Soccer Participation in the United States
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Alli Schulman
aschulman@sfia.org
301.495.6321
SILVER SPRING, MD (June 14, 2018) — The 2018 FIFA World Cup begins today, causing the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) to receive an influx of calls and inquiries regarding soccer participation numbers. Due to the heightened demand and attention around soccer, we are providing several key data points based on the comprehensive SFIA and Physical Activity Council research on sports participation.
SFIA President & CEO, Tom Cove, is available for interviews and in-depth analysis of soccer and comparative sport participation rates and trends.
Facts:
· There are 11,924,000 Soccer (Outdoor) Participants in the U.S.
· There are 5,259,000 core (26+/year) Soccer (Outdoor) participants in the U.S.
· 64% of all Soccer (Outdoor) participants and 57.5% of core (26+/year) participants are male.
· 71% of all Soccer (Outdoor) participants and 81.4% of core (26+/year) participants are between ages of 6 and 24.
· 42.3% of female soccer players are between the ages of 6 and 12
· 53% of all Soccer (Outdoor) participants have a household income of over $75,000 per year.
· 24.6% of all Soccer (Outdoor) participants have a college degree or higher.
· 35.9% of all Soccer (Outdoor) participants also run/jog, 36% bowl, 34.6% play basketball, and 31.7% hike (day).
· 25.3% of Outdoor Soccer players also play Indoor Soccer
· There are 4,420,000 children participating in Soccer (Outdoor) between the ages of 6–12.
· There are 2,454,000 Soccer (Outdoor) participants between the ages of 13–17.
· SFIA research reports (Sports, Fitness, and Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report, U.S. Trends in Team Sports, and Single Sport reports) are available for purchase at sfia.org.
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs, and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.
The following charts come from SFIA research published in 2018, unless otherwise noted.
Team Sports by Number of Participants
Children in Team Sports — Participation by Age
