What you need to know
The sports participation market remains broadly flat in volume terms, while leisure spending indicators and an apparent end to recent rises in club membership fees have led to a slowdown in value growth.
However, a new public policy and promotional focus on activity for health could open a fresh set of opportunities for sports providers to expand their player pool.
Demonstrating sport’s ability to improve physical health could incentivise older people into returning to activity, while an emphasis on its mental wellbeing benefits has potentially strong appeal to younger demographics too.
Covered in this Report
Mintel’s definition of ‘participation sports’ is based on that set out by Sport England, which states that “the purpose of the activity must be sporting and not a means to another purpose” and that it “must have an established structure, defined by rules, and where appropriate, organised national or international competition”.
Mintel’s interpretation of the second element of this extends to the inclusion of athletic activities undertaken for fitness rather than competitive purposes, such as aerobics and/or weight training in a gym, and which are therefore less formally structured in terms of their rules and organisation, but which still have an accepted means of or basis for participation.
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel’s definition of ‘sport’ includes all activities listed below, which have been grouped under four key typologies for the purposes of discussion throughout:
Individual/keep-fit sports:
Swimming
Cycling
Jogging
Weight training/gym
Aerobics/fitness classes
Yoga/Pilates
Athletics/running
Team/competitive sports:
Football
Golf
Cricket
Basketball
Rugby (union/league)
Volleyball
Hockey
Racquet sports:
Tennis
Badminton
Table tennis
Squash
Outdoor/alternative sports:
Hiking/rambling
Fishing
Climbing
Skiing/snowboarding
Watersports (eg windsurfing, canoeing)
Martial arts (eg karate, kung fu)
Action sports (eg BMX, skateboarding)
Fencing
Footgolf
