Children participating in rugby in England 2018-2023

During the 2022/23 school year, 8.3 percent of children aged 5 to 16 years old had participated in rugby in the last week, up from the previous year, when it stood at 8.1 percent. Participation peaked in 2018/2019, when 9.7 percent of the children in that age group played rugby.

How many individuals overall participate in rugby in the England?  

As the birthplace of the sport, there is a strong culture of both following and participating in the game of rugby. Among adults who play rugby in England, the number of participants in rugby union totaled close to 200 thousand in 2022. This was nearly four times the number of adults who played rugby league, a code of the sport that is primarily played in the north of England. 

How much money is invested in rugby in England? 

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) received 31.1 million British pounds for rugby development investment and almost double, 68.3 million British pounds, in professional rugby investment in 2022/23. The Union also generates significant amounts of its own revenue, with the RFU's largest source of revenue in 2022/23 coming from hospitality and catering, totaling over 70 million British pounds.