aged 14, but the new plan is to help youngsters from five through to old age, in a bid to create a more active nation.

The minister, and MP for Chatham and Aylesford, said: “Sport has an incredible power to do social good and that is what our new strategy is all about.

"We will invest in sport and physical activity that shows how it can have a positive impact on people’s lives, how it brings communities together while ensuring it continues to make a significant contribution to the economy too.

“We want to give everyone the best possible experience of sport from the earliest age. We also want to maintain Britain’s reputation as one of the leading nations in the world for putting on major sporting events while making sure we are the best in the world on good governance too.”

Investment will be targeted at sport projects that have a measurable impact on how they are improving people’s lives – from helping young people gain skills to get into work, to tackling social exclusion and improving physical and mental health.

Funding will be targeted at groups with low participation rates; including women, disabled people, the poor and older people.

Elite athletes will get increased funding through to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the Premier League will double investment in grassroots football as part of the plan.