Grassroots sport makes annual contribution of £11.78bn to British economy

A new report has revealed that grassroots sport accounts for more than half of sport's contribution to the English economy, which on the whole, brings in £20.3bn annually.

The research, commissioned by Sport England, showed that £11.78bn of sport's contribution to the economy comes from people playing sport in addition to sports-related expenditure such as sports equipment and coaching.

A further £8.5bn was contributed by the sector from people watching sport live or on TV, sports-related TV subscriptions and sports gambling.

Sport also accounts for 2.3 per cent of all employment in the UK, with more than 440,000 people having sport-related jobs.

The research has also revealed that grassroots sport generates significant healthcare savings, with an estimated £1.7bn saved in healthcare costs.

The report puts sport within the top 15 industry sectors in England, with higher economy contributions than telecoms services, car sales and repairs, insurance and accounting.

"As well as improving the lives of millions of people, grassroots sport is also having a huge impact on our economy," said Sport England chair, Nick Bitel. "Put alongside the enormous value of health benefits that sport delivers, it's hard to overstate the sector's contribution to our country."

To read the full report click here