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US Soccer Participation Steady at 18.2 Million
Press Release
http://www.sgma.com/press/1998/press987182006-17954.html
Contact:
Mike May
(561)-840-1165
mmsgma@aol.com
US Soccer Participation Steady at 18.2 Million
8.5 Million Americans Now Play in Organized Leagues, Up 11%
NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA (April 17, 1998) --- More and more Americans
are becoming serious about playing soccer, according to a study released
today by the Soccer Industry Council of America (SICA).
The 1998 National Soccer Participation Survey reports that while 18.2
million individuals played soccer at least once last year, slightly more
than the 18.1 million reported in 1996, the number of frequent participants
- - those who play 25 or more days a year - - rose from 7.7 million to 8.5
million. Although other major demographic measures showed no significant
changes, the survey did confirm that adult (age 18+) participation remains
at 4.6 million players after experiencing 33% growth in 1996.
The survey also revealed mixed results for youth team sports
participation.
Among youth 12-17, team sports participation was down across the board.
Soccer and softball both saw 17% declines, (hard surface) volleyball dropped
14%, ice hockey was off 11%, followed by tackle football (-10%), baseball
(-3%) and basketball (-2%). Among youth 6-11, participation in baseball
suffered a 13% decline, softball was off 10% and volleyball lost 2% from
their 1996 totals.
Among youth 6-11, soccer participation rose 17%, followed by basketball
(+16%) and tackle football (+5%).
"While overall numbers are growing in soccer," observes Virgil Lewis,
chairman of the 2.7 million member U.S. Youth Soccer Association, "teenagers
are finding they must concentrate on fewer activities to be really
successful in their chosen sport. Still, we've had a consistent 10% annual
increase in our player registration totals over the past decade."
"Since the athletic look fell somewhat out of fashion last year, we can
expect to be in a stage of the cycle when fringe players look to other
lifestyle activities," comments industry analyst Keith Heyes, President of
KH Insights Inc. "While I don't think this situation is anything we need to
worry about, we can bring them back by focusing some attention on this
segment."
Utah again led the nation with the highest rate of soccer participation*
as 17.3% of the state's residents aged six and over played the game last
year; followed by Kansas (14.1%); Iowa (12.6%); Missouri (11.8%) and
Minnesota (10.8%).
Kansas City topped all US metropolitan areas with a soccer participation
rate of 20.3%, trailed by Cincinnati (14.6%), Minneapolis/St. Paul (12.5%),
Denver (10.2%) and St. Louis (10.1%).
The National Soccer Participation Survey is derived from a syndicated
tracking study conducted by American Sports Data, Inc. designed to identify
and evaluate general patterns, trends and relationships among 61 sports and
recreational activities. Copies of the complete study are available for
purchase from the Soccer Industry Council of America.
The Soccer Industry Council of America, a committee of the Sporting Goods
Manufacturers Association, is a national coalition of soccer apparel,
footwear and equipment suppliers and related businesses dedicated to
promoting the growth of the world's most popular sport in the USA.
