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SSC sees sport on the up
Participation remains healthy despite recession, as big events to help raise profile of the sports industry, according to SkillsActive
The sports industry continues to weather the economic storm with participation and consumer expenditure holding up, according to Stephen Studd, chief executive of SkillsActive, the sector skills council for sport and active leisure.
Studd said there are positive signs for the sports industry going forward, in particular that consumers are valuing physical activity more highly than they have done during previous recessions in the 1980s and 1990s, when there were notable drops in consumer expenditure on physical activity.
This has been driven by a greater importance being placed on health and well-being by the government in recent years, as well as greater recognition of the sports industry as a viable career path.
For instance, Studd noted that coaching and instructing had been one of the biggest growth professions in the first 18 months of the recession.
SkillsActive’s role is to ensure there is enough competent and qualified staff to support future growth in active sport participation, a development that will grow the market sports retailers can target.
Studd said: “It is a challenging environment in which to be positive, but the indications are that the sports industry is weathering the storm.
“There are many positives in both the consumer environment, and from government and the public sector, which are giving a push to the industry.”
However, Studd said there may have to be new business models found for some publically-funded sports initiatives as cuts are made to stabilise the UK economy, which may include greater involvement from private enterprise to fund local projects and activities.
Studd added that major sporting events, such as the Olympic Games in 2012 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games, will highlight the role sport can take in driving investment in other areas, such as regeneration and infrastructure.
“Big events raise the profile of the sector and show the impact sport can have,” he said.
