Supplier for Sport England Leading the Movement Practice‑Focused Report / Applied Thought Piece 2026

The commission aims to produce an applied, practice‑led exploration of leadership that: Identifies what good place‑based leadership can look like in practice, not just in principle, when addressing physical activity inequalities. Surfaces insights, behaviours and patterns from across different Place contexts, including: Original/Existing (Deepening) Place Partnerships New (Expansion) Place Partnerships Place Universal Offer (PUO) areas Illustrates how distributed and collective leadership enables people in all roles - policy makers, practitioners, volunteers and communities - to meaningfully influence decisions that shape active lives. Supports leaders to reflect on and strengthen relational, collaborative and place‑specific leadership practices. Uses national evidence, local learning and lived experience to inform outputs. Generates practical insights, prompts and tools that leaders can adapt and apply in their own system contexts. Identifies how existing Sport England place‑based leadership support can be extended or enhanced to help Places embed this way of working more deeply over time. Applicants must demonstrate: Strong experience in the sport and physical activity system Understanding of place‑based working, systems change and Sport England’s Place Partnership approach Awareness of Sport England wider leadership support offer (i.e. Leading the Movement programme) and the relevant E&L resources that position leadership as a key condition for change when tackling addressing inequalities in physical activity Expertise in leadership development, systems leadership or organisational development. Experience working at strategic leadership and/or community leadership levels. Ability to synthesise complex insights into high-quality written outputs. An appropriate level of independence and objectivity. Application Process Applicants must submit: CV Cover letter (max 4-5 pages) outlining: Relevant experience Understanding of the commission Proposed approach and methodology, including how your approach and policy support diversity, equity and inclusion Suggested optional outputs Proposed timeline Examples of previous relevant work Bid submission deadline: 9am, Friday 26th June 2026