The #SaveOurSports campaign has been launched amid the coronavirus pandemic ©British Gymnastics

More than 50 organisations in Britain have signed a New Year's letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson as part of a campaign launched amid fears over the future of sport in the country.

The #SaveOurSport campaign began with a letter to Johnson in September, where sports bodies were critical of the lack of action taken by the Government to support sport.

It also included a petition lobbying the Government for emergency funding to help those impacted financially by the coronavirus pandemic.

In November, the Government approved a £300 million ($400 million/€336 million) package designed to protect the immediate futures of major sports which face a winter without spectators.

But a rise in COVID-19 cases following the discovery of a new variant has sparked further concern within British sport as facilities such as gyms and swimming pools in large parts of the country are closed under the Government's tiered system of measures.

Stadiums across the country have been closed to supporters as part of British Government measures to limit the spread of the virus ©Getty Images
Stadiums across the country have been closed to supporters as part of British Government measures to limit the spread of the virus ©Getty Images

Fans are banned from attending indoor or outdoor sports events in tiers three and four.

Three-quarters of the British population are living under tier four restrictions following the latest review earlier this week.

In the letter, the organisations - which include the Football Association, the England and Wales Cricket Board, the Rugby Football Union, Rugby Football League, Lawn Tennis Association and others governing Olympic sports, call for "tailored financial and regulatory support to rebuild and revitalise our nation’s health".

"It also means redoubling efforts to increase sporting participation," the letter adds.

"This will take time as we emerge from restrictions but it is vital that we do this for the sake of the nation’s health and wellbeing - and particularly for those whose participation has been most impacted by the pandemic, including children and young people.

"Grassroots sport, fitness, and wider recreational activity is proven to support physical, mental, and social wellbeing. 

"This makes our sector essential to the nation’s recovery from the damage caused by the pandemic."

They have also urged the Government to "make plans for supporters to return to full stadia and people to return to their grassroots facilities as soon as possible, creating the income needed to reinvest into these communities".

Britain has recorded more than 73,000 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, and nearly 2.5 million cases overall.