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KEY FINDINGS |
Total Participants
(U.S. Population, 6 yrs. or older, at least once per year) |
18,226,000 |
(100%) |
| Male |
11,081,000 |
(61%) |
| Female |
7,145,000 |
(39%) |
| Under 18 |
13,627,000 |
(75%) |
| 18 and over |
4,599,000 |
(25%) |
Frequent Participants
(25 or more days/year) |
8,502,000 |
(47%) |
"Core" Participants
(52 or more days/year) |
3,341,000 |
(18%) |
"Aficionados"
(Soccer is favorite activity) |
4,036,000 |
(22)% |
|
YOUTH TEAM SPORTS RANKINGS
|
|
Participants 12 - 17 (000) |
|
1. |
Basketball |
12,409 |
|
2. |
Volleyball |
7,493 |
|
3. |
Soccer |
4,981 |
|
4. |
Football (Tackle) |
4,879 |
|
5. |
Softball |
4,509 |
|
6. |
Baseball |
4,321 |
|
7. |
Ice Hockey |
622 |
|
|
Participants 6 - 11 (000) |
|
1. |
Basketball |
11,014 |
|
2. |
Soccer |
8,646 |
|
3. |
Baseball |
4,400 |
|
4. |
Softball |
4,243 |
|
5. |
Volleyball |
3,767 |
|
6. |
Football (Tackle) |
2,740 |
|
7. |
Ice Hockey |
508 |
|
TOP 15 STATE PARTICIPATION
RATES |
|
1. |
Utah |
227,000 |
(17.3%) |
|
2. |
Rhode Island |
96,000 |
(16.7%) |
|
3. |
Kansas |
292,000 |
(12.6%) |
|
4. |
Iowa |
306,000 |
(14.1%) |
|
5. |
Missouri |
447,000 |
(12.4%) |
|
6. |
New Mexico |
116,000 |
(11.4%) |
|
7. |
Vermont |
52,000 |
(11.2%) |
|
8. |
Minnesota |
561,000 |
(10.8%) |
|
9. |
Connecticut |
246,000 |
(10.1%) |
|
10. |
Indiana |
427,000 |
(9.8%) |
|
11. |
Delaware |
125,000 |
(9.8%) |
|
12. |
Colorado |
325,000 |
(9.7%) |
|
13. |
Ohio |
1,116,000 |
(9.4%) |
|
14. |
New York |
1,354,000 |
(9.3%) |
|
15. |
New Hampshire |
103,000 |
(9.1%) |
|
TOP 10 SOCCER MARKET
PARTICIPATION RATES |
|
1. |
Kansas City |
296,000 |
(20.3%) |
|
2. |
Cincinnati/Hamilton |
283,000 |
(14.6%) |
|
3. |
Minneapolis/St. Paul |
390,000 |
(12.5%) |
|
4. |
Denver/Boulder/Greeley |
225,000 |
(10.2%) |
|
5. |
St. Louis |
235,000 |
(10.1%) |
|
6. |
Seattle/Tacoma/Bremerton |
275,000 |
(9.6%) |
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7. |
Houston/Galveston/Brazoria |
351,000 |
(9.2%) |
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8. |
Columbus |
66,000 |
(8.8%) |
|
9. |
LA/Riverside/Orange County |
1,080,000 |
(8.2%) |
|
10. |
New York/New Jersey/Connecticut/
Pennsylvania |
1,167,000 |
(7.9%) |
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COMPANY INFORMATION:
SOCCER INDUSTRY COUNCIL OF AMERICA
200 Castlewood Drive
North Palm Beach, FL 33408 USA
T: (561)-840-1165
F: (561)-840-1130
Website: www.sgma.com
Youth Soccer in the USA Structure
http://www.soccernova.com/working/youth/youth.htm
Kids say that soccer is by far the most fun sport to play.
Youth soccer players are members of a much larger
soccer community, therefore they are members of this world community. Here's
how its work. Boys and girls register to play with one of the 10,000s+ clubs
or leagues formed in their community, in either AYSO, SAY, USYSA, or another
organization. These state and national organizations are members of US
Soccer (there are two other divisions, US Amateur Soccer for adults, and the
professional division for the MLS, WUSA, USL, etc.). US Soccer, along with
over 197 other national soccer organizations, are members of FIFA, the
Federation Internationale de Football Association. FIFA serves as the
international governing body for soccer and US Soccer has been a member
since 1913. Together, local, national and international organizations form a
family of support for the young soccer players of America.
Youth Soccer Keeps On Growing and Growing...
At the non-professional level, soccer is doing as
well as ever, with fields flooded on Saturday mornings with minivans, orange
slices and 5-year-olds chasing balls like swarms of honey-hungry bees. The
US is already a significant soccer country. According to the Soccer Industry
Council of America, more than 17 million Americans play soccer and the
number is growing strongly (compared to over 2.9 million active players in
England). Soccer is the # 1 youth participation sport in the US with over
3.6 million under 19s registered to play, a number which has been expanding
at over 8% per annum since 1990. According to the Soccer Industry Council of
America, 18.2 million Americans played organized soccer in 1999, with 13.8
million under 18. Also, high school participation increased by 65 percent
between 1987-99, the council said. Among youth 12-17, soccer participation
rose 20% to 6 million (from 5 million). While other team sports like
softball (-12%); baseball (-7%); volleyball (-3%) and basketball (-2%)
experienced losses . SICA reports 41% of all soccer households have incomes
$75,000 and above.
