PARTICIPATION IN ATHLETIC PROGRAMS INCREASES FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT YEAR

(Franklin, MA - June 2007)  Athletic participation by high school students at MIAA member schools increased for the seventh consecutive year, reaching an all-time high during the 2006-2007 school year.  Figures collected from 371 member schools indicate that 213,142 student athletes participated on high school teams.  (The methodology of the survey does not account for students who play more than one sport).  This figure represents an athletic participation increase of 2,626 students from the previous year.  Seventeen boys’ sports and sixteen girls’ sports were included in this survey.  The boys’ participation number this year increased by 1,488 and girls’ participation by 1,138 over last year.

Football continued to have the highest number of participants with 22,169 players, up 132 student-athletes from the previous year.   Once again soccer was the most popular girls’ sport with 12,491 participants, increasing by 326 athletes.   However, participation in girls’ outdoor track remained the second most popular female sport with 11,664 athletes. Participation in lacrosse surpassed participation in football as the largest growing boys’ sport. 355 more student-athletes played lacrosse than the year before. Girls’ lacrosse leaped past outdoor track as the largest growing girls’ sport with an increase in participation of 339 athletes. Close behind girls’ lacrosse is girls’ soccer and indoor track with increases of 326 and 268 athletes respectively.