Key Takeaways
- 250 million Americans took part in a sport, fitness, or leisure activity in 2025, the first time participation has hit that mark, per SFIA’s 2026 report.
- Team sports participation passed 90 million for the first time in SFIA history, led by basketball, baseball, and outdoor soccer across youth age groups.
- Pickleball grew 22.8 percent to an estimated 24.3 million players, holding its title as America’s fastest-growing sport for a fifth straight year.
- Teen inactivity among ages 13 to 17 rose 4.4 percent, the only age group moving backward, with cost cited as a top barrier to play.
- Racquet sports as a category climbed from 19.7 to 20.5 percent on the 10-year trend, and padel joined SFIA’s tracked sports for the first time.
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s 2026 Topline Participation Report gives facility operators a clear read on where the market is heading. In 2025, 250 million Americans took part in at least one sport, fitness, or leisure activity, a first for the industry and a sign that demand for quality sports infrastructure keeps building. For youth sports operators and developers, the report doubles as a construction and programming roadmap.
Team Sports Cross 90 Million for the First Time
Team sports participation topped 90 million Americans, a first in SFIA’s tracking history. Basketball, baseball, and outdoor soccer lead across youth age groups, while flag football continues to climb among both boys and girls. With the FIFA Men’s World Cup arriving in the U.S. in 2026 and the LA Summer Olympics following in 2028, soccer participation has room to grow further.
The takeaway for operators is flexibility. Complexes that can host multiple team sports under one roof capture more tournament traffic, and more economic activity, than single-purpose venues. Multi-sport destinations like SportsOhio in Dublin, Ohio and Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus in Wesley Chapel, Florida reflect the model the data rewards.
Pickleball Holds the Top Spot for a Fifth Year
Pickleball remained America’s fastest-growing sport for the fifth consecutive year, with an estimated 24.3 million players in 2025, up 22.8 percent over 2024. Sustained double-digit growth at that scale is rare in participation data.
The sport now spans age groups, income levels, and regions, which makes dedicated pickleball infrastructure a durable asset rather than a passing trend. Purpose-built venues, including Rhythm & Rally in Macon, Georgia, billed as the world’s largest indoor pickleball facility, show how far the destination model can scale.
Racquet Sports and New Categories Widen the Field
Pickleball is not the only racquet sport gaining ground. The 10-year participation trend for racquet sports as a category rose from 19.7 percent in 2024 to 20.5 percent in 2025. Padel, added to SFIA’s tracked list this year, is the one to watch given its rapid growth across Europe.
Gains were broad elsewhere too. Outdoor sports, fitness activities, and winter sports all posted positive trends, and disc golf entered SFIA’s tracked list for the first time, a low-cost draw for parks and recreation departments. The pattern favors multi-use venues where a family arrives for one activity and stays for several.
Teen Inactivity Is the Signal Operators Cannot Miss
The report’s clearest warning concerns youth. Inactivity among teens aged 13 to 17 rose 4.4 percent year over year, the only age group to move in the wrong direction. Cost was named a top barrier to participation.
For an industry built on developing the next generation of players, that is a pipeline problem. It puts programming access and pricing strategy at the center of any facility’s business plan, and it reinforces the role of community recreation centers in keeping cost-sensitive families in the game.
The Split Screen: Record Demand, a Shrinking Teen Pipeline
The 2026 SFIA report reads as two stories at once. Overall participation is at a record high and several categories are compounding, which supports continued investment in multi-sport and racquet facilities. At the same time, the teen dropoff shows where that investment has to reach if the growth is going to hold. Operators who plan for both, capacity for rising demand and affordability for at-risk age groups, are best positioned as the numbers climb.
Source: Which Sports Are Driving Facility Demand in 2026?, Ally Azzarelli, June 12, 2026, https://sportsfacilities.com/blog/which-sports-are-driving-facility-demand-in-2026/
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