Feature: Trampoline Parks Let’s get ready to tumble


Trampoline parks are one of the big success stories in leisure in recent years. Are operators doing all they can to keep the public safe – and can we learn anything from our cousins in Europe? Jon Bruford finds out…


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very town in the UK seems to have a trampoline park, with more than 170 open and


counting. While injuries are reasonably low in number, some of the injuries are very serious; one park famously had to call an ambulance out once a week, while another was investigated after it was reported three people in a day broke their backs jumping four metres into a foam pit. But with the right attention to


construction and personnel, these injuries can be minimised or even eradicated, and the trampoline park can be the new centre of the leisure industry in the UK and abroad. According to Ruud van der Ark,


marketing manager for Jump XL, a Netherlands-based operator with parks in Germany, France and Denmark as well as their home country: “There is really nothing for teenagers to do. You have indoor play


June/July 2017


like Monkey Town, serves children up to about nine years old; older kids really don’t have much to do, and it’s the same in the UK. So this new business has sprung up to meet that need – kids can play inside a building, it’s safe, it’s good for the kids and it keeps them active.”


We also spoke with Klaas Siderius,


owner of Sidijk, a Netherlands-based supplier, and Klaas concurs. He says: “The concept attracts teenagers; you already had karting, and bowling, and paintball – and they are mostly activities for boys, Trampolining is also for girls, being a gymnastic activity, and it’s cool to do for freerunners. Klaas says that other sports can complement the trampoline aspect of the park too, it doesn’t have to be solely trampolines for the customers. He adds: “You are seeing many new


sports becoming mainstream now, even in the Olympics, like freestyle snowboarding, X-Games, sports are becoming more extreme. To practise these sports a trampoline park can really benefit an athlete to improve your skills and strength. A freerunner or a tricker can do this in a safe environment in a trampoline park, and then eventually take your skills


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