Statistics: Sports Participation

Participation Rates in Football (Soccer) England, Canada, Australia

Proportion of Population Playing Football – UK vs Canada vs Australia with breakdowns by Age and Gender. Within the UK as a whole the scope of the game across various levels of participation is considerable:

7 million adult participants (including 5-a-side), plus an estimated 5 million in schools
37,500 clubs, including 9,000 youth clubs
2,000 competitions
32,000 schools (17,000 primary)
30,000 FA-qualified coaches
27,000 FA-qualified referees
45,000 pitches (21,000 facilities)

Sports Participation by Children – England – 1994 versus 1999

Football in Comparison with other
Sports. According to a government sponsored
survey by the OPCS there was an average 5% increase in the number of
school children saying they played football between 1994 and 1999.
This increase was shared amongst boys and girls, although boys were
roughly 4 times more likely to play than girls. Of all the major
spectator sports, football is the one that most people in England are