Building the Ultimate Pick Up Community

Basketball has quietly become one of the biggest participation stories in British sport. According to Sport England's Active Lives data, basketball reached its highest adult participation figures since records began in 2015. Over 1.5 million people in the UK now play basketball at least twice a month, making it the second most popular team sport in the country behind football. More than 1.2 million children aged 5-16 play every week.

That is not a niche sport. That is a movement.

And the momentum is only accelerating. The 2025 EY-Parthenon Sports Engagement Index found basketball had jumped seven places in the overall UK rankings, landing at 13th and sixth among Gen-Z adults aged 18-24. No other team sport in the country is moving that fast through the charts.

What's driving the growth?

A few things are happening at once.

The NBA's global reach. For years, the NBA has been building a following in the UK. The league hosted games at the O2 Arena, which drew massive audiences. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made no secret of his ambition to make basketball the second most popular sport in the UK, behind only football. In September 2025, the UK Government and the NBA announced a formal collaboration to invest in grassroots basketball infrastructure across the country courts, coaching, and community programs. That kind of top-down investment, combined with bottom-up participation, creates real momentum.

Social media and content culture. Basketball translates online better than almost any other sport. Highlight reels, one-on-one challenges, training videos, streetball content it all travels fast. Gen-Z in particular is finding basketball through TikTok and Instagram before they ever set foot on a court. The EY data backs this up: the growth among younger fans is being driven by digital content and live experiences, not just TV.

The inclusive appeal. Basketball is cheap to play at a basic level. All you need is a ball and a hoop. The sport has strong participation across ethnic minority communities, low-income households, and both genders with women's basketball growing by over 50% in the last five years according to Basketball England. That breadth of access is rare.

Urban infrastructure. Cities are investing in courts. London's Mayor launched a dedicated Basketball Taskforce with the explicit aim of making the capital a global hub for the sport. Courts are being upgraded in parks, leisure centres are adding dedicated sessions, and new professional structures including the Super League Basketball, which replaced the British Basketball League in 2024 are giving the sport a cleaner domestic foundation.

What does this mean for pickup players?

More people playing means more people looking for games. But it also means more people who don't yet have a way in.

This is the gap that Pullup is built to fill. As basketball grows, the old word-of-mouth system of finding runs the WhatsApp groups, the "you had to know someone" networks struggles to scale. A sport with 1.5 million monthly participants needs infrastructure that matches, not just social networks.

MMR-based matchmaking gives every one of those players a way to find a game at their level, in their city, without needing to already be in the loop. As basketball keeps growing in the UK, the need for a system like this isn't optional it's the natural next step.

The sport is growing. The community is here. Pullup is how you find your place in it.

Join the Pullup waitlist →