Sport England has launched a new modelling tool, designed to help local authorities calculate the economic impact of sport on their communities.

The Economic value of sport – local model will provide each local authority, county sport partnership (CSP) and local enterprise partnership area with estimates on sports’ contribution to the local economy in the form of business output and jobs as well as wider benefits like health.

Developed by Cambridge Econometrics and SQW, the model will provide a “snapshot” of the overall value of sport in the local area, indicating the contribution made by businesses and services supporting people playing sport plus the wider interests in sport – such as sports broadcasting or spectating at sporting events.

It will also help assess the impact of change, showing the effect of increasing or reducing the number of people playing sport, for example if new facilities are built, facilities are closed or more marketing is done to attract those not playing sport regularly.

Guidance on how to best use the evidence – to help protect existing investment and make the case for new investment in sport – will also be included.

Peter Box, chair of the Local Government Association’s economy and transport board, said: “As well as obvious health and leisure benefits, sport is a multi-billion industry. This tool will help unlock the local economic value of sports, ensuring continuing investment and jobs in this growth industry.”

Kevin Fenton, national director of health and wellbeing at Public Health England, added: “We know physical inactivity is one of the major causes of ill-health which is entirely preventable.

“This easy to use model will support local areas to understand the positive impact of sport as part of economic regeneration as well as the positive impact on health. This reminds us that the true value of sport isn’t just to get people active: it has the potential to save lives.”

• To learn more about the tool and to register, click here.