POOL FACILITIES
POOL FACILITIES
PUBLIC SECTOR
PUBLIC SECTOR
As is evident from the data – with 2,659 public sector swimming pools but only 1,613 public sector centres with pools – some operators have multiple pools. Only 2% have both indoor and outdoor pools, however.
Across the UK’s 2,659 public sector pools…
■ 59% are main pools ■ The average (mean) dimensions are 21m (length) by 10.5m (width)
■ 303 have a moveable floor ■ 100 have diving boards (321 boards in total)
40 %
2 % of public centres have an
of public centres have a main indoor pool and teaching pool
Swimming pool type
indoor pool and outdoor pool
60%
59%
50%
% of centres with a main pool
90 % of public centres with a pool have a main indoor pool (≥15m) 77 % have a main indoor pool that is ≥25m 2 % have a main indoor pool that is ≥50m
40%
100%
30%
90%
75%
26%
20%
50%
10%
2%
25%
7%
6%
0%
Diving 2%
Main
Teaching
Leisure
Outdoor
10%
0%
Main pool
No main pool
On page 54, Everyone Active explains how this works within its business, allowing it to use its pools to embrace a broader health agenda. Of note, private sector operator Nuffield Health also partners with Good Boost, its philosophy shaped by its status as a healthcare charity. “We want to use our pools to support and reflect Nuffield Health’s charitable purpose. We want to make swimming appealing and accessible to as broad a range of social groups as possible,” confirms Adam Watson in his interview on page 90.
Only 87% of public sector centres with a pool also have a gym on-site – perhaps surprisingly low given that for many public sector operators, fitness revenues continue to subsidise pools. What a number of public sector operators are doing, however, is broadening the role and use of pool facilities in partnership with Good Boost. “Best known for our aquatic programmes, we transform any space into therapeutic place,” explains Ben Wilkins, Good Boost co-founder, on page 68.
% of centres with a teaching pool
100%
37 % of public centres with a pool have a teaching pool (<15m) 31 % have a teaching pool that is ≥10m
75%
63%
50%
37%
25%
0%
Teaching pool
No teaching pool
Facility breakdown
% of centres with an outdoor pool
Gym Swimming pool Studio Sports hall Cycle studio Sauna Steam room Squash Spa pool Indoor tennis Golf Sunbed
87%
7 % of public centres with a pool have an outdoor pool 6 % have an outdoor pool that is ≥20m
100%
100%
72%
93%
75%
60%
48%
50%
41%
34%
25%
28%
7%
0%
13%
Outdoor pool
No outdoor pool
2%
1% 1%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
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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
66
67
STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
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