A Sports Business Council will be established by the government in a bid to stimulate further growth and potentially shape policy in the sports sector.

According the the Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation report published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport this morning (17 December), the council will work with sporting bodies and firms to help them create business plans, gain access to finance and develop skills.

Membership to the council will be drawn from public and private sector companies working within sport. Large sporting good companies, broadcasters, gym operators or organisations of that ilk are likely to be chosen as council members, while selection to the council will be the responsibility of industry stakeholders rather than the government.

Following its formation, the council will be industry-led, not government-led, and will discuss the big issues in the sector and attempt to find solutions. Outcomes from Sports Business Council meetings may feed into DCMS policy, although its work will primarily be supporting the wider sector.

It will also be responsible for creating an environment in which software and hardware, such as apps and smartphones, can support engagement in sport and physical activity.

The DCMS and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) will support the Sports Business Council, which will be launched in 2016, as it attempts to boost the £39bn (US$58.2bn, €53.7bn) the sector contributes to the UK economy annually.

To see the full Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation report, click here.