31st July 2025
Tim Hollingsworth has stepped down as chief executive of Sport England after nearly seven years in the role.
Having announced in February that he’d be leaving the organisation in the summer, Tim departs with the full support of chair Chris Boardman and the Sports England Board.
Executive director of partnerships, Phil Smith, will be Sports England interim chief executive until Tim’s permanent successor Simon Hayes takes up the post in September.
“It has been the greatest of privileges for the past seven years to lead Sport England,” wrote Tim in his farewell blog.
“With a fantastic chair in Chris Boardman, a great new CEO in Simon Hayes and a wonderful team of people in place, I have no doubt that the next stage of its delivery and the collective journey of Uniting the Movement will achieve amazing things.”