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editor’s letter


Subscriptions Julie Albone


+44 (0)1462 471915


Circulation Manager Michael Emmerson +44 (0)1462 471932


Editor Liz Terry +44 (0)1462 431385


Managing Editor Kate Cracknell +44 (0)1462 471906


Assistant Editor Katie Barnes


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News Editor Tom Walker


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News Desk Pete Hayman


+44 (0)1462 471938 Martin Nash


+44 (0)1462 471933 Sarah Todd


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Products Editor Sarah Todd


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Designers Andy Bundy


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Ed Gallagher +44 (0)1905 20198 Claire Toplis


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Website Team Katie Eldridge +44 (0)1462 471913


Dean Fox


+44 (0)1462 471900 Emma Harris


+44 (0)1462 471921 Tim Nash


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Michael Paramore +44 (0)1462 471926


Publisher Jan Williams


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Julie Badrick +44 (0)1462 471919


John Challinor +44 (0)1582 607970 Sarah Gibbs


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Financial Controller Sue Davis


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Financial Administrator Denise Gildea +44 (0)1462 471930


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GROWING THE GRASSROOTS


The FIL World Lacrosse Championships offers a legacy link for the sport


Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games facility focus


SPORTS MANAGEMENT …a national


strategy for sports facility access


Tanni Grey-Thompson


on equality for women and the disabled in sport


a mature mindset


I interviewed one of my sporting heroes for this issue (see p36): Greg Searle, gold medal winner in the coxed pair at the 1992 Olympics – a thrilling final that had the whole nation on the edge of its seat. Now aged 38 and back in the British Rowing team after a 10-year retirement, Searle has his sights set on a second Olympic gold medal a full 20 years after his first. While 38 may be mature in elite athlete terms, it is of course


still young when it comes to health and fitness consumers. Nevertheless, Searle’s observations about the maturity that comes with being an older athlete, and his willingness nowadays to listen to and accept the instructions of his coach, got me thinking about the mindset of our older members. Open to guidance – albeit, in contrast to Searle, generally due to a lack of confidence after many years


away from exercise – older people represent a population group among whom there’s a real need for our expertise. It may be true that, as with kids’ fitness, it requires a little more imagination than catering for the 20- and 30-somethings, but the rewards are there, both financial – this is a less transient market, and with disposable income – and in terms of emotional reward for your staff, as the impact of their efforts can be truly life-changing. Older people are also more broad-minded


Isn’t there a risk that older people will always view entering a ‘normal’ gym as trespassing on another generation’s territory? Why not create specialist facilities for this population group?


about the benefits of exercise: less about looking good, more about feeling good and maintaining quality of life. As fitness gets closer to healthcare, it’s a perspective that fits perfectly with the way our sector wants to position itself going forward. So why don’t we focus on this market more


than we currently do? We have clubs for kids only. For women only. Why not clubs for older members only? They’re a huge success


story in countries such as Australia, the US and the Netherlands: Plusfit in Holland, for example, and the Nifty After Fifty chain in the US. Then there’s The Summit in the US, a spectacular US$23m, 5,574sq m (60,000sq ft) facility located in Grand Prairie’s Central Park that opened in May. Catering exclusively for those aged 50 and over, it sold over 5,000 memberships in its first four months. So why not in the UK? 1 October was Older People’s Day in the UK, which took as its theme


‘Getting and Staying Active in Later Life’; more than 2,500 events took place around the country, including activities at health and fitness facilities designed to encourage older people through the doors. But why stop there? Isn’t there a risk that the older generation will always view entering a ‘normal’ gym as trespassing on another generation’s territory? With almost a quarter of the UK population predicted to be aged 65 or over in 20 years’ time, perhaps it’s time we went one step further into specialist facilities, not waiting until people are in care and retirement homes to do so, but creating high street offerings for those aged 50 and over who’d rather exercise in their own space. Of course, 50 is far from old these days, so perhaps we’ll need to change the vernacular and, crucially,


ask what they want rather than assuming we know all the answers. However, as the population continues to age – but with expectations of ageing well – it’s an obvious opportunity, and one we’re not yet seizing.


Kate Cracknell, managing editor katecracknell@leisuremedia.com


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