SGMA has released the 2005 edition of its U.S. Trends in Team Sports report, finding team sports participation peaking at age 11, basketball remaining the nation’s most popular team sport, lacrosse on the rise, and participation by girls having never been better; but, “frequent” participation in team sports is on the wane.

Notable facts from the report include:

  • Basketball
    More girls play high school basketball than any other high school sport. Over 35% of all players expect to play more in the future.
  • Volleyball – Court
    More than 60% of all players are female Roughly two-thirds of all players are between 6 and 24.
  • Volleyball – Grass
    Participation by gender is roughly 50-50. Fifty-one percent of all players have played for six years or more.
  • Volleyball – Beach
    The average age of a male beach volleyball player is nearly 33 years of age. The male/female ratio of players is roughly 50/50.
  • Softball – Slow-Pitch
    Nearly 60% of all slow-pitch players are 25 years of age or older. Only 12% of all slow-pitch participants play the game 50 days or more a year.
  • Softball – Fast-Pitch
    Forty percent of all fast-pitch players participate 50 or more times a year. About 34% of all participants also play slow-pitch softball.
  • Soccer
    Overall participation is down, but “frequent” play (100+) days a year is up. The number of high school varsity players (boys and girls) has nearly doubled since 1990-91 – from 350,000 in 1990-91 to 670,000 in 2004-05.
  • Football – Tackle
    Participation in Pop Warner Football has increased 58% since 1991. At 5.7 years, the average playing career is shorter than any other major team sport.
  • Football – Touch/Flag
    Flag football is a high school varsity sport for girls in some states. The average age of male players is 22.8 and for female players 20.7.
  • Baseball
    There were 17% more high school varsity baseball players in 2004-05 than in 1985-86. Baseball is the third most popular NCAA sport for men, following football and outdoor track.
  • Cheerleading
    About 42% of all cheerleaders in 2004 were beginners.
  • Ice Hockey
    Four out of every five players are male.
  • Field Hockey

    This is the 11th most popular high school sport for girls.
  • Lacrosse
    More than 40% of all participants expect to play more in 2005 than in 2004.

Data for this report is derived from various sources – the Superstudy® of Sports Participation (conducted by American Sports Data, Inc), U.S. Census Bureau, NCAA, NFSHSA, NCYS, Pop Warner Football, AAU, Little League Baseball, USA Volleyball, USA Softball, Dixie Baseball/Softball, PONY Baseball/Softball, Babe Ruth Softball, RBI, American Legion Baseball, American Amateur Baseball Congress, USYSA, USA Hockey, and ESPN Sports Poll.