The Council has adopted a new five-year strategy aimed at making the city a place where every resident has the opportunity to be more active – regardless of their age, background or circumstances.
The Coventry: City of Movement Strategy 2026-2031 was approved by Cabinet on Tuesday 17 March.
The strategy will set the direction for sport, physical activity and movement across the city through to 2031, bringing together health, sport and community organisations under a shared vision for a more active Coventry.
It’s been developed in partnership with over 70 organisations across the city – including the NHS, schools, the voluntary sector, CV Life, Think Active and the Positive Youth Foundation – and is informed by a public survey that received nearly 1,400 responses from residents across the city.
The survey found that the main barriers preventing people from being more active are time, motivation and other commitments.
The strategy is designed to address these barriers by creating more accessible, affordable and joined-up opportunities for movement across the city.
The strategy is built around three themes:
- Active System: Connecting Better: Ensuring all agencies and organisations working in sport, health and physical activity in Coventry are joined up and working effectively together
- Active People: Movement for Everyone: Increasing participation across all ages and communities, with a particular focus on those facing the greatest inequalities and barriers to access
- Active Place: A Place of Movement: Improving the built and natural environments across the city to make movement a natural part of everyday life, from parks and green spaces to walking and cycling routes
The strategy builds on significant progress already made in Coventry, including over £100 million invested in sport and physical activity facilities since 2014, the Go CV scheme which has reached more than 130,000 residents, and Coventry's recognition as European City of Sport in 2019.
Coventry has also been selected as one of just 27 Place Partners nationally to benefit from Sport England's Place Expansion programme, which targets communities with the greatest need. The City of Movement Strategy will serve as the evidence base to inform that investment and place based approach across the city.
Councillor Kamran Caan, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport, said: “This strategy reflects the ambitions of our residents and the commitment of our partners to make Coventry a truly active city.
“Being active is not just about sport – it is about how we travel, how we use our green spaces, how we design our neighbourhoods and how we support people at every stage of life to keep moving.
“We know there is more to do, particularly for those who face the greatest barriers, and this strategy sets out how we will work together to change that.”
The strategy will be monitored and reviewed by a citywide place partnership group, with progress reported to the Coventry Health and Wellbeing Board annually.