summer sports special
Following the first arguably sunny days of 2016 early in April, it will not be long until the population of Britain comes out in force to storm the cricket greens, tennis courts and lidos of our fair isle. SGB takes a look at how retailers can prepare for the famous English summer
T
he Sport and Recreation Alliance, which is the umbrella organisation for national governing and representative bodies of sport and recreation in the UK, states that
outdoor recreation is the UK’s favourite pastime. According to their report on ‘Sport and recreation in the UK’, three in four adults in England regularly get active outdoors. Outdoor recreation not only creates revenue, (people spending their day enjoying outdoor recreation spent £21 billion in 2012/13), it promotes a healthy nation, making a significant contribution to tackling the £10 billion cost of physical inactivity.
Tennis According to data from sports research provider Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS), tennis is estimated to be the seventh largest sport in the United Kingdom sports markets. The number of core tennis participants (meaning they play 10 or more times a year) in the United Kingdom is 2.12 million players. Unlike many sports, there are not significantly more male than female tennis participants; of the 4.18 million in the UK, 58% are male and 42% female, so retailers would be advised to buy as much women’s tennis stock as males’. 27% of UK players indicate that tennis is their favourite sport, with 50% of UK players are 35 or older, participation rates drop off after the age of 45. The preferred facility type for UK tennis players is private clubs with members (39%). “The class bias within tennis participation, which leans towards higher socio-economic groups, illustrates the need for promotion or increased availability of public facilities at reasonable cost,” commented SMS. Retailers could consider setting up deals with local clubs to offer members a discounted rate to encourage them to visit the store. Without lessons, tennis can be quite a difficult sport to pick up. 79% of
UK participants started playing before the age of 18, and the top- influencing factor for starting tennis was school or college (42%). Retailers should therefore ensure that they stock quality tennis kit for children and teens as well as adults, which should encourage parents to keep returning as their children grow out of their equipment.
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SGB-SPORTS.COM
Summer of Sport
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