function to help them identify a suitable sport and get active.
PLACES TO PLAY So the Games seem to have gone a long way towards inspiring a generation, but are the facilities in place to meet this po- tential demand? Our research suggests so. More than 350 new sports and fitness
facilities have opened in London since the capital was awarded the right to host the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The figure includes 100 new sites and incorporates facilities in every London borough. The pace of openings has accel- erated recently, with the number of new sites increasing every year since 2008. In five years out of the last six, sports facility openings have outpaced Central London commercial office completions. New developments have been led
by the private sector, but public sector provision has also been solid. Just under two-thirds of new sites have been private- ly funded over the last six years, including almost all of those which opened in 2011. However, 35 publicly funded sites have opened since 2006 and six of the 18 due to open in 2012 will be publicly funded.
Jonas Drivers Deloitte analysis also
shows a significant expansion of gym facilities in London. Nearly 7,500 new exercise stations (such as exercise bikes, rowing machines and treadmills) have opened since 2006. In 2011 alone, close to 2,000 exercise stations opened across the city, with 76 per cent of this new provision coming in the budget sector. Every London borough has seen the
opening of new sports facilities since mid- 2005. Westminster has seen the most with 25 new openings, followed by Southwark and Ealing. Two of the Olympic host bor- oughs, Tower Hamlets and Hackney, are in the top 10 for new facilities opened. The London Games host borough of
Newham has seen the lowest number of new facilities opened, although it ben- efited from a better starting position, as Newham still boasts the fourth best ratio of residents to sports halls in London and an above average ratio of residents to swimming pools. While we do not have equivalent data
for other parts of the UK, it is anticipated that following the Games, there will be increased National Lottery funding for sports facilities throughout the country.
PERCEIVED BARRIERS Cost is perceived to be the biggest ob- stacle for many with 65 per cent of young adults citing this as a factor, but this figure increases to 73 per cent among 16- to 18- year olds. Time and availability of facilities are also seen as barriers, while 41 per cent of people say they have little or no infor- mation about their local facilities. A particular challenge will be in helping
young adults and older people get back into sport after a generation of decreas- ing participation. This will require more imaginative and flexible ways to persuade people to become more active. However, the Games have created a once-in-a-gen- eration opportunity to improve levels of physical activity across the country. From parents encouraging children to
be more active, local authorities providing people with information to find suit- able sport and fitness activities through to businesses creating opportunities for staff to get away from their desk, there is a responsibility on all of us to fulfil the po- tential of London 2012. l
Geoff Aucock is head of sport, leisure and hospitality at Drivers Jonas Deloitte
More than 350 new sports and fitness
facilities have opened in London since the capital was awarded the right to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
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