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RESEARCH ROUND-UP


Growth – but not as we know it


The health and fitness sector is growing, but needs to think out of the box to continue on its positive trajectory


DAVID MINTON, DIRECTOR, THE LEISURE DATABASE COMPANY


2012 and The Hunger Games; athletics and the world record 80,000 tweets a minute when Bolt won the 100m final; London's new Bounce brand – a table tennis, bar and dining concept where the Olympic and World Championship tables are yours for £26 an hour; and tennis, with Murray’s gold and the successes of both Robson and


W


e witnessed a significant boost for a number of sports in 2012: think archery, aided by London


Watson boosting interest and participation among males and females, young and old. A survey from the Local Government


Association, published in September 2012, also confirms what many have seen: both children and adults are swelling the number of participants, while 44 per cent of councils reported an increase in users at their facilities during the Olympics. Of the top 10 sports requiring facilities that are operated by councils, the greatest increase was in swimming – this in spite of our Olympic team’s ‘disappointing’ Games, finishing joint 15th with Canada in the swimming medal table. At number two was gym usage, ahead of athletics and yes, you’ve guessed it, beach volleyball. Meanwhile, individual activities such as


running, jogging and cycling are holding ever greater appeal thanks in large part to new technology: consumers can manage their activity and add a whole host of intelligence-


laden technology solutions to enable them to collect real-time data on their physical activity and share it with their friends.


Industry growth Although the Olympics came too late for the 15th annual State of the Fitness Industry Report, compiled and published by The Leisure Database Company, a year-on-year increase in member numbers was reported during the build-up to the Games. The report’s detailed snapshot of the


fitness industry gives some good news at a time of great change, not least the highest number of UK members ever recorded: 7.6 million. The overall UK penetration rate was also up, from 11.9 per cent in 2011 to 12.1 per cent in 2012; the glass ceiling of 12 per cent has been broken again after what we hope was just a temporary blip in 2011. In terms of membership numbers,


there were increases across each sector, “NICHE SOCIAL NETWORKS WILL RISE TO Bounce: Sport as a social activity 24 Health Club Handbook 2013


POWER AS USERS TIRE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS THAT FAIL TO OFFER WHAT'S RELEVANT”


www.healthclubhandbook.com


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