I'm excited about the increase in players 12-17,
because that indicates a commitment to soccer by a very important age group
for us, observes Virgil Lewis, chairman of the 2.9 million member US Youth
Soccer Association. "These are the players that will go on to be fans,
referees, coaches, adult volunteers and players in the future. But to
support these players, it's obvious that we need more fields and be able to
tap all the resources available, including the Land, Water Conservation
Fund.; The soccer market has never been stronger and interest in the
sport continues to grow, notes SICA chairman Chris Price, president of Xara
Sportswear USA .
It is particularly encouraging to see a sharp increase
in the number of 12-17 year old players as this indicates more players are
staying in the game longer. Kids in this age bracket make their own
decisions on what sports they play and soccer is obviously their sport of
choice.
http://www.soccernova.com/working/youth/youth.htm
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More
Statistics About Soccer Participation:
I found the following information about sports
participation in general on Google's Answer website at
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=266879
Statistics about amateur sports market
Answered By:
belindalevez-ga on 17 Oct 2003
I have found data that breakdowns sports
participation by type of sport, geographic region, age and sex.
According to Datamonitor, the U.S. sports market is worth $50 billion.
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/mm/research/sports-engineering/overview.html
The sporting goods industry is worth $50 billion at wholesale. In 2003 sales
are predicted to rise by 2.92% to reach $50.5 billion. The youth sports
playing population numbers 59 million.
Participation in various sports.
Bowling – 55 million
Basketball – 40 million players
Baseball – participation is declining.
Fitness – 35 million
Golf – 30 million
Soccer – 18 million
Skating – 26 million
Skateboarding – 12.5 million
There will be growth in the mature market for ages 55+ of almost 40% from
2000-2010.
The Soccer Industry Council of America (SICA) publishes the National Soccer
Participation Survey. It gives details of trends in 61 sports. The
participation in sports is split into the various age groups and
geographical areas.
http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:dgfdCEcscaUJ:www.ussoccer.com/
templates/includes/about/sica_sps.pdf+%22national+soccer+participation%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
There is greater participation of females in soccer. They represent 45% of
all players and 47% of frequent
players.
http://www.sgma.com/press/2003/press1042576085-13091.html
There has been an 87% increase in
‘frequent' participation ( 52+ days per year) since 1990. Females represent
45% of all players and 47% of ‘frequent' players. Total sales of soccer
balls and equipment have doubled in the last decade.
It is predicted that the women’s sector will
grow to represent 50% of the total U.S. market.
http://www.sgma.com/press/1999/press986503572-9968.html
Sports participation in America is a 32 page report reviewing sports
participation in the U.S. It reviews trends in 100 sporting activities. For
non member of SGMA it costs $495.
http://www.sgma.com/reports/2003/report1057592682-32441.html
High school sports participation.
Texas has the highest rate of participation with 771,663 participating in
high school sports. Numbers are also given for nine other states. A
breakdown is given of the numbers participating in football,
basketball, track and field, volleyball, softball, soccer, cross country,
tennis, wrestling, cross country, golf and swimming and diving.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/09/04/sprj.sch.high.school.sports.ap/
The National Sporting Goods Association produces a state by state
participation index. In Texas, the index for running/jogging is 122 which
means that there is a greater a rate of participation in this
sport than the national average (100).
http://www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=399
Sports Participation
http://www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=864
Participation by sport for ages 7 and over. The percentage change in
participation is also given.
http://www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=149
The change in participation for the period 1997 to 2002.
http://www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=152
2003 Youth Participation in Selected Sports with Comparisons to 1993
http://www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=158
There are further breakdown of participation by sex.
http://www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=54
Fitness equipment purchases by age and gender.
http://www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=166
Further info about consumer purchases.
http://www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=55
Potential market.
In 2003 $56 million was distributed to 256 school districts and other
organizations to purchase sports/fitness equipment and to train teachers for
innovative physical education programs.
http://www.sgma.com/index.html
The department of education publishes lists of recipients of the grants.
http://www.ed.gov/programs/whitephysed/grants2003.doc
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