According to the figures, over four million people played badminton last year, around 8.6 per cent of the population, with 1.5 million of those playing on a regular basis. The report also found over 500,000 children played at least 10 times per year out of school with 12 per cent of secondary school pupils taking part regularly – which is five times the comparable adult participation rate.
Badminton England Chief Executive, Adrian Christy, said: “These figures reveal that badminton is a mass participation sport across England. We are bucking the trend, exhibiting strong growth across a variety of sectors and groups. Badminton is alive and kicking in England. This report provides proof that our game is growing as a sport for all, with our popularity to children building a large base of players from which we aim to produce future champions."
The findings support previous analysis by Sport England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which suggested that badminton bucked a trend of static sport participation rates between 2002 and 2006.
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