The number of people who take part in sport at least once a week has fallen by almost a quarter of a million over the last six months, according to new figures from Sport England, prompting sports minister Tracey Crouch to promise a new strategy for sport "as a matter of urgency".
Between October and March 15.5 million people did some kind of sport every week, 222,000 fewer than six months ago. The biggest decline has been in swimming, although it remains the nation's most popular sport.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The other significant drop was in the keep fit and gym sector, where numbers were down 153,000.
Sport England chief executive Jennie Price admitted: "These are really disappointing results", and Crouch concurred. The minister, who only took up her role last month, said: "A significant amount of public funding has been invested in sport in the last decade but the results simply aren't good enough... The recent downward trend in participation has demonstrated that the current approach has had its day. It's not the return we expect to see for a large investment of public money."
But it was not all doom and gloom as running and cycling both experienced an increase in numbers to remain the second and third most popular sports in the country, with more than two million participants each.
Other sports to get a boost were tennis and basketball, reports The Guardian. "Figures also remained stable for team sports including football, both codes of rugby, hockey and netball," it adds.
The figures hinted at an economic reason for the fall in participation. The biggest declines came in pastimes, swimming and gym, for which people must pay to use facilities.
-
Can Trump put his tariffs on stronger legal footing?Today's Big Question Appeals court says 'emergency' tariffs are improper
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and TwinlessFeature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Thought-provoking podcasts you may have missed this summerThe Week Recommends Check out a true crime binger, a deep-dive into history and more
-
Will a death at the CrossFit Games change the sport?Today's Big Question CrossFitter Lazar Dukic drowned during a competition earlier this month
-
The 'Enhanced Games': a dangerous dosage?Talking Point A drug-fuelled Olympic-style competition is in the works but critics argue the risks are too high
-
Swimming’s governing body bans trans athletes from elite women’s racesTalking Point Fina may introduce an ‘open’ category to allow trans swimmers to compete at highest level
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assaultSpeed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pantsSpeed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second comingSpeed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
-
Pool party: golden ‘new era’ for British swimmingfeature Team GB swimmers made a splash at the Tokyo Olympics
-
Bank holidays and boycotts: are MPs trying to jinx England?Speed Read Declaring a bank holiday would be ‘tempting fate’, says Boris Johnson
