More people in England are playing sport regularly than ever before, according to new figures published by Sport England today.

Results from the organisation’s Active People Survey, which cover April 2013-April 2014, show that the number of over-16s playing sport once a week, every week has increased to more than 15.6 million.

The rise measures an increase of 180,000 in the last six months, while also showcasing that 1.7 million more people play sport once a week, every week than in 2005 when London won the bid to host the Olympic Games.

The largest increases have come from young people, with a record 3.9 million 16-25 year-olds now playing sport on a regular basis. The findings show positive signs of recovery given that participation for this age group had dipped as of December 2013.

The most prominent sports driving the increase include football, netball and rugby union, with girls within the 16-25 age group showing a particular interest, following an increase of 85,000 in numbers between this April and the last.

“These figures are really encouraging, with more people than ever before now playing sport regularly,” said Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England.

“It’s good to see growth in the number of young people playing sport, especially girls, but there is much more to do, including closing the unacceptable gap in participation between young men and young women. This will be an important focus for Sport England over the next 12 months.”

Not only are young people expected to see the health benefits of increased participation in sport, but seniors are too, with a recent study revealing that football could potentially be the most beneficial sport for the health of older men.