New data shows how team sports participation changes from childhood through young adulthood, revealing a widening gender gap after the teen years
(October 22, 2026) – New data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) offers the clearest look yet at how team sports participation changes from childhood through young adulthood, highlighting the ages when participation begins to decline for each gender.
For the first time, SFIA’s 2026 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report: Youth & Young Adult Participation examines team sports participation by gender at every age from 6 to 24. Boys participate at higher rates than girls at every age, but both see participation decline through their late teens. The drop is particularly pronounced from ages 16 to 18, when female participation falls 17.6 percentage points, compared with 13.5 points for males. After high school, male participation stabilizes while female participation continues to decline.
Across the full span from age 6 to 24, the female participation rate declines 33.7%, compared with 16.5% for males. The findings add new context to the often-cited concern about girls leaving sports by showing that the gender gap continues to widen through young adulthood.
“Youth team sports are growing, which gives us a tremendous foundation to build on, but this new gender-by-age analysis shows us where there is more work to do,” said Alex Kerman, Senior Director, Head of Research at SFIA. “The late teens and early adulthood emerge as especially important stages for sustaining participation, particularly for girls and young women. We think it is important to explore what is driving that decline and what the industry can do to help more young people stay in the game.”
The findings reinforce the focus of SFIA’s 2034WARD Campaign, a decade-long initiative aimed at increasing sports and fitness participation and ensuring the U.S. harnesses an unprecedented slate of major global sporting events hosted on home soil. The campaign seeks to translate the excitement surrounding these events into lasting participation.
The opportunity comes at a time of significant growth in youth sports overall. A record 33.3 million Americans ages 6–17 played at least one team sport in 2025. Participation increased 2.4% among ages 6–12 and 3.9% among ages 13–17. Of the 24 team sports SFIA tracks, 15 grew among ages 6–12 and 13 grew among ages 13–17.
The data also shows that young athletes continue to play roughly two sports on average, a pattern that has been remarkably consistent over the past six years. Among children ages 6–12, the average number of sports played has trended upward since 2020, while among teens ages 13–17, it has held essentially steady.
Young athletes also remain deeply engaged. Of the 33.3 million youth team sport participants ages 6–17, 20.5 million (61.6%) qualify as CORE participants, indicating frequent participation. That share is 59.0% among children ages 6–12 and 65.1% among teens ages 13–17.
The report also explores participation trends by sport, age, and gender; why young people play; and disparities in participation by household income.
The 2026 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report: Youth & Young Adult Participation is complimentary for SFIA members and available to non-members for $400. Members of the media may request a complimentary copy or an interview by contacting Jenny Karn at [email protected].
For a one-page overview of key trends from the report, click here.
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About the Research: The participation data is based on 18,000 online interviews conducted during the 2025 calendar year with a nationwide sample representative of the U.S. population ages 6 and older. The research was conducted as part of the Physical Activity Council participation study.
The sample was balanced using demographic quotas and weighted to reflect the U.S. population based on gender, age, income, ethnicity, and region.
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) is the leading trade association for the sports and fitness industry, representing over 700 brands, manufacturers, retailers, and governing bodies who collectively employ more than 375,000 people and generate $150 billion in domestic sales. With a mission of increasing sports and fitness participation and promoting industry vitality, SFIA provides thought leadership, advocacy, research, and membership services that empower its members and drive industry growth. SFIA’s leading research and comprehensive insights help members make informed decisions, while its advocacy efforts champion physical health and economic impact. To learn more about joining SFIA’s network dedicated to advancing the sports and fitness industry, please visit sfia.org.