Northern Ireland Sport - the Figures
The majority
of the population in Northern Ireland participate in sport
- Almost 6
out of 10 of the adult population (59%) participate in one or
more sports including walking
- 72% of 16
- 19 year olds participate compared to 62% of 20 - 24 year olds
- The three
most popular activities are walking, swimming and keep fit. 4
out of 10 people go walking. Just over 1 out of 10 people go swimming
and just under 1 in 10 are involved in keep fit
- Leaving out
those people who only walk shows that around 4 out of 10 people
(38%) take part in sport and physical activities
- Actively
participating in sport appeals more to men than women and to younger
rather than older people. Almost 7 out of 10 men (67%) participate
compared to just over 5 out of 10 women (53%)
Where
do people in Northern Ireland play their sport?
- Around 12%
of people in Northern Ireland are members of sports clubs
- Most people
take part in activities informally away from clubs either in parks
or leisure centres
- Around 15%
of adult participants regularly participate in sport in leisure
centres
- Approximately
5% of adults are involved in competitive sport at some time in
a year
- About 4%
of adults receive instruction or coaching in their chosen sport
People's
views on Sport in Northern Ireland
- Sports and
physical activities are enjoyed by people from all backgrounds
in Northern Ireland. Individual sports vary in popularity between
Catholic and Protestant communities. Gaelic football and Hurling
are viewed as exclusively associated with the Catholic tradition
- almost 8
out of 10 people from all communities feel it is important that
Northern Ireland achieves international sporting success
- 8 out of
10 people believe that participants in their sport play fairly
and by the rules, show self discipline and accept the decisions
of officials
Sport
is economically beneficial in Northern Ireland
- People in
Northern Ireland spend a total of £600,000 every day on sports
related activities
- Northern
Ireland's sporting industry supports 12,500 jobs
- Sport contributes
£254 million to Northern Ireland's gross domestic product (GDP).
This far exceeds the contribution of around £120 million received
from local and central government
Sport
adds enormously to people's quality of life
- Collectively
people in Northern Ireland derive a strong sense of pride, locally
and nationally, from sport
- Young people
place considerable importance on sport in their lives
- Individually
it has been demonstrated that being physically active in Northern
Ireland is associated with less of the most serious health problems
affecting the population
- People active
in sport for three quarters of their lives have a much lower incidence
of heart disease, angina or breathlessness than those less active
- Those people
active through sport have low coronary risk scores
Sport & Activities
Contact: Shaun
Ogle
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