Last updated October 2026
A fenced, floodlit macadam MUGA of 782 m2 costs £190,000 excluding VAT on Sport England’s Q4 2025 benchmark, which is about £243 per m2. Published ranges run from about £15,000 for a small, simple court to £250,000 for a large one, with 4 to 12 weeks on site. This page breaks that price down for schools, councils, clubs, parks and developers, and shows what sits outside it.
Most of a MUGA’s cost is the base, the fence and the lights; the surface itself is one line among several.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| What you are pricing | Size or unit | Cost | Source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-specification MUGA: macadam, fenced, sports lighting | 36.60 x 21.35 m (782 m2) | £190,000 | Sport England, Q4 2025 | High |
| The same court per m2 | per m2 | about £243 (our calculation) | From the row above | High |
| Any MUGA, smallest to largest | per project | from about £15,000 to £250,000 | Nova Sport, Aug 2024 | Low |
| Time on site | per project | 4 to 12 weeks | Nova Sport, Aug 2024 | Low |
| Resurfacing later, 35 mm porous | per m2 | about £36 + VAT | Wickham Parish Council quotes, Feb 2025 | Medium |
| Relining later | per sport | £600 | Wickham Parish Council, Feb 2025 | Medium |
How much does a MUGA cost?
£190,000 excluding VAT for the full specification, on Sport England’s benchmark: a 782 m2 macadam court with fencing and sports lighting. A smaller court without floodlights, or one built on a sound old playground base, costs much less, and published ranges start from about £15,000. Your survey fixes where your court sits in that range.
What does the £190,000 include?
The court, its fencing and its sports lighting, plus an external works allowance and Sport England’s 6% for fees (project management, site investigation and planning). In other words, Sport England’s figure is a complete project cost for a standard site, not just the surface.
How it works
- 01Send a plan and photosThe site, the surface and the date it must reopen.
- 02We check the groundLevels and where the water drains.
- 03Written quoteBuilt around your reopening date.
What does it leave out?
Everything that depends on your site. Sport England leaves out VAT and land, price rises after Q4 2025, poor ground and difficult access, long service connections, statutory biodiversity net gain and regional cost differences. A soft clay field, a long cable run to the floodlights or a narrow school gate can each add a line, so ask for those lines in writing before you commit.
What makes a MUGA cheaper or dearer?
Size, base, fence, lights and surface, in roughly that order of effect.
- Size: a primary school court is far smaller than Sport England’s 782 m2 example, and the cost falls with it.
- Base: reusing a sound tarmac yard avoids most of the excavation; a grass field needs a full build-up.
- Fencing: height, mesh weight and the number of gates.
- Lighting: floodlights add cost but let the court earn after dark.
- Surface: macadam is the benchmark; polymeric and artificial grass are priced on survey.
How much does a MUGA cost per m2?
About £243 per m2 for the full specification, dividing Sport England’s £190,000 by its 782 m2. That rate includes fencing, lights and fees, so do not apply it to a bare court. A small unfenced court on an existing base will come in well below it.
Can the PE and sport premium pay for a MUGA?
No. The DfE guidance names multi-use games areas as capital spending, and the premium must not fund capital. Schools need capital budgets, CIF where eligible, or grants such as Sport England’s Movement Fund. See the guide to funding sports and play surfaces for every route.
What does planning add to a MUGA budget?
Usually a council fee of a few hundred pounds plus any reports, because the fencing and floodlights often need permission. In England the fee for this kind of work is £298 per 0.1 hectare of site, so about £298 for a court the size of Sport England’s 782 m2 example, and Sport England’s 6% fees already allow for planning. The planning permission guide for courts and pitches explains when an application is needed and what it involves.
What will it cost to keep a MUGA going?
Budget for relining and an eventual resurface. Three 2025 quotes put a 35 mm porous resurface of a 713 m2 court at about £36 per m2 plus VAT, and relining at £600 per sport. Setting money aside each year means the resurface is planned. See MUGA resurfacing for the detail.
Is a MUGA cheaper than a 3G pitch?
Much cheaper. Sport England’s MUGA benchmark is £190,000, against £515,000 to £545,000 for a fenced, floodlit 3G training pitch. If football is the only sport and you need a full pitch, see 3G pitch cost; for several sports on one court, a MUGA is the better value.
What’s included in our MUGA quote
- Survey of the ground, levels, drainage and access
- Excavation and base to the quoted build-up
- Surface, fencing, gates, goals and hoops as listed
- Floodlights where listed
- Line markings for the sports you choose
- Alex’s final inspection of the court with you
What’s not included
- VAT, as its own line
- Planning fees, unless listed
- New electrical supply for lights, unless listed
- Ground problems found during excavation, priced before work continues
- Biodiversity net gain, which Sport England also excludes
Illustrative example
An illustration using the table, not a real project. A council budgets for a court like Sport England’s example at £190,000 excluding VAT. It also sets aside money for a resurface: at about £36 per m2, resurfacing 782 m2 would be roughly £28,000 plus VAT at today’s prices, plus £600 per sport to reline.
Who prices and builds your MUGA
Play and Sport Surfaces is a WeDo Property Services service. The team prices your MUGA after the survey, and Alex Winser runs the build to handover, and the surfacing teams build the base, surface and fence.
For what the build involves, surfaces and sizes, see MUGA pitch construction. Every other price is on sports and playground surfacing costs.
FAQs
Why is the range so wide?
It covers everything from a small unfenced court to a large floodlit one. Use the Sport England figure for a full specification.
Does the price include goals and hoops?
Ask for them as lines on your quote; Sport England’s figure does not list them separately.
Is a covered MUGA much more?
Yes, a canopy is a separate structure, priced on survey.
How long is a MUGA quote valid?
The quote states its validity date.
Is VAT included in the MUGA figures?
No. Every figure on this page excludes VAT.
Sources
- Sport England, Facility Cost Guidance Q4 2025, published Feb 2026
- Nova Sport, How much does a MUGA cost, Aug 2024
- Planning Portal, Application fees England (Mid Sussex copy), 1 Apr 2025
- Wickham Parish Council, Recreation Committee document pack, 27 Feb 2025
- DfE, PE and sport premium guidance for primary schools, updated 24 Sept 2026