he 10 Most Popular Sports in the United Kingdom: Analysis on Number of Fans Per Sport

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15 Feb 2024

The 10 Most Popular Sports in the UK: Fan Numbers Analysis

The Sporting Blog

The 10 Most Popular Sports in the United Kingdom: Analysis on Number of Fans Per Sport

The England football team, including captain Harry Kane

The United Kingdom has a population of over 68 million. Most of the UK population enjoys sport, as it is deeply sewn into the country’s culture, tradition and society.

People in the UK have an immense passion for sports, whether that’s football, rugby, cricket or tennis.

The UK has a sophisticated and packed sporting calendar, allowing residents to enjoy different sports throughout the year. Specifically Autumn and Winter sports like Football and Rugby, and Summer sports like tennis and cricket.
In this article, we will list the 10 most popular sports in the UK, based on fan viewing numbers. Read on to find out more!

1. Football: 25 Million Fans

Football is the most popular sport in the UK.
It connects families and friends, allowing them to spend quality time together and feel part of a community.
This deep connection to football is the primary reason behind the game’s popularity in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Football clubs are also an integral part of UK culture. These clubs are symbols for local communities, and they also have a deep-rooted connection with fans throughout Britain.
So, the fact that football is the most popular sport in the UK is not surprising!
Over 25 million people, or 40% of the UK population, watch football, and England has produced some of the greatest football players of all time.
Statista reports that 1.5 million adults in the UK take part in football as spectators, fans or players on a domestic level whilst the FA report over 11 million people play football in the UK, one of them must be right!
For instance, 33.3% of children between 5 and 16 in Scotland play and watch football every month. Similarly, around 3% of adults from different walks of life participate in football once a month.

Football plays a crucial role in streamlining the UK’s economy by generating an average of over £2 billion of revenue each season.
Bear in mind that this revenue doesn’t include sponsorships and commercials.
An article published by BBC News states that 47% of people in Wales watch football regularly, compared to 45% of those who enjoy rugby.
Around 40% of children in Wales watch and play football, and this sport has an estimated number of 25 million fans in the UK, and 3.5 billion fans worldwide.
Check out all football content in our dedicated blog!

2. Cricket: 16 Million Fans

Cricket is considered England’s truly national game, and it is the second most popular sport in the UK.
Around 18% of the UK population watch live cricket matches in stadiums and on TV, with 2% participating in this most traditional of sports.
Come-to-Play further states that 19% of the UK population takes an interest in cricket.
Most upper and middle-class communities follow cricket, making it one of the most enjoyable sports in the UK.
The significant fan following is one of the reasons this game receives generous funding from different organisations, leading to the formation of clubs at different levels.
There are over 20 cricket clubs and thousands of teams in the UK.
According to the England Cricket Board (ECB), while the number of participants has decreased, cricket is still one of the UK’s most popular sports, with over 16 million fans of the sport.

The victorious 2019 England T20 Cricket team

3. Rugby Union & Rugby League: 12 Millions Fans

Rugby is another mainstream sport in the UK, with an estimated 12 million fans.
Rugby is a spectator sport due to its community, clubs and organisations. These are very open to everyone, including new members and players.

Similarly, young individuals play rugby to strengthen relationships and promote friendship.
Rugby is always fun to play and watch, occupying the third spot in this list of the most popular sports in the UK.
Rugby has 12 million fans in the UK, which will likely increase in the coming years. The majority of these fans are young people between the ages of 16 and 29.
Rugby has two broad categories in the UK: Rugby Union and Rugby League.
Rugby Union is more well known but Rugby League is more popular in the North of England.
England have great pedigree in Rugby Union, having won the World Cup in 2003, and making the final in 2007 and 2019.
Wales and Scotland also have a deep love and heritage in Rugby Union, with the Welsh side being one of the best in the world in recent years.

4. Golf

Golf is one of the most famous sports in the UK, particularly in terms of participation with older ages groups.
The government has made substantial efforts to streamline and promote this sport throughout Britain.
This is why England has a total of 2,270 registered golf courses. In addition, Scotland has 614 courses, such as the famous St Andrews Golf Links.
Northern Ireland also has 494 courses and Wales has 186 courses.
Around 2.5 million individuals participated in this sport before the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the number of participants increased to 5.2 million during the pandemic. Bunkered highlights that golf has an average of 4.8 million participants nationwide.
The UK hosts numerous golf tournaments. The “Challenge Cup” is the most popular international golf tournament, driving fans from all over the world to watch the awe-inspiring games.

England has 656,000 registered golf players, Northern Ireland and Scotland have 180,000 and Wales has 183,000.

5. Athletics

In addition to football and cricket, athletics is deeply rooted in UK culture.
Over 151,000 Brits participate in athletics every month.
Scotland has the most athletic clubs, with 148 as of 2021. Athletics play a crucial role in the UK’s economy, generating an average of £25 million.

6. Horse Racing

Horse racing is one of the most popular sports in the UK, with an estimated six million fans.
The equine industries employ over 100,000 people in the UK, a remarkable figure only beaten by the NHS.
The UK hosts thousands of horse racing events throughout the year, driving millions of fans from different countries.
This generates a lot of money, with horse racing adding more than £3.4 billion to the UK economy every year.
Cheltenham, Aintree Grand National and Royal Ascot are famous UK horse racing events, enjoyed by national and international fans.
As of 2022, there are 374,000 households in the UK that own a horse, which is quite a number. Furthermore, many people share horses via community initiatives and leasing a horse or pony to learn on has made access even more available.

7. Tennis

Brits have a great passion for tennis! People of all ages play this fun, active sport on a regular basis.
Tennis is a participant sport, but it has gained popularity as a spectator sport, too.

Hundreds of thousands of people from various countries visit the UK to watch Wimbledon, one of the most famous tennis tournaments in the world.
Wimbledon has been an integral part of UK sport since 1877.
BBC reports that the 2022 Wimbledon tennis tournament broke previous viewership records, with over 53 million streams on various channels.
While young individuals take a keen interest in tennis, people over 60 are among the most enthusiastic fans.
According to Tennis Creative, around 12% of the population, or 3 million people, play tennis in the UK.

8. Boxing

Just like in the US, boxing has millions of fans across the UK.
Boxing is a trendy and unusual sport, as it connects people through emotions, wild fights, unpredictable manoeuvres and unexpected endings.
This hype is one of the primary reasons behind boxing’s popularity in the UK.
Previously, boxing was among the top 5 most popular sports in the UK.
However, recent studies report that only 493,000 people participate in this sport annually, meaning the number of participants has declined.
Despite this, Britain has more than 1,000 boxing clubs and children also practice boxing at school level.

9. Swimming

The health-conscious people of the UK love swimming, as it is a cardiovascular workout that improves overall wellbeing.
Over 2 million people swim on a regular basis, whether for fun, domestic-level tournaments or national events.

Competitive swimming is popular in the UK.
Thousands of professional players participate in events, including backstroke, butterfly, freestyle, breaststroke and individual medley.

10. Rowing

Rowing is an elite sport in the UK. It has gained popularity among middle-class Brits, with numerous teams participating in various University and national tournaments.
Many rowing clubs offer training services for beginners and professionals, allowing them to master their skills and prepare themselves for national and international competitions.
Brit Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave is one of the greatest Olympic rowers in the world.
According to British Rowing, the UK has 550 rowing clubs.
More than 300,000 people participate in this sport every year, making rowing one of the most popular sports in the UK.

Stories
Sport, Football, Golf, Rugby, Cricket, Athletics, Horse Racing, Racing, Tennis, Boxing, Rowing
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