Tag: SFIA

SportsTravel Podcast Tom Cove 2024

Pickleball and Beyond: The Latest SFIA Sports Participation Trends

Every year, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, or SFIA, takes on a number of research projects designed to offer insight into the world of sports through the lens of participation, equipment sales and other metrics. But the Topline Participation Report is one of the longest-standing and most ambitious surveys the organization conducts. Each year, […]

Continue Reading
Posted On :
SFIA

Sports & Fitness Industry Association Releases 2024 Topline Participation Report

Pickleball remains the fastest-growing sport in America, says the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, and all of the seven major sport and fitness physical activity categories showed increased year-over-year rates of participation in the SFIA’s 2024 Topline Participation Report. In 2023, 242 million Americans (78.8%) participated in an activity one or more times, a 2.2% […]

Continue Reading
Posted On :
State of Play Report 2023

Aspen Institute Releases Annual State of Play 2023 Report

Nearly four years removed from the start of the pandemic, children are playing team sports less often even as progress is being made in filling gaps with girls and low-income populations. Those are the high-level takeaways from The Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2023 report, an annual analysis of national trends in the delivery of […]

Continue Reading
Posted On :
YMCA of the USA
The YMCA of the USA is reporting that participation rates are up across the organization's sports options. (Photo courtesy of YMCA of the USA)

Making Safety a Youth Sports Priority

There is no doubt that participating in youth sports has benefits for more than those playing. A case can be made that the larger society may benefit as well. “When we think about the health benefits, when we think about the leadership benefits, when we think about the social and emotional benefits that can arise […]

Continue Reading
State of Pickleball

SFIA and Pickleheads Release Participation & Infrastructure Report

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association and Pickleheads have released a State of Pickleball: Participation & Infrastructure Report, which provides analysis of pickleball participation and facility and court data in the United States. SFIA conducts an annual survey of Americans ages 6 and older and tracks participation in 124 sports, fitness and outdoor activities. This […]

Continue Reading
Posted On :
SFIA Running USA

Sports & Fitness Industry Association and Running USA Announce Partnership

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association and Running USA have announced a strategic partnership that will benefit members of both organizations. “We’re elated to partner with SFIA and create new research initiatives for brands and events in the running space,” said Christine Bowen, chief operating officer of Running USA. “For more than 20 years, Running […]

Continue Reading
Posted On :
venue_IMG_3024-2
The Association of Pickleball Professionals is one of three professional organizations that has been created for pickleball in the past four years.

Pickleball Goes Mainstream, Continues Unprecedented Growth

The sport of pickleball has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the past several years, sweeping across the United States and sending host cities and destinations into a frenzy. It’s nearly impossible to avoid the sport these days, whether it be in the news, on social media or television. Pickleball is inevitable. According to USA Pickleball, […]

Continue Reading
Posted On :
Aspen Institute

Aspen Institute Releases Annual State of Play 2022 Report

The Aspen Institute has released its State of Play 2022 report, an annual analysis of national trends in the delivery of sport activities for youth ages 6 to 18. The research shows both encouraging and discouraging trends in the youth sports world. Team sports participation took a big hit during the start of the pandemic […]

Continue Reading
Posted On :
SportsTravel Podcast Tom Cove SFIA

Sports Participation Deep Dive: Tom Cove of SFIA on the Latest Trends and What They Mean for Events

There is nothing quite as valuable to sports organizations and destinations that host their events than data. And one of the leading organizations that has been diving into data analysis for years is the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The association, whose members include sporting goods and fitness brands, manufacturers, retailers and maerkters, has one […]

Continue Reading
Posted On :