Caroline Logush, our new resident writer, looks at how the sports industry is changing, thanks to the huge growth of small-sided games. She looks at the reasons behind the boom, some examples from sports including 3x3 basketball and what it means for the future of investment and participation.
(Article edited by Martin D)
The sports industry is constantly evolving. Some may say it's completely transforming.
In some ways it was inevitable; over long periods of time comes modernity and at some point traditional sports were always to get a makeover. But the growth of small-sided games (SSGs) has boomed so much around the world that perhaps it's surprised many.
In 2025, the sports market is now full of new opportunities to engage with modern sports - whether as a way for players to access a sport at both a grassroots or pro level or for investors to reach new audiences and find new ways of getting significant returns.
With SSGs becoming permanent, even entering major events like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, the future of sport is here to stay.
Recent history across the globe
New sports, new leagues, and the live events that showcase them are emerging at an incredible pace.
Whether it's grassroots or commercial sports and entertainment, small-sided games are driving growth in the industry. For example in Rugby 7s - played with fewer players over a shorter period of time than traditional rugby - the historic Melrose 7s tournament made a huge £2.5million impact for the local economy in 2023 attracting over 8,000 in three days (more on Rugby 7s below).
A major part of the demand for these new games, according to a recent report by PwC, is driven by young fans who fans value more dynamic sports over a shorter period of time; they consume more sports content than any other generation and enjoy easy-to-digest, high-action and impactful videos and photos.
That, in turn, is leading to a growing sports audience that is engaging with games just as much on social media as in person.
Rachel Rominger, Media Relations and TV Rights Manager for FIBA 3x3 explains that this is boosting 3x3 viewership; "In one hour, you can have three games, and this is what [fans] want, not a five versus five game that takes three hours."
"This is what [fans] want, not a five versus five game that takes three hours." - Rachel Rominger, Fiba 3x3 Media Relations and TV Rights Manager
3x3 Basketball is not the only SSG experiencing a massive surge in popularity. Let's take a deeper-dive into other sports that are growing their game and pushing the boundaries.
SSGs
As the sports ecosystem grows, the market for live sporting events is becoming increasingly saturated. While established organisations struggle to adapt to today's entertainment preferences, SSG's are developing in alignment with them, creating fun, engaging games that are drawing huge crowds both online and in person.
The Growth of Rugby 7s
Despite having a longer history than some other modern SSGs - Rugby 7s, a game played with a smaller number of teammates (7 instead of 15) over a shorter period of time - proved its massive global potential with the introduction of the World Series. But it could be argued that it was its inclusion in the 2016 Olympics that really showed how much global potential the sport had.
It has consistently grown a global fanbase that drew crowds to live events, especially with big prize money involved too (the NYC Sevens in 2023 had a $1million prize!). In the same year, 2023 World Rugby executed a rebrand strategy of their World Rugby Sevens Tournament with a major deal with bank HSBC - HSBC SVNS was launched. The goal? Make it even more entertaining, creating more excitement and fun for the fans with DJ sets, food and and fan engagement zones. Essentially creating a festival feel for everyone involved.
"Really what you're seeing is Sevens being slightly reborn, absolutely with the sport at the heart of what we're doing, but attracting fans in a different way ... by providing a lot more entertainment and a lot more fun." Alan Gilplin, World Rugby Chief Executive Officer
Sevens fans surely are leaning into the tournament's festival component:
3x3 Basketball's Entertainment Factor
3x3's fusion of sports and entertainment has been integral to its rapid, global growth.
Ignacio Soriano is the head of events and partnerships for FIBA 3x3. Since he joined the organisation in 2012 he has watched World Tours double in size, prize money increase fivefold, and the sport gain Olympic status.
He believes that the way 3x3 differentiates itself from 5v5 is what makes the sport so infectious. "[3x3 is] a sports discipline with entertainment, city centres, which cannot be offered with 5 versus 5... So our audience is not only basketball fans. There I believe our reach is wider, and it's more interesting to a non-basketball brand."
"[3x3 is] a sports discipline with entertainment, city centers, which cannot be offered with 5 versus 5 ... So our audience is not only basketball fans ... There I believe our reach is wider, and it's more interesting to a non-basketball brand." Ignacio Soriano, Fiba 3x3 Head of Events & Partnerships
3x3 is as much about the game as the entertainment. Fans love to hear their favourite music play during game-breaks, dunkers doing crazy, acrobatic displays and cheerleaders and breakdancers providing energy and excitement for the crowds.
With FIBA 3x3, music is a part of the game; 3x3 was one of the only sports at the Paris Olympics to have a DJ playing music through gameplay. The atmosphere this created is exactly what people want to experience when they go and watch sports.
Along with that, FIBA 3x3 has enjoyed huge social media growth. Using the latest TikTok trends and showcasing an everlasting amount of highlight plays, it's no wonder that the social media team's strategy has been successful - they now have 1 million YouTube subscribers, and thanks to the 2024 Olympics, saw social media engagement at a whopping 84 million!
Padel - taking the world by storm
Padel is the newest Small-Sided Game that's taking the world by storm. If you live in the UK, it's difficult to travel anywhere without a new padel tennis centre "soon to be opened".
Padel, starting-out in Mexico - was a niche sport at its inception, but has become mainstream because of its accessibility, from both a participation and investment standpoint, something that the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is now keen to support as a way of getting people into the sport.
A key factor is that Padel can be developed in densely populated urban centers and can fit twice the amount of people tennis can into a tennis-court-sized space.
"Usually you would need massive amounts of space to get a mid tier business in this sector. But the space required for Padel, you can create real volume." Francesco Belloni, founder of Padel Hero
Globally, there are 18 million Padel players, which is almost a quarter of the 87 million tennis players in the world.
UK investors have started to take notice as they look to the returns being produced by Padel in other countries. For example, Padel gained significant traction in Italy which now has 5,000 courts across the country.
In the UK, in 2020, the LTA invested £6 million to 40 Padel projects across the country. Today, their goal looking forwards is for Padel courts to increase from 350 to 1000 by 2026.
Francesco Belloni, is the founder of Padel Hero, building facilities in Italy and is looking to expand into the UK. He believes that right now is a turning point for the sport in the UK: "Venture exists at this pivotal point - the space where something small is on the brink of becoming large very quickly."
David Beckham and Andy Murray have invested in the sport and it's likely we'll see other stars getting involved too.
A look ahead
If there is one thing to take away about the sports industry right now is that the grass grows where you water it. The significant effort and investment into SSGs is not just growing the games through participation and the fanbase but through return on investment also - that's why we're seeing major brands and institutions getting behind these sports too - take IMG supporting German 3x3 competitions or Redbull ahead of the upcoming FIBA 3x3 Champions Cup in Thailand, becoming a major headline sponsor for the first time at an official FIBA 3x3 event.
As each of these games evolve, it's exciting to think about their long-term growth trajectories, but more so, if they will ever be as legitimate as their full-sized versions. Time will tell and it's looking very bright.
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