Sports players: average salary and pay in the UK
About 65% of the roughly 17,000 employee jobs are full-time.
What the figures show
The Annual Population Survey counts 13,300 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | All, weekly |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £120.20* |
| 25th percentile | £251.40* |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|
| 2021 revised | 12* |
| 2022 revised | 15* |
| 2023 revised | 14* |
| 2024 revised | 18* |
| 2025 provisional | 17* |
Sports players by region
UK: 13,300 (± 4,500), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What sports players do
Professional sportsmen and women train and compete, either individually or as part of a team, in their chosen sport for financial gain. (ONS SOC 2020, 3431)
Also covers: cricketer, footballer, jockey, golfer, boxer (sports), event rider, player (sports), professional (sports), professional sportsman, racing driver, scramble rider, show jumper and speedway rider.
- Participates in exhibitions, pre-qualifying events, tournaments and competitions
- Attends training sessions to develop skills and practice individual or team moves and tactics
- Builds stamina, physical strength and agility through running, fitness exercises and weight training
- Maintains clothing and other specialised sporting equipment
- Discusses performance problems with coaches, physiotherapists, dieticians and doctors
No academic qualifications are required. Entry is based upon talent that can be further developed through coaching and training.
Related
Sports and fitness occupations (median £30,948) · Sports coaches, instructors and officials · Fitness and wellbeing instructors · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026 · not yet listed for search engines (too few reliable values)