A parliamentary report into the impact of Covid-19 on sport in the UK has called on government to extend emergency funding to prevent a collapse in the sector. The report, by the influential digital, culture, media and sport select committee, was critical of the government’s response to the pandemic so far, and said “urgency” was needed to protect leisure facilities for the public and the continuance of elite sport. After taking testimony from 25 witnesses and consulting 666 pieces of written evidence, the MPs’ committee also advocated a “reset” of governance in professional football and called for action to improve black, Asian and minority ethnic representation in sport, including mandatory targets for diversifying the boards of governing bodies. The central call, however, was for more money and in short order, with the priority being council-run leisure facilities. “It is essential that leisure facilities are protected and have the funds to ensure … [they can] re-open fully,” the report said. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport should “work with local councils to ensure necessary funding is in place” and that “this must be done with urgency so that leisure centres are fully operational in August”. Similar measures were advocated to protect elite sport in the absence of spectators, including the continuation of the furlough scheme which is set to end in October. “We recommend that DCMS works with HM Treasury … to ensure that the systems that have helped [sports] survive the crisis thus far, such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the VAT and PAYE deferral period, are extended beyond the current cut-off dates,” the report said. Huw Edwards, the head of the leisure industry body UKActive, one of the witnesses to the committee’s inquiry, welcomed the findings. “This report provides further evidence of the imminent threat facing the physical activity sector and the communities that depend on these facilities”, he said. “Our gyms and leisure centres help form the fabric of our society,and today they are needed more than ever to strengthen our physical and mental resilience to Covid-19, as well as the underlying health conditions that have made this virus so deadly. “We need a fundamental change in the way physical activity is valued by the government in order to remove health inequalities and rebuild a stronger, healthier, happier nation.” Edwards’ comments were echoed by Tim Hollingsworth, the chief executive of Sport England. “There is an opportunity now for us to work more collaboratively across government so that being active is recognised as a vehicle to support people’s physical and mental health in a way like never before”, he said. Suggesting football’s current business model is “not sustainable”, the report also called for wide-ranging reform of the game. Recommended measures included the scrapping of parachute payments and the possibility of a salary cap on lower league clubs, while the Premier League was called on to “step up” in providing funding for clubs lower down the football pyramid. “The Covid-19 crisis has shone a stark light on the financial issues within football, specifically in the leagues below the Premier League,” the report said. “The Premier League is the main income generator of English football. If it does not step up to help the English Football League, many more clubs will follow in Bury FC’s footsteps.” Bury were expelled from League One in August for financial reasons. “Football must also become more representative,” the report said, calling for more black executives and board members in the game. “We do not believe that the voluntary initiative proposed by the FA will motivate clubs to act with sufficient speed. Instead, we recommend that DCMS revises the Code for Sport Governance, adding targets for BAME representation on boards.”