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IRB.COM
Friday 11 February 2011
Rugby is now the third fastest growing sport in the United States according to a major study on sports participation.
The study, conducted in 2010 by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), reveals that new sports are beginning to carve out a greater share of the market, even though overall participation in mainstream team sports has declined.
The significant changes include:
•Fast‐pitch softball - up 13.8%
•Ice hockey - up 12.2%
•Rugby - up 8.7%
•Beach Volleyball - up 7.3%
Lacrosse (up 6.2%), Indoor Soccer (up 3.7%) and Gymnastics (up 3.6%) also all experienced growth during the period.
For Rugby, which is played in more than 117 countries by 3.5 million registered players, the trend marks another significant milestone for a sport that has been boosted by Olympic Games inclusion with Sevens to debut at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
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