Pasted from an e-mail sent to me SGMA RELEASE: SOCCER - NOT JUST FOR CHILDREN NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA ? June 9, 2003 ? Soccer is popular in all 50 U.S. states and played not only by children, but also Gen X, Gen Y, and baby-boomers. This fact, along with an in-depth statistical report, is available in SGMA International's Soccer Participation Report ? 2003 edition. This data is derived from the Superstudy® of Sports Participation (conducted by American Sports Data, Inc). Some more facts and figures that can be found in this report include: * Core soccer players, defined as those who play more than 52 days per year, have increased from 3.8 million in 2000 to 4.1 million in 2002 ? an 8% increase. * The number of adult (age 18+) soccer players increased from 3.9 in 2000 to 5.1 million in 2002 ? a 30% rise. * Participation in the 25-34 year old age group has grown by 97% in recent years -- from 777,000 in 2000 to 1.534 million in 2002. * With 6.1 million 'frequent' (25+ days/year) participants, soccer is the second most popular sport for children, aged 6-17. * At the state level, Utah's incidence of soccer participation is double the national average. Among the top 30 metropolitan areas, Cincinnati has the highest rate of participation. Two report formats are available. The executive sumary contains 69 pages of analysis and overview information. The Cross-Tab Report contains the executive summary PLUS all of the detailed statistical data in its 250 pages. Either version is available in PDF or hard copy (through Kinko's DocStore). These soccer reports can be obtained online at http://www.sgma.com/reports/2003/report1055255060-27852.html SGMA International, owner of The Super Show®, is the global business trade association of manufacturers, retailers and marketers in the sports products industry. SGMA International fosters industry growth and advances members' interests through market research, communications, public policy, sports promotion, and international business development programs. More information about SGMA International can be found at www.SGMA.com. # # # You are authorized and encouraged to reproduce this information for bona fide news stories. Please source SGMA International.
This is good news. I also noticed more kids now playing pick up soccer games at least around my place.