2.12 Million Reasons to Invest: Why the Irish Sports Monitor Is the Sponsorship Industry’s Most Valuable Dataset

Irish sport has a new participation benchmark, and its implications extend well beyond government policy. The Irish Sports Monitor 2025, published by Sport Ireland on 13 May and analysed by Sport for Business, finds that more than 2.12 million people in Ireland took part in sport every week last year, the highest figure recorded since the research began in 2007. Weekly participation stands at 48.4% of the population. For Irish sponsorship professionals, these figures are not merely a public health metric. They are the foundation data on which every Irish sports sponsorship proposition is built and defended.

The Monitor deserves commendation as one of the most commercially valuable datasets in Irish sport. Surveying over 8,500 people aged 16 and over, it provides the audience composition, demographic reach and participation trend data that rights holders need to build credible sponsorship propositions. The direction remains positive: participation has grown significantly across almost every age group since 2017, with increases of between five and seven percentage points in most categories. For brands assessing Irish sports partnerships, the scale and consistency of that growth provides a compelling investment case.

The participation profile is rich with sponsorship insight. Personal exercise is the most popular activity, with one in five adults participating weekly, reflecting the commercial opportunity for gym, fitness and wellness brands. Swimming holds second position at 8%, running at 7%, cycling and weights at 4% each. Combined, they represent millions of weekly participant touchpoints for brands in nutrition, equipment, technology and apparel. Disability participation has increased from 29% in 2017 to 34% in 2025, broadening the addressable audience for inclusive partnership strategies.

The Monitor also signals where the sponsorship market has structural opportunity. The gender participation gap widened to four percentage points in 2025, and the socioeconomic gap stands at 22 points, up from 16 in 2017. Both represent clear market-building opportunities for sponsors. Brands investing in women’s sport and community-level participation are actively expanding the engaged audience their partnerships will eventually reach. ONSIDE projects the Irish sponsorship market at €247 million in 2026, and a broader participation base will support continued growth beyond that figure.

The ISM provides rights holders with the evidence base to price, position and defend their assets with precision. Sport Ireland Chair John Foley confirmed that the data shapes long-term planning and investment decisions across the sector. Brands entering or reviewing Irish partnerships should treat the Monitor as essential reading rather than background context.

The Irish Sports Monitor is the business case for Irish sport sponsorship. Eighteen years of consistent tracking, record absolute participation and a clear path to the 50% national target by 2027 give sponsors the long-term confidence that Irish audiences are growing, engaged and commercially valuable.

(The views expressed by the writer are his/her own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of BusinessRiver.)