INSIGHT & ANALYSIS
INSIGHT & ANALYSIS
In the private sector especially, clubs must do more to reach out into their wider local communities, says Stalker
However, the local authority sector is too strapped for cash to make the progress it wants to, while the private sector is largely only paying lip service to the opportunities that the move to health delivery will bring. We still largely build fitness clubs for fit and moderately fit people and therefore miss the chance to speak to the rest of the market. I appreciate these businesses have shareholders and investors to satisfy, but at the same time they’re missing arguably the biggest opportunity of all. Certainly, if we want to get any buy-in or support from the Exchequer, it isn’t just about how you operate with your money, but about how you operate with people’s health. Community delivery partners Is your club a pillar of your community? We often talk about creating a community, but we generally mean a community of members; in the private sector in particular, little is done to reach further into the wider local community.
In fact, I doubt many clubs’ demographic profile has changed much over the years, and suspect that even the influx of younger generations is down to their own mindfulness of their health rather than anything we’ve done to effect that change. We’re really missing an opportunity here. The more local involvement we have – going out to old people’s homes, nurseries and so on – the more we become health cornerstones of our communities. Those individuals may not all become members themselves, but we nevertheless drive retention because their families see us as community hubs for activity, wellbeing and health. So where many operators tell me ‘that doesn’t work in our business’, my answer is: it does and it must. I understand you can’t put aside your business models or your short- term focus, but we must not do everything for commercial benefit. We need to do things because they’ll make a difference to people’s lives.
DAVID STALKER
Being community delivery partners is our industry’s secret sauce, and at the moment we’re totally undercooking it
The industry is waking up to the opportunities before it, but it’s still moving far too slowly, says the president of EuropeActive and former ukactive CEO
What are you seeing in the UK industry? The industry is at last waking up to the opportunity it’s had for a long, long time, but it’s waking very slowly; it needs to speed up or the opportunity will be gone. COVID showed the world how important it is to be active and well, but we’ve done very little to capitalise on this, meaning people have gone back to their old ways; they’ve forgotten their fear quicker than we’ve responded. I do find myself getting quite depressed by our industry’s lack of progress, with a number of challenges we need to focus on that we’re still not. As I have said a number of times, there are four key areas I think we should be addressing: moving from fitness to health; becoming delivery partners in our local communities; standards of people and facilities; and the digital opportunity to share our data and prove we make a difference.
It isn’t easy, but if we consider what we’re doing in these four areas, I believe even the local authority market – enthusiastic about making a difference, but overwhelmed by the challenges and lack of funding – can move forward. From fitness to health I think the whole industry recognises the need to move from fitness to health. However, with a few notable exceptions – the likes of GM Active, Abbeycroft Leisure, Active Tameside and of course Alliance Leisure in the local authority market – we aren’t actually doing it. I’ve certainly seen little to suggest we’ve moved on a great deal from the GP referral schemes of 20 years ago. If anything, we’ve taken a step back, because while our people are now undoubtably more highly skilled, staff cuts mean there are fewer of them in our facilities to make consumers feel welcome – and feeling welcome is the number one priority. This has to change if we’re to embrace those in greatest need of our services.
By going out to places like old people’s homes, we embrace the opportunity to become community health partners
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2024
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