Sports Engagement Index data can help brands, sponsors, and rights holders understand where attention, participation, and future commercial value may sit across different sports.

EY’s UK report surveyed 4,014 adults and compared engagement across more than 150 sports. In the context of the report, “engagement” refers to adults who have watched or followed, participated in, or attended a sport within the last 12 months. This matters because the Sports Engagement Index looks beyond simple audience size and considers how people interact with different sports, whether as viewers, participants or event attendees.

 It found that 59% of respondents had engaged with sport in the last 12 months, equal to around 32m UK adults. Download the EY How to spot what’s hot and what’s not report, here.

Sponsorship Research: Sports Engagement Index Report – Key Takeaways

  • Football still leads, but growth is more nuanced – Football has the largest UK engagement base at 13.8m, but the report suggests other sports may be refreshing their adult audience base faster.
  • Formula 1 remains commercially powerful – With 5.8m UK engagers, Formula 1 sits second overall and continues to perform strongly with younger audiences, making it attractive for brands seeking scale and future relevance.
  • Participation sports offer sponsorship value – Running, cycling, wellness, and badminton all show strong participation-led engagement. Cycling has 4.0m UK engagers, while wellness has 80% participation among its engagement base.
  • Gen Z is changing the sports mix – Boxing, basketball, badminton, esports, and MMA all perform strongly with 18 to 24-year-olds. This matters for brands looking beyond traditional reach and towards future fan behaviour.

So what does this mean for sponsorship?

The report reinforces why sponsorship research matters. Brands should not choose sports properties based on reach alone. The strongest opportunities may sit where audience size, participation, age profile, recency of engagement, and future growth all come together. For rights holders, this means proving not just how many people they reach, but who those people are, how they engage, and why that audience is valuable for sponsors.

Need help navigating sports sponsorship?

If you’re considering using sponsorship within your business, want to identify the best properties to sponsor, and would value evidence-based advice from a sports sponsorship consultancy, Strive can help. Contact us for help in building brand awareness, staying top of mind with your target audience, boosting brand consideration, and creating brand salience and differentiation.

Frequently asked questions

What is sports engagement?

Sports engagement refers to how people follow, attend or participate in sport. For sponsors, this matters because the best opportunity is not always the sport with the biggest audience, but those sports with the most engaged fans/participants. Strive Sponsorship helps brands assess, which sports, rights holders and audiences best match their objectives.

What sport has the highest engagement in the UK?

According to EY’s Sports Engagement Index, football has the largest UK engagement base at 13.8m adults. However, sports such as Formula 1, running, cycling and boxing also show strong commercial potential depending on the target audience and sponsorship strategy.

Why is sports engagement important for sponsorship?

Sports engagement helps brands understand audience quality, not just audience size. A smaller sport with high participation, younger fans or strong community behaviour may offer better sponsorship value than a larger property with weaker fit or activation potential.