ABOUT the UKFSF
Understanding fantasy sports in a changing landscape
Fantasy sports are no longer just side games — they have become a core part of how fans engage with sport. From football to cricket, Formula 1, NFL and women’s competitions, formats are expanding across different audiences, products and commercial models.
Success depends on longer-term decisions — player selection, squad management, and strategy over time — rather than predicting one-off outcomes. This turns passive fans into active participants, driving deeper and more sustained engagement.
Fantasy sports sit at the intersection of several broader shifts shaping modern sport:
Fandom & Participation
As participation grows, so too do expectations around accessibility, fairness and the overall player experience.
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Fantasy sports turn passive audiences into active participants, deepening engagement with teams, players and competitions.
They are now a core part of how many fans experience sport — shaping how audiences follow performance, make decisions and stay engaged over time.
Innovation & Evolution
This shift creates new opportunities — but also new questions around how fantasy products are designed, positioned and understood.
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Fantasy platforms sit at the intersection of sport, data and digital experience, influencing how fans interact with content, competition and each other.
As formats evolve, expectations around gameplay, user experience and value continue to develop alongside them.
Clarity & Understanding
As fantasy expands alongside betting, media and new technologies, distinctions between formats can become less clear.
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This creates a need for greater shared understanding of how different fantasy products are designed and experienced.
It also raises questions around how fantasy is positioned within the wider sports and entertainment landscape, particularly where it overlaps with adjacent categories.
Who we are
Why does the UKFSF exist?
Fantasy sports are growing rapidly, but are not always consistently understood as the category evolves alongside betting, media and new technologies.
This creates new questions for the industry, its participants, and its partners.
Our mission is simple: to improve understanding of fantasy sports in the UK and support informed discussion as the ecosystem develops, helping the category as a whole — and the individual organisations within it — grow in a clear and considered way.
WHAT IS THE UKFSF?
The UK Fantasy Sports Forum is an independent, industry-led initiative focused on research, discussion and shared learning across the UK ecosystem.
We bring together operators, media, and platforms to understand who fantasy players are and how they behave, clarify how different formats should be positioned, and connect people working across the space.
The UKFSF is not a regulator or representative body, and does not speak on behalf of any individual organisation.
Our approach
The UKFSF focuses on three core areas:
RESEARCH & INSIGHT
We publish research and perspectives to improve understanding of fantasy sports and its role in fan engagement.
✔ Explore the fantasy sports landscape through data and analysis
✔ Analyse audience behaviour, market trends and product evolution
✔ Share perspectives on emerging themes and developments
Discussion & Collaboration
We create opportunities for stakeholders to share perspectives and explore common challenges in all areas of the industry.
✔ Run focused roundtables and industry discussions on shared topics and themes
✔ Bring together different parts of the ecosystem to share perspectives and experience
✔ Encourage open, informed dialogue across the category
RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT
We help the industry think clearly about how fantasy sports are designed and experienced as the category evolves, and where confusion or risk is emerging.
✔ Explore questions around product design and player experience
✔ Contribute to clearer understanding of different formats
✔ Highlight emerging areas of ambiguity or change across products and the wider ecosystem
What this means in practice
For operators & platforms
Access to industry insight and a broader market perspective to inform product development, positioning and long-term strategy, alongside visibility on emerging trends shaping fantasy gameplay and user behaviour.
For Media & Content Creators
Insight into fantasy audiences across different sports and formats, content dynamics and monetisation models, supporting more informed content strategy, stronger engagement and clearer positioning within the evolving ecosystem.
For sports bodies & rights holders
Insight into fantasy’s role in fan engagement, supporting more informed decisions on product strategy, partnerships and audience growth across sports and formats.
FOR TOOLS & DATA PROVIDERS
Insight into how data and analytics are used by fantasy players and platforms, helping inform product development, positioning and integration opportunities across the ecosystem.
FOR SPONSORS & COMMERCIAL PARTNERS
Understanding of fantasy audiences and engagement dynamics across different sports and formats, enabling more effective activation, partnership opportunities and alignment with emerging commercial models.
What you will see from us in year 1
Our first year is focused on turning conversation into practical insight for the industry. The UKFSF will focus on building a clear, practical understanding of the fantasy sports landscape in the UK, while creating opportunities for shared discussion across the ecosystem.
Our initial areas of focus include:
UK Fantasy Sports Audience Research
A flagship research project to map and segment the UK fantasy sports audience — providing a clearer picture of who plays, how they engage, and where future growth opportunities lie.
Roundtables & Discussions
A series of small, focused discussions bringing together operators, media, technology providers and other stakeholders to explore shared questions and challenges.
Insight Papers & Perspectives
Short-form publications exploring key themes across the industry — including audience behaviour, product design, and the evolving role of fantasy in sports fandom.
Emerging Topics & Developments
Ongoing commentary on trends and developments shaping the category, helping to surface new ideas, areas of ambiguity, and topics for discussion.
We expect the UKFSF to evolve through collaboration, with early members helping to shape priorities, topics and areas of focus over time.
The UKFSF combines open consultation with focused working groups to turn industry discussion into practical insight.