Football is not only the most popular sport to watch and spectate in the United Kingdom (UK) and England but also the most popular team sport to participate in, with roughly 2.1 million people in England playing at least twice per month in 2023.
Football nation
Being home to not only the biggest football league but the biggest and most successful sports league in the world, the Premier League, England has many football fans who support the sport with famous clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC or Manchester City.
Champions League
Some of these top tier clubs compete in the UEFA Champions League with other high division teams, primarily from the other ’Big Five’ football leagues in Europe, Germany, Spain, Italy and France. In 2018/19, Liverpool came out as the victor, winning their sixth Champions League title that season.
Number of people participating in football in England from 2016 to 2023
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Sport England. (April 25, 2024). Number of people participating in football in England from 2016 to 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 26, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/934866/football-participation-uk/
Sport England. "Number of people participating in football in England from 2016 to 2023." Chart. April 25, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 26, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/934866/football-participation-uk/
Sport England. (2024). Number of people participating in football in England from 2016 to 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 26, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/934866/football-participation-uk/
Sport England. "Number of People Participating in Football in England from 2016 to 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 25 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/934866/football-participation-uk/
Sport England, Number of people participating in football in England from 2016 to 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/934866/football-participation-uk/ (last visited December 26, 2024)
Number of people participating in football in England from 2016 to 2023 [Graph], Sport England, April 25, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/934866/football-participation-uk/