Sport in Northern Ireland

Sport in Northern Ireland plays an important role in the lives of many Northern Irish people. A range of sports are organised for representation of Northern Ireland as its own identity, including association football, netball, snooker, billiards, dodgeball, darts, cricket and at the Commonwealth Games. It is also common for teams to be organised on an all-Ireland basis, including rugby union, Gaelic games, basketball, rugby league and hockey.

The three most popular spectator sports in Northern Ireland are association football with 10%, Gaelic football with 8% and rugby union with 6%. According to the 2024/25 Continuous Household Survey for sports and athletic participation, walking and hiking is by far the most popular physical activity. Walking for recreation remains the primary way over 65% of the population stays active. Gym and fitness sits at 16-18%.

The sport with the majority populous sports teams is football. There are over 1,000 active football teams across Northern Ireland, ranging from professional clubs to local amateur and youth sides. There are an abundant amount of leagues varying at different levels.

As Northern Ireland is a constituent nation of the United Kingdom, it sends a Northern Ireland Team to the Commonwealth Games. At the Olympic Games, a person from Northern Ireland can choose to represent either Ireland or Great Britain.

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