Paris 2024: How many sports facilities are there in Mansfield and Ashfield?
Olympic athletes are often quick to praise the sporting opportunities they were given in their local areas as youngsters.
With the 2024 Paris Olympics underway, figures show how Mansfield and Ashfield stack up when it comes to opportunities to play sport.
Sport England data from October shows there were 169 sports facilities in the Mansfield area.
While more than half of these were grass pitches, there were also 14 gyms, 17 sports halls and eight swimming pools.
Mansfield also has five outdoor tennis courts.
Ashfield has 180 sports facilities in the area and again, more while more than half of these were grass pitches, there were also 12 gyms, 22 sports halls and seven swimming pools.
Ashfield also has five outdoor tennis courts and three squash courts.
Analysis from the Office for National Statistics suggest those places with a greater number of sports facilities in their area are more likely to be active for more than two-and-a-half hours a week.
However, it cautioned this may be due to ‘demographic and socio-economic differences between rural, suburban and densely populated areas’.
Sport England said it is ‘laser-focused’ on tackling inequalities.
Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England executive director, said: "We target our funding and resources to where they are most needed to ensure that the communities in greatest need are able to be physically active in their local area, and we work with partners like the Football Foundation to enhance and improve facilities all over the country."
Ashfield had a sports facility for every 702 residents, or 1,522 excluding grass pitches, while Mansfield had a sports facility for every 654 residents, or 1,381 excluding grass pitches.
Across the country these figures were 584 and 1,121 respectively.
Sport England has a ‘movement fund’, which offers up to £15,000 for community organisations to provide better opportunities for physical activity.
Across England, around 77 per cent of facilities registered with Sport England are classed as 'publicly accessible' – which includes those that are free to use, 'pay and play', and sports clubs.
The remainder are private.
In Mansfield, 78 per cent are publicly accessible, while 69 per cent are in Ashfield.
A spokesperson for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said: "We want to give everyone the chance to emulate their sporting heroes and achieve their dreams, wherever they come from."