Cost of living: Families choosing between food and children's sport

One rugby club has started a "boot bank" to help children whose families are struggling with the cost of living

The cost of living crisis is forcing people to choose between doing sport or buying food, according to a new report.

One rugby club said it was seeing children stop playing as parents cannot afford boots or petrol for travel.

The Senedd's sport committee called for a "radical rethink" after finding living costs were preventing participation in disadvantaged areas.

The Welsh government said it was committed to "promoting equal access to sport across the country".

The committee's report said while the Welsh government had "well intentioned" commitments, there was not a "clear and defined approach" to increasing participation in these areas.

• Poverty and lifestyle challenges sport

• 'Poor children lose out on exercise'

• 'Work needed' to close school sports gap

Since forming in 2017, Caerau Ely RFC, in Cardiff, now has more than 150 players in its mini and junior section, attracting children from some of the most deprived areas of the capital.

They run a "boot bank" where youngsters can exchange boots and have so far given out more than a hundred pairs, but at the moment there are only a few left.

Caerau Ely RFC's manager Johanna Cotterrall said sports clubs were important for both children and parents' wellbeing

"I've noticed families with two or more children, they may not be coming because they can't afford to replace two sets of boots," said club manager Johanna Cotterrall.

"We have lost a lot of parents over the years to mental health and suicide," she added.

"What do you do with those parents who no longer have partners and husbands, but who come here on a Sunday morning to watch the kids with a coffee and see friends?

"And what do you do with those 150 children - there is no other sport in Caerau and Ely that is that cheap."

'They are missing being a child'

Ms Cotterrall said she worried about the viability of the club, which has often struggled to access grants that would reduce fees and ease the financial burden on parents.

"If they live on the other side of Ely, they can't afford the petrol. On the flip side, you see children still coming but they haven't got what they need.

"The kids are missing that connection, they're missing fun, they are missing being a child. So they really need to come back and be children."

Ms Cotterrall said children were missing out on "being children" due to the rising cost of living

The report highlighted other issues like poor transport links, lack of confidence and gender inequality, which it said were also barriers.

The committee made 12 recommendations, including:

• Calling for a "national approach" to address the issue, including setting targets to improve access

• Opening up schools and other community facilities, so people have better access to facilities

• More funding to address the problem of low participation levels in disadvantaged areas

The committee also recommended the Welsh government follow New Zealand in setting up a pilot to offer children funding to cover the costs of equipment, kit and fees.

The Welsh government highlighted grants available to children eligible for free school meals for "school uniform, kit and other equipment".

The grant - increased by £100 for this year - will be £225 per learner, or £300 for those entering Year 7.

All children in care will qualify for the grant, regardless of whether or not they are eligible for free school meals.

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "Our Programme for Government commits us to investing in sport facilities and promoting equal access to sport across the country.

"We urge the UK government to act now and use their fiscal powers to protect people's incomes at this challenging time.

"We'll consider the report from the Culture, Communication, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee in full and respond in due course."

A HM Treasury spokesperson said: "We know that rising prices caused by global challenges are affecting how far people's incomes go, which is why we have continually taken action to help households by phasing in £37bn worth of support throughout the year, which includes specific support to help people through the difficult winter ahead.

"Eight million of the most vulnerable households will see £1,200 extra support, provided in instalments across the year, and everyone will receive £400 over the winter to help with energy bills.

"That's including a record fuel duty cut and a National Insurance cut worth up to £330 a year for the typical employee."

Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that being active was "good for the body and good for the soul".

"We don't know all of the stories of a girl or boy that cannot play football today because of the cost of living crisis etcetera but we need to know them," he said.

He added that the FAW had a fund to support young people to get access to regular football opportunities.

The Welsh Rugby Union said it ring-fenced around £11m a year for the community game, alongside a wide range of initiatives designed to help clubs with energy bills, insurance, kit and boots. It is also running rugby-themed "Fit, Fed, Fun" camps to support children and families throughout Wales over the school holidays.

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