2025
9
UK Spectator Sports Market Report 2025
2025-11-12T18:01:42+00:00
REP7F5AC170_800E_446A_B0D3_40938D95CE96
2195
188557
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Report
en_GB
Demand for spectator sports attendance is hugely under-served: while 23% of adults went to a live event in the last 12 months, almost three times that number would like to go…
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Sports
simple

UK Spectator Sports Market Report 2025

Demand for spectator sports attendance is hugely under-served: while 23% of adults went to a live event in the last 12 months, almost three times that number would like to go in the next.

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • Opportunities for spectator sports
    • Bring older fans together outside the home
    • Make mobile viewing a multi-sport experience
    • Use online creators to make more sports accessible and appealing
    • Segment experiences for the young and old
    • Market dynamics and outlook
    • Market size & forecast
    • Market predictions
    • Showpiece events supplement football’s engine of growth
    • Graph 1: forecast of consumer spending on spectator sports attendance, 2019-30
    • A record year for attendance in football and rugby league
    • Graph 2: leading spectator sport attendances, 2024/25
    • What consumers want and why
    • Addressable market shrinks without Olympics or international football…
    • Graph 3: 2019-25
    • …but 2025’s major events still drew crowds
    • Graph 4: major sport events watched live, 2025
    • Football remains the only game in town
    • Graph 5: sports watched live, 2025
    • Only one in three fans pass through the turnstiles…
    • Graph 6: methods of watching live sport, 2025
    • …but two thirds of all adults would like to attend
    • Graph 7: future interest in attending live sports events, 2025
    • Excitement appeals – but attendance costs are biggest barrier to growth
    • Graph 8: perceptions of live sports events, 2025
    • Innovation and marketing
    • New Fulham facility raises football’s hospitality bar
    • Experiential marketing highlights horseracing’s social appeal
  2. MARKET DYNAMICS

    • Market size
    • Event spending heads for £2 billion barrier
    • Football + major events = sustained value growth
    • Market forecast
    • Showpiece events supplement football’s engine of growth
    • Graph 9: forecast of consumer spending on spectator sports attendance, 2019-30
    • Expanding major event calendar keeps fans buying
    • Market segmentation
    • Football is the national game by far
    • Graph 10: leading spectator sport attendances, 2019-25
    • Another record year for club football attendances
    • Graph 11: English league football attendances, 2019/20-2024/25
    • Horseracing bucks trend of shrinking Cheltenham crowds
    • Graph 12: horseracing attendances, 2019-25
    • Epic Test series drives cricket’s comeback
    • Graph 13: English cricket attendances, 2019-25
    • Super League breaks attendance record
    • Graph 14: Super League attendances, 2019-25
    • Rugby union’s rebranded PREM faces opportunities and threats
    • Graph 15: Premiership rugby union attendances, 2019/20-2024/25
    • Market drivers
    • Fans’ loyalty endures in the living-cost crisis
    • Graph 16: Recent and planned leisure spending, 2024-25
    • Free-to-air TV coverage keeps live sport visible to the masses…
    • Graph 17: peak viewing figures for televised sports events, 2025
    • …but younger fans are happy to look elsewhere
    • Stadium investments improve quality and quantity
    • Turning up the tech
    • Tech-focused venues enhance spectator experience
    • Going grey presents a growth opportunity for heritage brands
    • Graph 18: population change projections, by age group, 2025-35
  3. WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY

    • Sports fans
    • Lack of mega events clips interest rates
    • Graph 19: 2019-25
    • Women and middle-aged most vulnerable to churn
    • Graph 20: experience of live sport, by age and gender, 2024-25
    • Rise of women’s sport can create a more even gender balance
    • Graph 21: experience of live sport, by age and gender, 2025
    • Sports watched
    • Football tops the table
    • The only game in town
    • Graph 22: sports watched live, 2025
    • Older fans have broader interests
    • Graph 23: repertoires of sports watched live, 2025
    • Football is still the people’s game
    • Graph 24: experience of live football, by demographics, 2025
    • Turn to tennis and athletics for more targeted opportunities
    • Graph 25: experience of live tennis and athletics, by demographics, 2025
    • Methods of watching
    • Only one in three fans pass through the turnstiles
    • Graph 26: methods of watching live sport, 2025
    • More affluent fans most likely to attend
    • Graph 27: experience of attending live sports events, 2025
    • Out of home viewing not just reserved for major events
    • Graph 28: methods of watching live sport, by age and gender, 2025
    • Golden Goals
    • Get smart with phones to reach Gen Z
    • Graph 29: mobile viewing of live sport, by age and gender, 2025
    • FanStream Live
    • Watching major events
    • Major events retain their pull
    • Graph 30: major sport events watched live, 2025
    • Men’s football provides the year’s biggest occasion
    • Graph 31: live viewing of FIFA Club World Cup, by age and gender, 2025
    • Women’s Euros show potential of female sport
    • Graph 32: live viewing of women’s Euros, by age and gender, 2025
    • Lions tour draws an older crowd
    • Graph 33: live viewing of British and Irish Lions tour, by age and gender, 2025
    • Social appeal is strongest in home
    • Graph 34: major event behaviours, 2025
    • Rugby fans raise a glass
    • Rugby union fans ready for early doors
    • Graph 35: major event behaviours, by events watched live, 2025
    • Future interest in live sport
    • Three times as many want to attend as currently do so…
    • Graph 36: future interest in attending live sports events, 2025
    • …but interests remain narrow…
    • Graph 37: repertoires of sports interested in attending, 2025
    • …and dominated by football
    • Graph 38: sports interested in attending, 2025
    • Creator Arena
    • Focus on cost and comfort to attract more female fans
    • Graph 39: interest in attending live sport, by age and gender, 2025
    • Events are exciting and social – but expensive too
    • Graph 40: perceptions of live sports events, 2025
    • Provide sampling opportunities to widen potential spectators’ event horizons
    • Graph 41: perceptions of live sports events, by past-year attendance, 2025
  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS

    • Launch activity and innovation
    • Horseracing highlights its day-out appeal
    • League rebrand and away sections for club rugby union
    • Ascot racecards offer a simpler, smarter view
    • Arsenal helps fans travel by train to reduce environmental strain
    • Fulham ups football’s hospitality game
  5. APPENDIX

    • Market forecast data and methodology
    • Market size: underlying data
    • Market forecast: underlying data
    • Market forecast and prediction intervals
    • Forecast methodology
    • Report scope and definitions
    • Market definition
    • Abbreviations and terms
    • Consumer research methodology
Download Report Summary

UK Spectator Sports Market – Trends and Insights

  • Demand for spectator sports attendance is significantly under-served, with only 23% of adults attending a live event in the past year, while nearly three times that number express interest in going in the future.
  • The market’s key challenge lies in broadening its focus beyond football, which is prioritised by 62% of those interested in live sports, compared to just 26% for tennis, the second most popular choice.
  • Attracting female fans presents a major opportunity for growth. Women are more open to attending smaller sports events, particularly those that offer affordable, family-friendly experiences.
  • By diversifying offerings and focusing on affordability and family-friendly experiences, the spectator sports market can unlock untapped demand and drive attendance across a broader range of sports.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • Changing patterns of engagement with live sport
  • How sports other than football can build new audiences
  • Implications of differences in audiences and behaviours around major football and rugby union events
  • Opportunities emerging from under-served demand for live event attendance

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Record football attendances and a strong slate of major events are keeping the market in growth – but are also making it harder for other sports to break through.

David Walmsley, Research Analyst

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