Between October 2013 and October 2014, 125,100 fewer people did some kind of sport once a week for 30 minutes – bringing the overall number down from 15.7 million to 15.6 million. But swimming – the country’s most popular sport with over 2.6 million people taking part weekly – has seen a much bigger drop of 245,000 in the last 12 months.
Jennie Price, Sport England’s Chief Executive, said:
“I am disappointed with these figures, and I’m very concerned about the drop in swimming, which dominates the overall picture.
“If swimming’s figures had been flat, we’d be looking at an overall increase in participation. I am encouraged by the fact that the current leadership at the ASA, and the wider swimming industry, now recognise there’s an issue and want to work together to fix it. It needs to get on with it. Swimming has lagged behind running and the gym in terms of offering an attractive, modern experience to people who want to play sport and exercise. That has to change and to change quickly.”
The latest figures from Sport England’s Active People Survey, the annual, in-depth measure of the nation’s sporting habits, show that the boost in participation immediately after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been sustained.
Gender gap remains stubborn
The gender gap remains stubborn with 1.75 million fewer women than men active, despite over 70 per cent of 14-40 year old women wanting to be more active. This further demonstrates the need for Sport England’s new This Girl Can campaign, launched earlier this month, aimed at giving women more confidence to exercise. Since its launch, over 12 million people have watched the campaign’s film online and hundreds of thousands of women have engaged positively with it. The advertising campaign began after the data released today was collected, and its early impact will be seen in future Active People Survey results.
Team sports on the rise
Reversing earlier trends, team sports also saw an increase in numbers playing in the last 12 months – with football, cricket, netball and rugby union all recording growth.
Other sports on the up
In addition to more people playing team sports, a number of other sports also saw increases in the numbers of people taking part. They include: athletics, canoeing, mountaineering, taekwondo and fencing.
Today’s data also revealed that the number of young people playing sport regularly has increased:
- 4.72 million 14-25 year olds (57.6 per cent) play sport once a week, an increase of 55,900 in the last 12 months.
- 3.78 million 16-25 year olds (54.7 per cent) play sport once a week, an increase of 21,200 in the last 12 months.
The figures also show that there are 121,700 fewer disabled people playing sport regularly, with 1.58 million now taking part.
Jennie Price said:
“This decrease is equally concerning, especially given last year’s record level in the number of disabled people playing sport. I am determined to address this, which is why we’re now working with a much wider range of organisation from the disability sector to ensure that sport is a practical and attractive option for disabled people.”
Minister for Sport, Helen Grant, said:
"There are 1.6 million more people playing sport regularly now than when we won the right to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2005 and I am encouraged that the number of 16-25 year olds participating is on the rise – proof that our youth sport strategy is working.
"But I am very concerned by the overall dip in participation over the last 12 months. Sports governing bodies have long argued that they can bring new people to their sport and funding should go via them but some are simply not delivering and it's not good enough.
"I expect Sport England to take tough decisions and redirect funds from governing bodies that are failing to projects and organisations that will deliver. We may also need to look at setting bespoke targets so that sports up their efforts in getting more women, BME people and those from a lower social economic background into sport. Sports governing bodies should be left in no doubt that public funding to them is a privilege not a right."