Fitness industry benefits from decline in sport participation

Fitness Australia Chief Executive Bill Moore believes that the results and personal goal-driven public of today could well be the reason behind more people choosing personal trainers and gyms over traditional team sport activities.

Commenting on a new study from Roy Morgan Research that shows a decline in overall sport participation since 2001, Moore suggested that he knew where those numbers have gone.

Speaking to 6PR Perth’s Simon Beaumont earlier in the week, Moore indicated that the fitness industry has seen significant growth during the sample period of the Roy Morgan research (2001-2017), accounting for the whereabouts of the lost team sport numbers.

Moore (pictured) stated “I think the big difference with it is that I think people (clients) now look for a more tailored approach.

“They’re looking for an outcome rather than getting out and playing team sport – they can find that generally a lot easier than what they could back in 2001.

“If you look at what’s happened in the last 15 years in the fitness industry, we’ve come on in leaps and bounds from then (2001) for sure.

“In those days, personal trainers were strictly for Hollywood celebrities and now, we register 23,000 of them right the way across Australia, so they’re a lot more mainstream. The level and the standard of qualification of those trainers is much higher than it probably was back in those days.

“I think also, the quality of modern facilities now compared to what it was years ago – they’re a lot more inviting (and) there’s a lot more of them."

Moore’s comments were addressed by Roy Morgan Research Chief Executive Michele Levine in her comments on the research.

Levine stated "although many sports have fallen out of favour, we’re still keeping comparatively fit through other individual activities that aren’t about keeping score, finishing first, or facing defeat from an opponent.

“Personal activities are also easier to fit into busy lifestyles, while competitive sports require a lot of time and commitment.”

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