Not only did more Americans play soccer last year, but participation numbers increased by 4.5 percent between 2018 and 2019, which is a significant increase for the third most-popular sport in the United States.
In an effort to leverage increased interest in the sport as soccer returns in the wake of COVID-19 — its potential risk infection is considered “moderate,” according to the National Federation of State High School Associations — the SFIA and Physical Activity Council recently shared the latest participation numbers.
Among the highlights:
• There are 11,913,000 outdoor soccer participants in the United States.
• There are 5,050,000 “core” outdoor soccer participants (defined as those who play 26 or more times per year) in the United States.
• 63.1% of all outdoor soccer participants and 56.4% of core participants are male.
• 71.7% of all outdoor soccer participants and 82.4% of core participants are between the ages of 6 and 24.
• 41.5% of female soccer players are between the ages of 6 and 12.
• There are 4,515,000 children between the ages of 6 and 12 participating in outdoor soccer.
• There are 2,366,000 outdoor soccer participants between the ages of 13–17.
• 52.6% of all outdoor soccer participants have a household income of at least $75,000 per year.
• 36.5% of all outdoor soccer participants also run or jog, 36% play basketball, 35.2% bowl, and 30.9% hike.
• 24.8% of outdoor soccer players also play indoor soccer.
About the Author
