Sport England’s aim is to increase the number of people engaging in sport and physical activity, ‘not for its own sake but for the wider benefits it can bring, in terms of physical and mental wellbeing and individual, community and economic development'. According to the announcement, ‘good quality evaluation is needed to show where the impact on these wider outcomes is greatest'.

The framework is also intended to make it easier for national and local sports groups to monitor their activities. 

Sport England brought in user experience agency Sigma to develop a microsite for the evaluation framework, which is designed to ensure all processes are completely accessible and user friendly.

“Ensuring that investment is being used efficiently and effectively is a vital aspect of what we do and this new platform will make the process of tracking and monitoring investment better and more transparent," said Darcy Hare, head of research and evaluation at Sport England. 

 “Improving evaluation by providing easier and more accessible guidance is helping us focus funding better. Sigma’s team has done a brilliant job helping us make sure every penny spent is being used in the best possible way.”