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...