INDUSTRY VIEWS KEVIN YATES, HEAD OF MARKETING AND RETENTION, LEISURE CONNECTION T
here’s no doubt in my mind that the Olympic and Paralympic Games have had a positive impact on
people’s attitudes towards sport. Having attended the Games myself, I was im- pressed by the focus on inclusivity. It has been a long time coming and something we now need to embrace as a nation, both on a professional and personal level. For this to be effective, operators need
to stop thinking that inclusive fitness means big yellow lines around their gym floor and that they only need to invest in equipment and IFI accreditation. This is the wrong approach – disabled people don’t want to be treated differently, they want to feel included. Fortunately, this has been emphasised
by the Paralympic Games and that’s why we have invested a considerable amount
of resource into training our teams up and down the country in providing activities that disabled and able-bodied people can enjoy together. In the future we are think- ing less about gym-focused fitness and integrating more games-orientated ses- sions into our programming. I believe that public access operators
are best placed to deliver these activities, as they have bespoke spaces which pro- vide the perfect place for disabled people to try new activities. This is something we have learnt through working closely with more than 2,500 disabled people at Stoke Mandeville Stadium and through taking note of the interest the Olympic and Par- alympic Games have generated around different and diverse sports. Although there’s a rise in aware-
ness for adult disability in sport, people
with disabilities are still overlooked. We need to work in partnership with disabled organisa- tions such as WheelPower, the national charity for wheelchair sport, to address ignorance among operators. It’s impor- tant that service providers train their staff to understand and work with their disabled users. We need to identify what our users want and develop our pro- grammes and facilities accordingly. As part of our disability manifesto,
Harpers Inclusive, Leisure Connection is changing its marketing to be focused more around sport as whole and not just gym sessions. It’s about listening to our customers and providing them with inclusive programmes that generate in- volvement, engagement and enjoyment.
GB’s Nicola Adams wins first ever women’s Olympic Boxing event
GB’s David Weir wins gold in the men’s 800m – T54 Final 2012
SUE TIBBALLS, CEO, WOMEN’S SPORT AND FITNESS FOUNDATION
tors, more events and more medals for women than ever before, but what really marked out 2012 was the long overdue recognition that women’s sport is more than equal to men’s in terms of excite- ment, quality and sheer passion. Team GB’s female Olympic and Paralympic competitors have inspired not just the next generation of female athletes but young sports stars of both genders. We carried out some post-Games poll-
2
ing, which showed that the Olympics had a significant impact on attitudes towards women’s sport. Sixty six per cent said they watched more women’s sport than usual, 74 per cent were impressed by the quality of women’s sporting events and 68 per
012 was a fantastic summer for women’s sport. Not only did the Games have more female competi-
cent agreed that the Games showed that women’s sport is exciting to watch. Crucially, 81 per cent of respondents
thought that the female athletes at Lon- don 2012 are better role models for young girls than other media celebrities. Having positive, active role models is crucial if girls and young women are to be inspired to lead physically active, healthy lifestyles. Since the Games, we have spoken to
women on our social media networks who have been inspired to get active, and who tell us that their daughters now want to be the next Jessica Ennis or Ellie Simmonds. We’ve also heard from boxing clubs that have seen a huge spike in in- terest from women following the success of Nicola Adams. This is really encouraging but with just one in 10 teenage girls and one in five
28 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital
adult women currently doing enough physical activity to maintain their health it is essential that we do not let the 2012 legacy fade away. We were pleased to hear the new Cul-
ture Secretary calling on broadcasters to cover more women’s sport. Increased media profile is crucial in order to drive public interest and commercial sponsor- ship and the 5 per cent of sport’s media coverage that women’s sport is given (in non-Olympic years) is simply not enough. However, in addition to boosting in-
vestment and media coverage at the elite end, much more needs to be done to re- move the barriers that exist for women in maintaining active lifestyles. This includes better school sports and women-friendly facilities at gyms and sports clubs.
Issue 4 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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