Home >> Press Releases >> New Partnership in Sports/Recreation Industry Announces FindingsNew Partnership in Sports/Recreation Industry Announces FindingsDate: 3/18/10 Research Targets Sports/Recreation Participation, Consumer Sports Spending, & Role of PE SILVER SPRING, MD – March 18, 2010 – Seven of the major governing bodies and trade associations in the sports, fitness, outdoor, and leisure industry have formed a research partnership -- The Physical Activity Council (PAC). The goal of the partnership is to identify key trends in sports, fitness, and recreation participation in the USA. These trends will appear in the Sports, Fitness, and Recreation Participation Overview (2010 edition). THE PAC SUPPORTERS: The website for The Physical Activity Council (PAC) is: www.PhysicalActivityCouncil.com. Copies of the Sports, Fitness, and Recreation Participation Overview (2010 edition) can be downloaded from www.PhysicalActivityCouncil.com. “The purpose of this unique partnership is to create a single set of data which accurately measures national interest in fitness activities, competitive team sports, individual pursuits, and general recreation,” said PAC Chairman Tom Cove (president – Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association). “More than 40,000 Americans were interviewed online, making this the most accurate and reliable sports and leisure participation study ever conducted.” OVERALL RESULTS: The decision to participate in many activities is largely motivated by consumers who want more ‘value’ from the time they spend working out, playing sports, and engaging in recreational experiences. As a result, participation gains were steady for activities that are relatively affordable and can be enjoyed by groups such as fishing, camping, hiking, bicycling, and running. Also, group exercise classes – such as high-impact aerobics, low-impact aerobics, and step aerobics -- had solid participation gains in 2009. Another one of the findings of this report is the relationship between a physically active lifestyle and exposure to physical education classes while attending school. There’s a positive connection between participating in PE and having an active lifestyle: 1.) PE Pays Off. For today’s children, they are more than three times likely to participate in team sports if they have PE classes in school than if they don’t have PE in school. Also, within this sports participation study, there is a report on consumer spending in the sporting goods industry. It focuses on such topics as equipment, health clubs, lessons/instruction, tournament travel, country club dues, and ‘pay to play’ fees. While the economy in 2009 had a major impact on spending in those areas, there are positive signs for the future as significant numbers of active participants are set to increase spending in 2010. INSIDE THE STUDY: |
