'Silver pound' a significant growth driver for public leisure
25 Jun 2019 . BY Tom Walker
People aged 65 or older currently make up 12 per cent of leisure centre members
There is a major opportunity for the physical activity sector to grow the market – Utku Toprakseven
Creating opportunities for older people to get physically active represents a major driver for growth in public leisure, according to new research.
A study by ukactive and the DataHub – based on nine million members and 246 million individual visits across 596 leisure centres over the past three years – shows that people aged 65 or older currently make up 12 per cent of leisure centre members, compared to 22 per cent of the population.
The Moving Communities: Active Leisure Trends 2019, published on 25 June, also reveals that while the proportion of older members has increased slightly over the past two years (from 7 per cent to 8 per cent), there is still major room for growth in attracting older customers.
Other key insights include that UK leisure members are more diverse than Britain in general, with ethnic minorities making up 26 per cent of leisure centre members – compared to 14 per cent of the general population.
Females continue to make up the majority of leisure centre members, growing by 1 per cent over the past year, to 54 per cent of members in 2019.
Swimming continues to remain the most popular activity, making up 42 per cent of visits, while aerobics and spin classes were the two most popular group workouts, making up 11 per cent of visits.
“The Moving Communities report offers unprecedented insight into the consumer habits and trends driving public leisure in the UK, allowing the sector to better understand the people they serve," ukactive acting CEO Huw Edwards said.
“As pressure mounts on the UK’s health and social care systems, it is vital that we get older people moving more, allowing them to lead healthier, happier lives in their later years.
“This report shows there is a major opportunity for the physical activity sector to grow the market and meet the needs of older people who are not as active as they should be.”
DataHub director Utku Toprakseven added: “Through analysis of activity data, operators can understand which sports and groups workouts can most effectively engage with this segment and which are most effective at generating social value in health and wellbeing.
“What is most important is that operators and the industry as a whole action this insight to develop an offer which serves the entire community and that we work collaboratively to move forward the national debate about the role sport and activity can play in achieving positive health and wellbeing outcomes.”
"We summarise what we do in two words – functional art," says Gian Luca Innocenzi, CEO and
founder of MyEquilibria, which specialises in high-end outdoor exercise equipment.
Cryotherapy supplier Art of Cryo has created a new 12-person walkthrough cryotherapy chamber
at Cryo Center Coolzone Madeira, claimed to be the largest cold therapy treatment experience
in the world.
Egym has introduced Open Mode on its Smart Strength machines, enabling them to be used as a
replacement for traditional weights on the fitness floor, rather than solely as circuit-based
machines.
Myzone has announced the launch of MZ-Open, an access function that enables Myzone gym users
to experience all the benefits of Myzone’s world-renowned heart rate training biome through
their pre-owned Apple or Android smartwatch.
PerformX Live, the premier business of fitness event, has announced Dr Jonathan Leary,
founder
and CEO of Remedy Place, as the headliner for its 2024 event.
Elevate, the premier event in the physical activity, fitness, sports therapy and performance
sector, is thrilled to announce that registrations for its 2024 conference are now live –
and the response has been nothing short of exceptional.
Cardiff-based gym design and installation company, Absolute Performance, has been awarded
the contract to design, supply and install three gyms for Team GB for the 2024 games in
Paris.
As Third Space unveiled its latest club in Wimbledon at the end of 2023 as part of its growth
development into suburban, residential locations, it also revealed a new state of the art
Reformer Pilates studio at the new site in response to members seeking a low-impact, full-
body workout for all abilities.
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seca TRU seamlessly provides medical expertise for health-focused training with a clinically
validated body composition analysis meeting the health and fitness industry's evolving
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'Silver pound' a significant growth driver for public leisure
25 Jun 2019 . BY Tom Walker
People aged 65 or older currently make up 12 per cent of leisure centre members
There is a major opportunity for the physical activity sector to grow the market – Utku Toprakseven
Creating opportunities for older people to get physically active represents a major driver for growth in public leisure, according to new research.
A study by ukactive and the DataHub – based on nine million members and 246 million individual visits across 596 leisure centres over the past three years – shows that people aged 65 or older currently make up 12 per cent of leisure centre members, compared to 22 per cent of the population.
The Moving Communities: Active Leisure Trends 2019, published on 25 June, also reveals that while the proportion of older members has increased slightly over the past two years (from 7 per cent to 8 per cent), there is still major room for growth in attracting older customers.
Other key insights include that UK leisure members are more diverse than Britain in general, with ethnic minorities making up 26 per cent of leisure centre members – compared to 14 per cent of the general population.
Females continue to make up the majority of leisure centre members, growing by 1 per cent over the past year, to 54 per cent of members in 2019.
Swimming continues to remain the most popular activity, making up 42 per cent of visits, while aerobics and spin classes were the two most popular group workouts, making up 11 per cent of visits.
“The Moving Communities report offers unprecedented insight into the consumer habits and trends driving public leisure in the UK, allowing the sector to better understand the people they serve," ukactive acting CEO Huw Edwards said.
“As pressure mounts on the UK’s health and social care systems, it is vital that we get older people moving more, allowing them to lead healthier, happier lives in their later years.
“This report shows there is a major opportunity for the physical activity sector to grow the market and meet the needs of older people who are not as active as they should be.”
DataHub director Utku Toprakseven added: “Through analysis of activity data, operators can understand which sports and groups workouts can most effectively engage with this segment and which are most effective at generating social value in health and wellbeing.
“What is most important is that operators and the industry as a whole action this insight to develop an offer which serves the entire community and that we work collaboratively to move forward the national debate about the role sport and activity can play in achieving positive health and wellbeing outcomes.”
"We summarise what we do in two words – functional art," says Gian Luca Innocenzi, CEO and
founder of MyEquilibria, which specialises in high-end outdoor exercise equipment.
Egym has introduced Open Mode on its Smart Strength machines, enabling them to be used as a
replacement for traditional weights on the fitness floor, rather than solely as circuit-based
machines.
Myzone has announced the launch of MZ-Open, an access function that enables Myzone gym users
to experience all the benefits of Myzone’s world-renowned heart rate training biome through
their pre-owned Apple or Android smartwatch.
Cardiff-based gym design and installation company, Absolute Performance, has been awarded
the contract to design, supply and install three gyms for Team GB for the 2024 games in
Paris.
As Third Space unveiled its latest club in Wimbledon at the end of 2023 as part of its growth
development into suburban, residential locations, it also revealed a new state of the art
Reformer Pilates studio at the new site in response to members seeking a low-impact, full-
body workout for all abilities.
