81% Micro
16% Small
2% Mid
1% Large
0% Mega
INSIGHTS - MARCH 2025
UK Sports and Leisure Industry
UK Sports and Leisure Industry Information
The sports industry includes recreational, amusement and sports operations including stadiums, racetracks, swimming pools, golf courses, theme parks, beaches as well as sports clubs and fitness facilities.
Active Businesses
55,047
Annual Sales
£64bn +
Employees
487,051
Economic Contribution
£24bn
Tags
Location of Sports and Leisure Companies
Sports and Leisure Companies by Size
Largest Sports and Leisure Companies
Turnover
Red Football Limited
£648.4m
Sports and Leisure Companies by Age
31% Young
27% Established
24% Startup
18% Mature
0% New
Oldest Sports and Leisure Companies
Established
Fastest Growing Sports and Leisure Companies
32% Declining
24% Rapid
20% Healthy
17% High
7% Low
Fastest Growing Sports and Leisure Companies
3yr CAGR
Sports and Leisure Industry Competitive Environment - New Entrants vs Leavers
Sports and Leisure Industry Valuation
EBITDA Multiple
Sports and Leisure Industry Valuation
Turnover Multiple
Sports and Leisure Industry Valuation
Net Asset Multiple
Note - from March 2020 multiples are calculated monthly, prior to this they were calculated on an annual basis.
UK Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities Industry Insights
There are 55,047 active Businesses in the UK with combined annual sales of £64 billion .
The Industry employs around 487,051 people and contributes £24 billion to the economy.
The most popular location for Sports and Leisure companies is London with 9,663 and the fewest are located in Northern Ireland with 1,308.
The largest Sports and Leisure company is The Football Association Premier League Limited with a turnover of £3.5bn. 81% of the industry is comprised of Micro companies with only 2% Mid companies.
18% of the Sports and Leisure Industry is made up of 18% Mature but the majority are Young businesses (31%) the oldest company is London Rowing Club Limited founded in 1870.
Sports and Leisure industry has a number of high growth companies (17%), the fastest growing company is The All England Lawn Tennis Club (Championships) Limited with a 3 year growth rate of 364%. Other fast growing companies include The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club Limited (327%), R&a Championships Limited (277%) and Nottingham Ice Centre Limited (200%).
The UK Sports and Leisure Industry’s valuation has been improving over the past 3 years with a current EBITDA multiple of 9.44x, Turnover multiple of 2.25x and a Net Asset multiple of 2.35x.
