BASKETBALL BY THE NUMBERS

In The UK

1.0 According to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s annual Taking Part Survey (Taking Part 2012/13 Annual Child Report (Statistical Release - August 2013)) basketball is hugely popular amongst 11 to 15 years old in the UK; viz:

Sports participated in by 11-15 year olds in the last 4 weeks, 2012/13, showing significant changes since 2010/11:

Note: 

  1. Confidence intervals range between +/-1.1 and +/-4.1.
  2. Data for 11-15 years olds relates to activities undertaken both in and out of school.

Sports participated in by 11-15 year olds in the last 4 weeks by gender 2012/13.

Note:

  1. Confidence intervals range between +/-4.3 and +/-5.5.
  2. Data for 5-10 year olds relates to out of school activities only.

Sports participated in by 5-10 year olds in the last 4 weeks, 2012/13, showing significant changes since 2010/11

Note:

  1. Confidence intervals range between +/-0.9 and +/-4.0.
  2. Data for 5-10 year olds relates to out of school activities only.

2.0 Table showing participation levels in basketball (Source: Sport England Active People Survey 7, October 2012-2013)

 

Sport England ranking
for team sports
 Sport Participation levels
among 14-25 year-olds
 Participation levels among
14 year-olds and above
 1 Football 1,316,6002,167,800
 2 Basketball 172,200217,900
 3 Rugby Union
 152,800200,800
 4 Cricket 104,800190,200
 5 Netball 119,800182,800
 6 Hockey 74,600117,300
 7 Rugby League
 55,70067,300

3.0 Table showing participation levels in basketball for young (16 to 25), and black, minority and ethnic (BME) compared with other sports (Source: Sport England Active People Survey 6 at 16 plus) (for APS 7 data at 16 plus, BME % was 52%; % 16 to 25 was 70%)

Olympic Sport

16-25

% BME

 

Sport

16-25

% BME

Basketball
79.79%
42.12%

Basketball
79.79%
42.12%

Archery

0.00%

0.00%

 

Cricket

49.40%

29.44%

Athletics

25.52%

10.19%

 

Hockey

57.42%

0.00%

Badminton

27.10%

19.26%

 

Netball

58.76%

10.11%

Boxing

39.96%

18.45%

 

RL

61.84%

0.00%

Canoeing

0.00%

0.00%

 

RU

65.03%

0.00%

Cycling

18.99%

5.53%

 

Volleyball

40.36%

0.00%

Diving

n/a

n/a

 

Football

53.36%

18.33%

Equestrian

27.34%

0.00%

 




Fencing

0.00%

0.00%

 




Gymnastics

69.48%

0.00%

 




Hockey

57.42%

0.00%

 




Judo

0.00%

0.00%

 




Mod Penta

n/a

n/a

 




Rowing

38.00%

0.00%

 




Sailing

0.00%

0.00%

 




Shooting

n/a

n/a

 




Swimming

18.05%

7.97%

 




Syn Swim

n/a

n/a

 




Taekwondo

0.00%

0.00%

 




Triathlon

n/a

n/a

 




Volleyball

40.36%

0.00%

 




Water Polo

n/a

n/a

 




Weightlifting

36.47%

18.70%

 





Worldwide

Basketball worldwide operates at a huge scale, both as a major participation sport across the world and a sport with iconic world events. It’s a sport played by over 450 million people in 213 countries affiliated to the world governing body of the sport, FIBA. To put this in context, FIFA has 208 countries affiliated as members.

There are professional leagues across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and North and South America. Female basketball players are the highest paid athletes in any team sport in the world. The top league in the US, the NBA, has a global reach, and it’s top players are amongst the highest earning sportsmen in the world.

Basketball is one of the major Olympic sports, has World Championships held every 4 years and continental championships, including EuroBasket in Europe. FIBA Europe also stages European competitions at club level for men and women. The sport has extensive television coverage across the globe for its international and club championships.

Wheelchair basketball, whilst part of the basketball family, is recognised as a sport in its own right and has a structure to mirror the structure in the running game, with the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation undertaking a similar role to FIBA.  Throughout the world various models of governance exist where wheelchair basketball is either coordinated by the running game, is partly governed by the running game or is completely separate to the running game (as is the situation in Great Britain).