Youth Team Sports Participation Hits a 12-Year High, but Low-Income Kids Fell Further Behind

Youth Team Sports Participation Hits a 12-Year High, but Low-Income Kids Fell Further Behind

Nearly 41% of kids 6 to 17 played team sports regularly in 2025, the most in 12 years, per Project Play and SFIA data. Tennis and golf led, while the income gap hit 24.8 points.

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More American kids played team sports regularly in 2025 than in any year since 2013. Nearly 41 percent of children ages 6 to 17 did, according to Sports & Fitness Industry Association data analyzed by the Aspen Institute's Project Play and published Oct. 27.

The same report shows who is being left out. Among kids 6 to 12 in households earning $25,000 or less, participation dropped 7 percent in a single year, while every higher income bracket grew. The gap between the highest and lowest income tiers widened from 14.5 points in 2022 to 24.8 points in 2025.

Girls' Team Sports Participation Reaches 38 Percent

Girls drove much of the gain. Thirty-eight percent played a team sport regularly in 2025, up from 33 percent in 2019 and the highest level since at least 2012, Project Play's Jon Solomon wrote. Boys were at 43 percent, which leaves the gap between the two under five points.

Tennis and Golf Grow Fastest, Tackle Football Slips

From 2019 to 2025, core participation in tennis rose 72 percent among kids 6 to 12 and 46 percent among 13 to 17 year olds, the steepest youth gain in the SFIA data. Golf grew 55 percent and 73 percent in those age groups.

Tackle football went the other way over the same six years, down 7 percent among kids 6 to 12 and 3 percent among teens. Flag football grew 26 percent among the younger group and was flat for teens. Basketball remained the most-played youth sport through age 17.

Black Youth Participation Down 10 Percent Over a Decade

Black youth were the only racial or ethnic group with a ten-year decline in core participation, down 10 percent, according to the report. Over five years, participation rose 25 percent among Asian youth, 6 percent among white youth and 5 percent among Hispanic youth.

1.5 Million Fewer Youth Coaches Since 2022

The number of active coaches of kids 14 and under fell from 8.4 million in 2022 to 6.9 million in 2025. Women made up 34 percent of head and assistant coaches of those teams in 2025, up from 26 percent in 2019. Coaches 55 and older are 43 percent of the workforce, and annual training fell in every category SFIA measured from 2020 to 2025, including CPR and concussion management.

The Youth Sports Business Report also published the findings. Project Play's goal is 63 percent of kids 6 to 17 in organized sports by 2030, and the next federal reading on that number is due in spring 2027. More on our youth sports page.