With approximately 12,300 professional sportspeople in the UK, it’s evident that reaching the pinnacle of elite sports demands immense dedication and perseverance but which sports have the highest percentage of people who make it pro?
Sports that produce the most pros in the UK
To find out, sports equipment retailers Net World Sports have worked out the numbers of active professionals across several of the UK’s most popular sports, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities each sport presents for aspiring athletes.
We also spoke to Net World Sports ambassador and Leigh Leopards captain John Asiata to ask him if he had any advice for any young sportspeople who are looking to make it pro.
Percentage of professionals in UK’s most popular sports:
| Sport | Number of Participants | Number of Professionals | Percentage |
| Tennis | 915,000 | 107 | 0.01 |
| Basketball | 232,000 | 110 | 0.05 |
| Golf | 1,035,700 | 661 | 0.06 |
| Cricket | 353,000 | 260 | 0.07 |
| American Football | 28,600 | 51 | 0.18 |
| Boxing | 594,000 | 1,100 | 0.19 |
| Football | 2,012,300 | 5,582 | 0.28 |
| Rugby Union | 196,000 | 1,218 | 0.62 |
| Rugby League | 54,700 | 1,088 | 1.99 |
| Ice Hockey | 13,237 | 460 | 3.48 |
Sports with the highest percentage of professionals:
Ice Hockey – Despite the UK only having 10 professional clubs, an estimated 3.48% of the UK’s Ice Hockey players play the sport professionally. Requiring both skating and hockey skills, the sport can be difficult for beginners, but those who master the game have the highest chance of going pro.
Rugby League – While it has a smaller player base than Rugby Union, Rugby League has a dedicated community in Northern England. With an estimated 1.99% of full-time players, it has the second-highest percentage of professional athletes.
Rugby Union – With 196,000 people currently participating in Rugby Union in the UK, an estimated 1,218 of them play full-time. This puts the sports above both football and boxing for the percentage of people who turn pro.
Sports with the lowest percentage of professionals:
Tennis – Tennis has the lowest percentage of people who make it pro in with an estimated 107 professionals across the men’s, women’s, and wheelchair disciplines. With over 915,000 participants this means just 0.01% of people who play tennis make it professional.
Basketball – With being a relatively new professional sport with the British Basketball League being founded in 1987 and most teams only having 12 players in their squads, competition for places in professional basketball is very tough. Only an estimated 0.05% of the 232,000 people who play basketball in the UK are professionals.
Golf – Golf is a notoriously difficult sport to turn professional in with high levels of dedication and patience needed to master the sport. Despite it being the nation’s second-most-played sport, only 661 British players are currently listed on the PGA world rankings for both men and women.
What sets professional athletes apart?
We spoke to John Asiata, captain of Leigh Leopards and Net World Sports ambassador, to uncover what sets professional athletes apart and to get his advice for young athletes.
John said, “One of the things for me that stands out between the amateurs and professionals is the knowledge. You can get this from experience, but you can also get that from the experienced people around you who have done it and been there before.
it’s also a full-time job and lifestyle if you want to become a professional you have got to give it everything. In amateur sports, you can treat it as a hobby and something to do with your friends. But the main difference for me is the attitude and the drive you need to take things one step further.”
John also had this advice for young sports people, “Have fun! To make sure that you enjoy what you do but to also be able to push yourself and have that mindset we things get tough. I think as a young sportsperson one the things I learned is to be mentally strong in the face of adversity and to push yourself through barriers.”
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