Why do clients enrol and continue at sports centres?

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the ways clients find out about a sport centre and the factors that lead them to enrol and influence their satisfaction with their membership. A secondary objective was to determine the reasons for continuing to attend a sport centre and how they influenced satisfaction towards achievement. Finally, the authors aimed to identify differences between reasons for enroling and reasons for continuing at a sport centre.

Design/methodology/approach A specially developed 16-item questionnaire was sent to 125,000 clients and 21,043 responses were obtained.

Findings Clients who found out about the centre through a recommendation or the internet were 25 per cent more likely to be satisfied with it than those who knew of the centre due to proximity. Similarly, clients who had a specific motive to continue using the centre, for example, to prepare for a sports competition were twice as likely to be satisfied with their membership as any other group (p<0.001).

Research limitations/implications It identifies a set of research priorities for the journal and the field.

Practical implications In conclusion, the option of staying fit is established as the most effective recruitment method for retaining clients at the sport centre.

Originality/value This paper intends to do is to establish the bases of information and knowledge for the treatment of high motives, as well as for managers of sports centres to remodel their strategies of marketing to attracting customers.