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January 2023 - Sport, Leisure and Tourism

The number of spectators watching women's live sport has increased by 166% since 2019: A recent study into how women’s sport is changing in the UK has uncovered that 2022 was a record year for spectators at women’s sporting events, with an expected 2.4 million live viewers in attendance before the end of the year. This is an increase of 166% from the previous high in 2019.

The study by Two Circles looked at data from 2022, after the pandemic caused disruptions to sporting events in 2020 and 2021. The survey also found a record total of 76.2 million people watched all UK sport in 2022, contributing around £1.7billion to the UK economy.

When looking at individual sporting competitions, the study found the Women’s Super League (WSL) has, already surpassed (in December) the total attendance for whole of last season. Over 250,000 spectators have been present at the games since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, with two-thirds of the season still remaining.

In addition to domestic sports gaining popularity, the UK has hosted a range of international women’s sporting events: UEFA Euro’s 2022, Rugby League World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. Cumulatively, these events saw 2.6 million people attend, the highest recorded figure since the 2012 Olympics.

The study also looked at British sports as a whole and found that football accounted for two-thirds of attendances over the past year; with the Premier League accounting for 20% of all attendances. The average attendance for a top-flight football match in England is 39,910.

In addition, rugby union was found to be the second biggest sport in the UK, with 5.4 million spectators in 2022. Just behind, horse racing amassed 4.9 million people over the year, with cricket ranking fourth with 2.9 million.

George Foster, UK managing director at Two Circles, said: “People have talked about women’s sport having potential to grow for years, and it feels like it’s finally actually coming true. I think one underlying reason why women’s sport, especially this year, has grown, is the Women’s Euros. But secondly, sports properties in the UK, even across the world, are realising that there’s actually a commercial opportunity.”

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