SPORT WORTH OVER £2.5 BILLION A YEAR TO LONDON’S ECONOMY

Research commissioned by Sport England shows that sport-related economic activity was worth £2.4 billion to London’s economy in 2005. This includes everything from sales of sports clothing and equipment, to jobs in the sports industry – a 38 per cent increase since 2000.

The London sport economy in is driven by sport participation more than any other region in England. Spending on participation, which includes subscriptions and fees such as gym membership, accounts for more than 23% of total sport-related consumer spend.

John Brewer, Chair of Sport England London Regional Sports Board, said:

“This research shows the sporting pound is very important to the economic health of the region. More people are using their wages to go and watch matches, buy sports clothing or splash out on the latest sports equipment.”

Key findings from the report include:

•Consumer expenditure on sport in London increased from £1.92 billion in 2000 to £2.55 billion in 2005.

•The highest category of consumer spending is ‘clothing and footwear’ at £600 million in 2005 - more than sports-clothing and gambling categories.

•Sport-related employment in the London stood at 50,100 jobs in 2005, an increase of almost 3,000 jobs since 2000.

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