Ukactive And Sport England Launch Digital Futures Initiative For Fitness Sector

Ukactive has launched a new Digital Futures strategy in partnership with Sport England with the aim of improving the application of digital by fitness and leisure operators.

The programme is designed to support operators through the latest benchmarking tools, providing new insights and guidance to modernise and grow. The programme has been designed in collaboration with ukactive Strategic Partners Gladstone, Myzone and EGYM, and shaped by contributors including leisure operators and businesses from the ‘fit-tech’ sector, such as Keepme, SweatWorks, Xn and Orbit4. 

Ukactive says Digital Futures forms a ‘key’ part of its work to support the recovery and development of the sector, and ultimately aims to help more people to get active. 

According to the body, the starting point will be to evaluate the sector’s digital maturity and effectiveness across dozens of digital measures, and provide a reference point from which to chart progress towards meeting new and emerging consumer demands. The first step sees the opening of a consultation for ukactive members which will help to identify the challenges and opportunities facing leisure operators across the sector, with questions designed by digital consultancy Rewrite Digital, which will provide respondents with a digital maturity score. 

Recommendations from the consultation will be presented at the ukactive Conference on 13th October, and will be used to inform new policies and funding.

“The Digital Futures strategy is a significant moment in the recovery journey of the sector moving through the pandemic,” said Steven Scales, Director of Membership and Sector Development, ukactive.

“Based on clear insight, the ability to compare and contrast business capability and, importantly, the needs of the consumer will be headline priorities of the strategy. 

“Working with key industry partners and members, the Digital Futures strategy, alongside reports and the ability to self-assess against business need, will be key industry assets to enable the sector’s recovery, and further enhance the consumer journey and experience.”

Allison Savich, Strategic Lead for Data & Innovation, Sport England, added: “We have an opportunity to use the disruption COVID-19 has brought to accelerate progress – to reinvent as more agile, inclusive and resilient organisations and to change the way we do things to better meet the needs of everyone, in every community. 

“We support this insight-driven approach to identify the challenges and opportunities that digital should support.”