Sports fandom generated £10bn in revenue for the UK economy last year with brand new research showing there could be an additional 10m new UK sports fans in the next 10 years.

The report, titled ‘Game Changing: How sport makes us happier, healthier and better connected’ was produced by Public First and commissioned by Sky Sports, to explore the impact of sports fandom in the UK.

It showed UK adults spent more than nine billion hours watching and playing sports last year, with sports fandom on track to generate £13bn a year for the UK economy by 2034.

The report makes wide-ranging recommendations including improving funding pathways for grassroots sports clubs, clamping down on online abuse, and using the upcoming review of the National Curriculum to double the minimum hours of PE taught in schools a week, with a particular emphasis on ensuring equal access to all school sports for girls.

How sport brings people together?

The research also demonstrated sport often brings families together, cutting across generations. A third of UK adults follow the same sports teams/athletes as parents or family members. The same proportion said that sports were important to their relationships with their parents and siblings.

Sport also gives us something to discuss with our friends and family. Some 59 per cent of UK adults agreed that sport gives them interesting things to talk about with others, with 39 per cent belonging to at least one online group that talks about sport.

Incredibly, an estimated 558 million messages are sent about sport in the UK each month, equivalent to 212 messages every single second.

Whether it’s making a friend at a pub or hospitality venue during a game, or joining a Sunday league, sport helps build new relationships and is often a shared language between strangers.

Some 43 per cent of UK adults have met and interacted with different types of people because of sport and one in three have met new people or made friends because of the sports they follow. UK adults are estimated to have made more than 60 million new social connections through sport in the last year.

‘Sport transcends differences’

Comcast Group Chief Executive Officer, Dana Strong, writing in the foreword for the report:

“Throughout my life, I have witnessed first-hand how transformative sport can be. Sport transcends differences, uniting people from diverse backgrounds through a shared passion. It ignites local and national pride, creating a deep sense of belonging.

“At Sky, we’re obsessed with sport. It’s in our DNA. For over three decades, we’ve brought fans closer to the action by revolutionising sports broadcasting through our longstanding partnerships with rights holders in the UK, across Europe, and around the world.

“The economic impact of Sky Sports is monumental. New research by Public First shows that Sky Sports contributed nearly £4bn to the UK economy in 2023 alone – an astonishing £10m per day.

“We are proud to play a pivotal role in this inspiring journey. By setting new standards in sports broadcasting, we’re attracting a wider audience than ever before, inspiring an unprecedented number of young and female fans. This not only enhances the lives of millions but also strengthens the foundation of sport in the UK.

“That’s why Sky commissioned this report to understand its impact on our communities, our economy, and our wellbeing – whilst ensuring sport remains one of the UK’s greatest exports.

“Through this research, we hope to inspire everyone – from government to grassroots clubs – to continue to back sport. We’re committed to finding ways to encourage more people to play, watch, and ultimately love sport. Our goal is to help grow UK sports fandom by an additional 10 million new fans by 2034, creating a bigger, brighter future for everyone.

How sport is a way of life

Two in three UK adults actively describe themselves as a sports fan, with a quarter adding that sport is an important part of their identity. This demonstrates that sport is not just a hobby: it’s a way of life.

Sky Sports has made an £18bn investment in to sport that over the last decade, underpinning almost £4bn in economic activity in the UK last year alone, equivalent to over £10m a day.

Recent investment has also been a gamechanger for women’s sports, with Sky home to over 70 per cent of all televised women’s sport, including coverage of The Ashes, Netball Super League, US Tennis Open, Women’s Super League, Solheim Cup, and all five Golf Majors.

The research shows two in five UK adults now watch more women’s sport as a result of high-quality sports broadcasting, with an estimated 30m UK adults watching a women’s sports match in 2023.

Changing the landscape

By growing the culture of sports fandom further, the report states the UK can build stronger communities, promote inclusivity, and enhance national pride – thereby driving both social and economic progress.

Sky recognises the important role that sports broadcasters play in ensuring that the UK’s sporting ecosystem is representative and accessible to all.

A Bespoke Content team, created within Sky Sports News in 2022, have been shining a light on the experiences of under-represented groups in sport. Recent content has included several feature-length documentaries including How Africa Changed the Premier League and Fit for Purpose? – highlighting the inequalities in female athlete kit and equipment, featuring Jessica Ennis-Hill & Coco Gauff.

Sky Sports was also the inaugural recipient of the Diversity in Media accolade at last year’s Asian Media Awards in recognition of groundbreaking work around British South Asians in Football. Sky Sports has worked with major stakeholders and produced British South Asians in football content for 198 weeks in a row, making it the longest-running major initiative in the space anywhere in the world, both in media and in football.

Sky has played an important role in the growth of women’s football, having signed a landmark deal to broadcast the Women’s Super League alongside the BBC.

Sky will once again show up to 44 league matches this season. Data reiterates the growing momentum behind women’s football, with the audience for the WSL quadrupling in size since the partnership.

Last season, 26 per cent of the audience were under-35s and 38 per cent were women. Meanwhile, the Manchester Derby had record-breaking viewing figures, peaking at just under 600,000 viewers.

The research is clear that sports fandom also has a powerful effect on the nation’s mood. More than half (54 per cent) of adults say playing, watching or being a fan of sports has had a positive impact on their mental health, rising to almost two thirds (65 per cent) of men.

This manifests in a variety of ways, but most notably by helping people relax in times of high stress and by helping them feel happier when things feel tough. Some 64 per cent of adults said watching sport has helped them to relax, and 59 per said watching sport has cheered them up when they’ve felt down.