Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1492525
T eam sports participation trends in the U.S. are solid, if not spectacular, but at least they are improving. That's perhaps the best way to summarize the most current figures in the Sports & Fitness Industry Association's (SFIA) 2022 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report. is study examines participation and market trends from 2021 in team sports and features in-depth data analysis of age- group participation. is new SFIA report also breaks down data on team sports coaches and trainings and features a new section on young adult team sports participation, focusing specif- ically on team sports participants who are ages 18-to-24. e SFIA data reveals that while team sports participation numbers are increasing, they are not quite back to pre-pandemic levels — yet. e number of team sports participants increased by just 1.8 percent from 2020 to 2021. In 2020, there were 67 million team sports participants in the U.S. and that number grew to 68.3 million in 2021. While that still lags behind the 70.8 mil- lion U.S. team sports participants back in 2019, fortunately, there are positive signs for the future of team sports participation in the U.S. Tops among them is that the number of participants in the 6-to-12 age group increased from 17 million in 2020 to 17.6 million in 2021. ey are the future of team sports. "e number of 6-to-12-year olds playing (team) sports not only increased in 2021, but it is the highest we have seen in the last five years," points out Tom Cove, SFIA president and CEO. "Aer free play and recess, team sports are oen the first regular physical activity in which children participate and the experience can be the foundational connection to a lifetime of sports and fitness participation." Behind the Numbers e numbers tell the story of the state of team sports as we head into 2023. Photo: RBFried 52 • January/February 2023 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com New SFIA report shows positive trends in sports and a high level of 6-to-12-year-old participation. TEAM / TRENDS TEAM SPORTS RETURNING TO PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS