OPERATOR PERSPECTIVE
OPERATOR PERSPECTIVE
“A lot of our centres are quite young, or else very well refurbished,” says Haslam
“One big challenge is that most pools are tank pools, which aren’t a fun environment. They’re good for lane swimming, club use and learn-to-swim, but you have to innovate to inject fun. “We run dedicated inflatable sessions, for example, working with a company called Airspace which provides modular inflatables. Every child wears a buoyancy aid, too, so it really is all about fun for children aged five years and over.
“In the end, however well you programme and staff a facility, the better-performing centres will always be the newer, better designed, more cost-effective ones. The replacement of the Camberley Leisure Centre is a great example, leading to a jump in social value of +309 per cent. “From this perspective, the national picture is concerning. Pools are disappearing rapidly, with local authorities often lacking the funds to build new ones. “As part of Places for People – which works with 300+ local authorities to create thriving communities – we’re therefore exploring new avenues to help safeguard the future of swimming. “We’re part of the new Swimming Alliance, for example, but are also asking ourselves probing questions such as: Is there some way we can leverage the size of our business to achieve our participation agenda? How can we think differently to ensure our communities have the facilities they need? Is management contracting the only model moving forward? Might we consider building pools and leisure centres ourselves? “The current model isn’t working. We have to try and shift the dial.”
Is management contracting the only model moving forward? Might we consider building pools and leisure centres ourselves?
“We were also one of the first operators to introduce indoor Splash Pads, providing fun-filled elements within our pool halls as part of our approach to facility design, build, operation and management. “However, when you have a leisurised pool you can operate at a whole new level. At Wolverhampton, for example – with its wave machine, water run, flumes and so on – family participation is very high. “This is an important consideration for the sector. We will drive greater participation if we have leisurised pools; with their large expanses of water and/or separated tank facilities, we can still deliver lane swimming as well. “However, they’re larger, more expensive to run and have a greater lifeguarding requirement. If cost were no issue, I believe a greater proportion of pool facilities would be leisurised. In the real world, most operators have to inject temporary solutions into tank pools – inflatable sessions, for example – and programme them at just the right time.” Safeguarding the future Haslam concludes: “We’re fortunate to work with forward-thinking clients who have invested in their facilities: a lot of our centres are quite young, or else refurbished so well that although the pool itself is untouched, the surroundings feel like new – modern, airy changing rooms and so on. “We have also supported several clients by investing our capital through our design, build, operate and manage model.
If cost were no issue, more pools would be leisurised. In the real world, we inject temporary solutions into tank pools.
“Older people are certainly an important audience for us, with 1.5 million individuals aged over 55 in our local authority areas. We take seriously our wider responsibility of keeping local communities healthy, so this is our direction in terms of product and positioning. For example, our philosophy of Learn-Like-Live is about anyone, at any age, being able to start a new activity with us and progress to the point that they enjoy it so much it becomes part of their life. “Alongside lane swimming, we therefore offer adult swimming lessons which are aligned with Swim England. These are split into four categories: nervous swimmers, beginners, improvers and stroke technique. “Nervous swimmers is a hands-on, one-to-one approach that might start with no more than sitting in the learner pool having a chat, ultimately working towards getting them into our small group beginner classes. At the other end of the scale, stroke technique can help people
preparing for events or simply looking to get more out of their lane swimming. “We’ve innovated within lane swimming, too, working with Swimtag to deliver tracking data: lengths, stroke count, time in the pool, progress towards any challenges. This service is free to all swim members: come into the centre, pick up a Swimtag band and it’s automatically allocated to your account when you swipe in. Screens at the end of each lane then pick up your band and show you your data mid-swim – in large enough digits to be legible even if you wear glasses – with the data also stored in your account.” Making it fun Haslam adds: “We’re also very focused on the family swim segment, as for most children this is the first experience they’ll have of swimming for fun. We’re keen to drive that agenda.
Places Leisure was one of the first operators to introduce indoor Splash Pads
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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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