Fantasy football is by far the most popular fantasy sport, and it continues to find new fans each year.

Research by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association finds that the growth of fantasy football among players ages 12 and older has continued at a rapid pace in the past five years:

• In 2010, 12% of the population over the age of 12 played fantasy sports. Of those, 71% played fantasy football, which works out to roughly 21 million fantasy football players.
•  In 2014, 17% of the population over the age of 12 played fantasy sports. Of those, 77% played fantasy football, which works out to roughly 31.5 million fantasy football players.

That means there was an increase of 10.5 million actual players from 2010 to 2014, an increase of 55%.

Today more than 41 million people in the United States and Canada play fantasy sports, which makes it not just one of the fastest growing businesses in North America, but also has fueled greater interest in the sports themselves.

The growth of the fantasy sports business will be at the center of the 2015 FSTA Summer Conference in New York City. The two-day conference will explore a wide variety of topics to help new and experienced fantasy sports business owners navigate the changing games themselves as well as the legal and financial challenges of the industry.

The 2015 FSTA Summer Conference is June 22-23 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel in New York City. Registration for this event is still open. To register, go to www.fstaconference.com.