Hockey romance has owned the sports corner of BookTok for years. But in our latest research into reader searches, something else jumped out: football.
In the UK, searches for football romance are up 527% on the year before. Over the last three months alone, they're up 712% on the same period last year. Worldwide, football romance is labelled "new and breaking out", up 303%.
So is football the new hockey? The honest answer is: it depends on where your readers live, and what they mean by "football".
First, the numbers
Our research compares Google searches over the last 12 months with the 12 months before, across the US, UK, Canada, Australia and worldwide. We also track Amazon's Kindle romance bestseller lists in each store.
Here's how sports romance is moving:
- Sports romance overall is rising in every market: +218% in the US, +391% in the UK, +263% in Canada, +221% in Australia and +278% worldwide.
- Hockey romance is rising everywhere too: +113% in the US, +161% in the UK, +141% in Canada and +93% in Australia.
- Football romance is up 157% in the US, 527% in the UK and 303% worldwide. In Canada and Australia there are too few searches to read reliably.
Size matters as much as growth, though. In the UK, football romance searches are now bigger than hockey romance searches. In the US, hockey is still clearly ahead, and in Canada hockey is bigger relative to romance overall than in any other market we track.
So: in the UK, football has arguably already overtaken hockey. In the US, it's growing fast but hockey is still the bigger audience. In Canada, hockey is king.
The catch: which football?
This is the part a lot of authors miss.
When a UK reader searches "football romance", they almost certainly mean soccer: Premier League players, academies, transfer drama, matchday. When a US reader searches it, they usually mean American football: college teams, the NFL, quarterbacks, tight ends.
Worldwide numbers mix both. So a "football romance" boom is really two separate booms with two different reader expectations, and a book that delivers the wrong one will disappoint.
Before you market a football romance, be clear:
- Which sport is it? Say "soccer romance" or "American football romance" in your keywords, subtitle or blurb if there's any chance of confusion.
- Which market are you targeting? A Premier League romance has a natural home in the UK. A college football romance has a natural home in the US.
- Does your cover say the sport? A player in a jersey, a pitch, a helmet, a ball. Readers scrolling fast decide from the thumbnail.
Why sports romance works so well right now
Sports romance gives readers a lot in one package: a high-stakes world, a clear rivalry structure, team-mate side characters who can carry a series, and a built-in schedule of moments (the big game, the injury, the trade, the playoff).
It also suits short-form video. Locker room banter, the moment they see each other in the stands, the jersey with their name on it. Those are scenes that turn into scroll-stopping hooks, and that's a big part of why sports romance has traveled so well on BookTok and Reels.
The timing matters
Sports romance has a seasonal peak. Searches climb every winter:
- In the UK, football romance searches peak in December, about 58% higher than a typical month. Sports romance overall peaks the same month, 62% higher.
- In the US, hockey romance peaks in December, 47% higher than a typical month.
- In Canada, hockey peaks in December too, 65% higher than usual.
We recommend publishing about two months before a peak, so the book has reviews and some ranking by the time readers come looking. For a December peak, that means an October release. If you've missed it this year, you have a full year to plan the next one properly.
Should you switch from hockey to football?
Probably not, if hockey is working for you. Hockey is still rising in every market, and on the US Amazon charts it appears in bestseller titles about as often as in new releases, which means demand and supply are roughly in balance. That's a healthy place to be.
Here's how we'd think about it instead:
- If you already write sports romance, a football book or spin-off can reach a new audience without leaving your lane. A hockey series could have a football-playing sibling or best friend.
- If you write for UK readers, football is worth serious thought. The growth there is big and the trope is now large in its own right.
- If you write contemporary romance with an athlete in it, you may already have a sports romance. Lead with the sport in your marketing and see if it changes who finds you.
- If you're thinking of jumping in from a different genre, write the book you'd want to read anyway. Readers of sports romance know the details and they'll notice if the game feels like set dressing.
Watch the next sport
There are early signs of other sports picking up. In Canada, searches for "basketball romance books" are up 300%. It's a small number in absolute terms, but it's the kind of signal worth watching if you're planning a series a year or two out.
Marketing a sports romance: what to lead with
If your book fits, here's where we'd start:
- Name the sport in your hooks. "He's the captain of the team her brother hates" is stronger than "a forbidden romance".
- Use the season. Real fixtures, playoffs and draft days give you natural moments to post about your book.
- Pull the scenes readers want. The rivalry, the first game they come to watch, the injury, the public claim. These make great short videos and teaser graphics.
- Check your categories. Make sure your book is listed in the sports romance categories on Amazon, not just contemporary.
- Split your ads by country. A soccer romance and an American football romance need different ad copy, and often different countries.
Need help finding the hooks?
The sports scenes that sell are usually already in your book. We do a full read, pull the most marketable moments and turn them into hooks and teasers you can use across social and ads. Take a look at our hook writing and scene pulls, or our ads service if you're ready to put those hooks in front of readers in the right countries.