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The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)’s top 10 list of fitness trends for 2026 is here, with an entry leaping in that seemed to surprise everyone. Everyone, that is, except sports event professionals, who have been aware of this phenomenon: Adult Recreation and Sport Clubs.
Adult sports’ entry into ACSM’s list is a sign of its growing power in the marketplace. And it is a trend that has been gathering momentum to make that leap. In fact, all the way back in April, data from Civic Science showed that almost 25 percent of all adults were planning to join a rec league within the next six months.
“Adult recreation and sport clubs include community-based fitness groups (e.g., running or cycling clubs) and recreational leagues for team sports such as basketball, soccer or pickleball,” state the ACSM researchers. “These formats offer structured, social opportunities to be active outside traditional gym settings.”
Opportunities for sports can help individuals make new friends and avoid the loneliness and isolation that often strike former athletes who, after graduation from high school or college, find themselves without a way to connect with others. Those who have moved to new cities to take jobs are even more at risk.
“New to the top 20 in 2026, this trend reflects growing interest in activities that combine fitness with fun, flexibility and social connection,” add the researchers. “It ranked especially high among clinical exercise physiologists and medical professionals, suggesting expanding recognition of its value beyond traditional fitness audiences.”
Leagues for adults are generally inexpensive to join; however, the potential for lucrative growth is excellent for event owners and for venues, noted It’s Game Time. With an average league fee of $90 and a participation rate of 20 percent among the U.S. adult population, the sector is estimated to generate around $4.64 billion annually.
Gen Z adults and Millennials were leading the charge but Gen X is also notably more likely to be interested in a rec league. Even Boomers are getting into the game; the best news among that age group is that senior sports are also continuing to grow.
The business of adult leagues is serious, and league operators now have their own place to discuss common issues and share best practices: The Sport & Social Industry Association, which has the goal of helping to foster community and collaboration within the burgeoning sector. In addition to putting on an annual industry conference, it offers online seminars to discuss issues such as digital marketing and sponsorship acquisition.
And Galen Beers, executive director of the Sport & Social Industry Association, told a trade association that many clubs are becoming the go-to for parks & rec departments who lack staffing adequate to start and run the programs that are in such demand.
“Many groups are dependent on, and many have partnerships with, parks and rec departments or local schools, to use their facilities,” Beers said. “Sometimes, municipalities will farm adult events out to be run by sport and social clubs so that they have someone to take care of all the administrative work, like getting referees, scheduling games and setting up parties at the end of the season.”
Additionally, event owners are discovering that adding entry categories for adult teams can unlock a new revenue stream. In 2022, Travis Tew, owner of the 5v5 Warrior Soccer Tour, noted that adults represented a fast-growing sector in the small-sided soccer tournament market.
“It’s a huge, underserved market that I’d like to capitalize on,” Tew noted. “In Panama City Beach, we had more than 20 adult teams registered. I think that’s something we’ll be targeting a little more.”
In particular, Tew noted, adults found it easier to find enough people for a five-person or even a seven-person team.
Because the fields were smaller, it was also less running for adults. And at the end of the day, he noted, “you have to remember that soccer kids who love the game will grow up and want to continue to play. This is a way of helping them do that.”
For a full list of the ACSM’s Fitness Trends for 2026, click here. To read the ACSM’s analysis of all fitness trends (not all relate to the sports event market), click here.
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