OVERVIEW & TRENDS
OVERVIEW & TRENDS
TOTAL MARKET
TOTAL MARKET
NO DATA 2020 & 2021 DUE TO COVID-19
“Speaking with one voice is key to this agenda, which is why the new spirit of collaboration in the sector is so important.”
“As part of Places for People, we’re also exploring new avenues to help safeguard the future of swimming. Might we consider building pools and leisure centres ourselves? The current model isn’t working. We have to try and shift the dial.” In his interview on page 44, Andrew Clark offers another suggestion to boost the UK’s pool stock: “At present, new pools are being individually designed by architects with big visions. We’re seeing some new facility projects costing £30–40m and as a result, two pools are closing for every new pool opened, leading to a net loss of water space. “By developing a standardised model for a community pool, we should be able to get two or three for that price. Certainly at GLL, we spend a lot of time challenging architects to meet practical requirements before making something look beautiful.” Clark’s brief for that standardised model? “A simple blueprint that can be built comparatively cheaply and run and maintained efficiently.” We explore the topic of efficient pool operation and maintenance on pages 75 (a series of energy efficiency case studies) and 112 (tips on best practice pool operation). Clark adds: “Thankfully the new Swimming Alliance is beginning to gather momentum, creating a single, clear voice for the swimming sector. This will be hugely important with a new government in place.” Andy Salmon, Swim England’s new CEO, agrees: “I’m focused on better communicating the social, health and economic benefits of swimming, making a strong case to government to keep existing pools open and replace ageing stock.
2019 2022 2023 2024 % vs 2023
-2 %
2,896
3,170 3,008 2,955
Total number of sites with pools
Swimming is facing some significant challenges, but some even greater opportunities. The glass is more than half full.
-1.8 %
Total number of pools
4,272
4,559 4,386 4,351
-2 %
Public centres with pools
1,613
1,702 1,664 1,646
He adds: “Swimming is facing some significant challenges, but some even greater opportunities. The glass is more than half full... I’m really excited by the role swimming can play in the health of the nation.” (Read Salmon’s interview on page 26 – and on page 68, an interview with Good Boost co-founder Ben Wilkins about using pools to support the health agenda). Yet on page 34, the STA’s Dave Candler warns: “Rather than waiting for government handouts and subsidies, leisure centres must manage their own businesses. With a new government just in office, we’re going to be very far down the list of priorities, so we have to get on with doing what we do and doing it well. “Rather than blaming someone else for not helping, we must focus on running our own successful businesses and making our own revenues. We are perfectly capable of doing this.”
-2 %
1,283
1,468 1,344 1,309
Private clubs with pools
Nevertheless, the gradual but steady decline in the UK’s pool stock is occupying the minds of all our interviewees this year, especially those in the public sector.
In the 12 months to the end of March 2024, the total number of UK sites operating a pool fell to under 2,900 (-2% compared to March 2023). Both public and private sectors experienced the same percentage fall (-2%) in the number of sites with pools, compared to March 2023. This contrasts with the previous year’s data, where the drop was more marked in the private than in the public sector. Operationally, many operators comment on a return to “business as more-or-less normal”, with “a shift back to more traditional peak times” in a sector that is “still very buoyant” both for casual swim and swim lessons. These specific words come from GLL’s Andrew Clark (see page 44 for his full interview), but they are echoed by many others. At Everyone Active, for example, “both casual swim and learn-to-swim have recovered from the pandemic and then some” (see interview, page 54); at Nuffield Health, “pools are really busy and interest in swimming continues to grow” (see interview, page 90); at The Laboratory Spa & Health Club, the pools are used by around a third of members daily (see interview, page 98); and at Total Fitness, a deep-rooted commitment to swimming has seen the operator launch its own Swim Academy (see interview, page 106).
The current model isn’t working. We have to try and shift the dial.
Want to refer to last year’s data in more depth? Read the full State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2023 online – for free – at leisuredb.com/publications
“The national picture is concerning,” confirms Mark Haslam of Places Leisure in his interview on page 62. “Pools are disappearing rapidly, with local authorities often lacking the funds to build new ones. “With everything that’s going on in the broader sector – the pressure on pools, with closures outweighing new openings and forecasts suggesting the number of UK facilities will halve by 2029 – we feel a responsibility to optimise our pool assets.
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023 STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
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STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
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