Records of Fields in Trust (formerly the National Playing Fields Association)

Records of the National Playing Fields Association (now Fields in Trust), established in 1925, to safeguard and secure playing fields, sports grounds and open spaces to the benefit of the whole community.

From 1982 National Playing Fields Association

Topics

Sports

The National Playing Fields Association (NPFA) was founded on 8 July 1925. It is a registered charity and received a royal charter in 1932. Its aims were to secure adequate playing fields for the present and future needs of all sections of society, to secure proper playgroups for children, to save existing sports grounds and the open spaces that remain in urban areas, to co-operate with all local authorities and others who are striving to secure these objectives, and to act as a pressure group to focus local opinion.

Since 1945 the Association has expanded its work by providing loans as well as grants, by providing technical advice and by holding conferences. In 1965 it absorbed the King George's Fields Foundation, which was founded in 1936 as part of the national memorial to George V. It acquires its income from subscriptions, donations and legacies.

The NPFA consists of a general council on which are represented various sports bodies, cities and large towns, local authorities and representatives of the county, city, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland branches of the Playing Fields Association. Individuals are also members. There is an executive committee, several sub-committees and a small permanent staff. The NPFA owns nearly a hundred grounds in the country, but most of the work at local level is carried out by the County Playing Fields Associations which are affiliated to the national body. There are also a few overseas affiliated members.

In 2008 the opeating name of the NPFA was changed to Fields in Trust.

The remit and work of Fields in Trust has evolved and expanded through the decades, adapting to continue advocating for its primary objective of ensuring the protection of parks and green spaces. It advises policy makers and several government Roundtables, addresses decision-makers and landowners and supports local campaigns and communities seeking protection for their green spaces. It protects park and green spaces by actively engaging with landowners to communicate the value of green spaces and working towards signing with them binding legal commitments to ensure the spaces are permanently protected. It also undertakes research on the impact of green spaces on local communities. The charity celebrated its centenary in July 2025.