Catalogue description Records of the National Playing Fields Association

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 the 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.