Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Covered in this Report
Executive Summary
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- The market
- No change in frequent player base
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- Figure 1: Adult participation in sport at least twice in the previous 28 days, November 2015-November 2016 and November 2016-November 2017
- Rising fees fuel value growth
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- Figure 2: Forecast of consumer expenditure on participation* in sport, 2013-23
- Fitness focus pressures team sports
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- Figure 3: Twice-monthly adult participation in most popular sports, November 2015-November 2016 and November 2016-November 2017
- Sports prioritise facility investment
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- Figure 4: Top 10 types of registered sports facilities in England, August 2018
- The consumer
- Commitment issues for the occasional player pool
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- Figure 5: Participation in sport (net), June 2014-July 2018
- No change at top of the table
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- Figure 6: Sports most commonly played in the past 12 months, July 2016-July 2018
- Most accessible options are right on the doorstep
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- Figure 7: Locations for sports participation, July 2018
- Deterrents vary from sport to sport
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- Figure 8: Barriers to participation, by sport, July 2018
- Strong support for more child’s play
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- Figure 9: Priorities for public investment in sport, July 2018
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Sports clubs need new players, not just new members
- The facts
- The implications
- How can elite sport do more for grassroots growth?
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- No change in playing numbers
- Rising fees fuel value growth
- Fitness focus puts pressure on team sports
- Sports prioritise facility investment
- Public venues ripe for refurbishment
Market Size and Forecast
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- No net gain in playing numbers
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- Figure 10: Adult participation in sport at least twice in the previous 28 days, November 2015-November 2016 and November 2016-November 2017
- Fees lead subs in driving value growth
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- Figure 11: Consumer expenditure on participation* in sport, 2013-23
- Forecast
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- Figure 12: Forecast of consumer expenditure on participation* in sport, 2013-23
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- Team sports lose out on fitness and convenience
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- Figure 13: Twice-monthly adult participation in most popular sports, November 2015-November 2016 and November 2016-November 2017
Market Drivers
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- Facility investment aims to improve as much as expand
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- Figure 14: Top 10 types of registered sports facilities in England, August 2018
- Can public policy match ambition with provision?
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- Figure 15: Age of swimming pools and sports halls in England, 2018
- A key role for clubs in the participation picture
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- Figure 16: Active* adults’ club membership rates, by sport, November 2016-November 2017
- Age no barrier to volunteering
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- Figure 17: Volunteering to support sport and physical activity at least twice in the last year, November 2016-November 2017
- Health awareness creating pool of potentials
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- Figure 18: Habits seen as important for staying healthy, August 2017
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- New athletics plan hits the ground running
- Cyclists like to own the road
- Tennis aims to be open all hours (and weathers)
- Golf chips away at duration of play
- Digital technologies putting fun back on the table
Governing Bodies
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- Swim England
- UK Athletics
- British Cycling
- The FA
- R&A
- LTA
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Golf cuts cost by shortening rounds
- Measuring up against Messi
- A new type of table service
- Swimming enjoys a long-distance romance
- Prescribing parkrun
- Parallel lines up more accessible events
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Commitment issues for the occasional player pool
- No change at top of the table
- Most accessible options are right on the doorstep
- Deterrents vary from sport to sport
- Strong support for more child’s play
Sports Participants
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- A broader focus to expand the player base
- Looking beyond access and affordability
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- Figure 19: Participation in sport (net), June 2014-July 2018
Sports Played
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- No change at top of the table
- Creating more casual vacancies
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- Figure 20: Sports most commonly played in the past 12 months, July 2016-July 2018
- Participants hunger for more games
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- Figure 21: Repertoires of sports played, July 2018
Locations for Play
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- Participation peaks in the park
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- Figure 22: Locations for sports participation, July 2018
- Half of players stay in their lane
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- Figure 23: Repertoires of sports participation locations, July 2018
Barriers to Participation
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- High hurdles pinpoint obstacles keeping more players out of the race
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- Figure 24: Barriers to participation, by sport, July 2018
Investment in Sport
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- Concern for kids unites the generations
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- Figure 25: Priorities for public investment in sport, July 2018
- There’s no ‘I’ in team – but there is very much a ‘me’...
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- Figure 26: Prioritisation* of public investment in training more volunteers in sports clubs, by type of sport played during the last year, July 2018
- Elite sports losing public opinion race
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- Figure 27: Prioritisation* of public investment in supporting elite athletes, by age, socio-economic status and household income, July 2018
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Abbreviations
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Forecast methodology
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- Figure 28: Forecast of consumer expenditure on participation in sport*, 2018-23
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