Advantage sport: A third of Brits worry daily about money but still prioritise watching sport 

As the nation enjoys a jam-packed summer of sport, a timely study from Canaccord Wealth reveals where our priorities lie when it comes to managing our time.

Many of us play the “time poor” card, and yet, insights from Canaccord reveal just how many hours we are devoting to watching sport – over managing our finances. Over half (56%) of people say they are set to watch multiple sporting events this summer, with more than one in five (22%) anticipating their summer sporting viewing habits will directly impact their financial planning or management.

The great time disconnect

One in three Brits (33%) report feeling constantly time poor, and a fifth (20%) can’t remember the last time they had time to themselves, according to latest insights from Canaccord Wealth.

Interestingly, the study also showed that over one in ten – 11% – say they have insufficient time for financial planning and almost a third (32%) admit they worry, daily, about not having their wealth management in order.

Summer of sport makes the trade-off clear

Despite these worries, people are clear about what they will make time for – and sport, it appears, is the ultimate winner. The majority (68%) of people say they will make time to watch their favourite team this summer, with 58% of women in this camp too. Almost a third (30%) expect to lose hours, or even days, to follow the sporting action and 29% of people are prepared to cancel other plans to do so.

Despite this, less that one in ten – 8%- said they’d use the gift of time, an extra hour in their day, to spend on managing their finances.

David Goodfellow, Head of Wealth Planning at Canaccord Wealth said: “The average tennis match lasts up to two hours – but you don’t need anywhere near that long to get on the front foot with your finances. In fact, just one game of tennis is enough time to check your daily spending, half time at football could be all you need to review your investment portfolio, and in the time it takes to watch the rugby, you could have your entire financial plan back on track.

“Our findings reveal that, despite many of us claiming to have no time, it’s often not about having more time, but rather using the time we have wisely. Often starting a task is the hardest part, but by dedicating time to finances, just a fraction of what we spend watching sport, we could become a nation of financially savvy supporters.”

Tips from Canaccord Wealth to help people plan their wealth with confidence include:

• Meet with a Financial Advisor – set up a meeting to map long-term financial goals and identify the actions to be taken to achieve them
• Take changing circumstances into account – regularly check and update your financial plan to ensure it remains relevant to your circumstances e.g. receiving inheritance or splitting up from a long-term partner
• Track down your pensions – identify and consolidate your pensions to have an up-to-date figure on your current pension amount
• Plan for passing on your wealth – revisit and update your will regularly, to ensure your intentions for passing on your wealth are reflected

Methodology 

Consumer research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Canaccord from 25th June 2025 to 3rd July 2025. A nationally representative sample of 2345 adults across the UK participated in the survey, including a sample of 500 high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs).