POOL STOCK
OPENINGS & CLOSURES
TOTAL MARKET
TOTAL MARKET
PUBLIC SECTOR 2024
UK POOL STOCK
SCOTLAND
Public centres
Pools
Openings
Closures
1,613 2,659
9
25
341 Sites 468 Swimming pools
NORTHERN IRELAND
PRIVATE SECTOR 2024
54 Sites 95 Swimming pools
Private clubs
Pools
Openings
Closures
ENGLAND
1,283 1,613
6
25
2,325 Sites 3,472 Swimming pools
Leisure DB’s data quantifies the concerning downward trend in pool provision. This year, across the public sector, there have been 25 closures of sites with pools and only nine openings. Unfortunately this is becoming the norm. Since 2013 – the first year Leisure DB monitored pool closures – every year bar 2022 we have seen
more public centres with pools close than open. The worst differential was in 2020: 46 closures versus 17 openings. In the private sector, new pool openings in the year to 31 March 2024 are at their highest level since 2020. However, pool closures are also up compared to last year (25 closures compared to 16 last year).
WALES
176 Sites 237 Swimming pools
LONDON
Total new openings: Since 1 April 2023
TOTAL OPENINGS: 15
5
Private clubs
Public centres
287 Sites 439 Swimming pools
4
3
2
1
0
April 23 May 23 June 23 July 23 Aug 23 Sept 23 Oct 23 Nov 23 Dec 23 Jan 24 Feb 24 March 24
Note: Readers comparing this year’s report to last year’s may notice a discrepancy between reported total pool numbers versus what one might assume from reported closures and openings. There are a few factors at play here. First, a number of pools move in and out of public access, both in the public and private sector. You could, for example, have a local authority pool that hands back management to the host school, which then decides not to continue with pay-and-play swimming – i.e. the pool becomes for school use only. In this scenario, the pool would no longer be
counted by this report, but would not appear in the openings/closures data. Similarly, if a hotel pool that was previously exclusively for guest use opened up a membership scheme to the local community, it could appear in the report without being detected in openings/closures. Leisure DB also regularly picks up a small number of pools that weren’t previously listed on its database, but that aren’t new openings. This number is not significant, but it nevertheless contributes to the discrepancy as we continue to push for the most comprehensive data set possible for this market.
Total closures: Since 1 April 2023
TOTAL CLOSURES: 50
10
Private clubs
Public centres
8
6
4
2
0
April 23 May 23 June 23 July 23 Aug 23 Sept 23 Oct 23 Nov 23 Dec 23 Jan 24 Feb 24 March 24
32
33
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023 STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
32
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STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
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