Record attendances for the 2015 Rugby World Cup contributed to a 5 per cent rise in UK sports ticket sales in 2015.

According to research compiled by audit organisation Deloitte, the number of tickets sold for sports events hit the 70m mark, up on last year’s total of 67m. However, it could not breach the 75m tickets sold in 2012 – the year of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Rugby Union attendances surged with the hosting of the Rugby World Cup. Around 2.5m bought tickets for the tournament, with 460,000 sold to overseas fans. As a result, the sport attracted 7.5m spectators across 2015, well up on last year’s total of 4.9m.

Football remained the dominant sport with 43.4m tickets sold, up 1.4 per cent on last year’s 42.8m sales. Premier League clubs were responsible for 13.7m spectators, followed by the 10m that went to watch Championship football matches.

The best attended single event, excluding the Rugby World Cup, was Wimbledon with 484,000 tickets sold for its 13-day run, although it was slightly down on the 491,000 that bought tickets for the flagship tennis event last year.

Wimbledon contributed to the 747,000 tickets that were sold for all UK-based tennis matches, including the ATP World Tour Finals.

Elsewhere, golf’s Open Championship attendance of 237,000 was 17 per cent higher year-on-year, as the adverse weather conditions forced a fifth day of play for the first time since 1988. The National Football League (NFL) continued to make headway in the UK, with 252,000 turning out for three Wembley-based fixtures across the year.

Deloitte Sports Business Group director Alan Switzer also highlighted that events such as Royal Ascot, the Cheltenham Festival and Epsom Derby has put British racecourses “on track for record attendances of 6.2m in 2015”.

“The UK public have again demonstrated their great passion for attending live sport,” added Deloitte Sports Business Group partner, Dan Jones.

For the full report, click here.