City ponders waning use of leisure centres
Attendance drops 9.5% in one year
Saskatoon’s leisure centres have been drawing fewer and fewer people. In 2013, 79,155 less people used the facilities than in the previous year, a decrease of 9.5 per cent.
Now city administration is trying to figure out how to reverse the trend.
“I think everyone understands the importance of having opportunities to participate in recreation and sport,” said Cary Humphrey, Saskatoon’s director of recreation and sport.
In May, the city commissioned a market research study to find out what Saskatonians think, both about the leisure centres and their competitors in the private fitness market.
Research firm Fast Consulting polled 2,017 people. The study cost between $25,000 and $30,000, according to Humphrey.
The results were a mix of positive and negative. The majority of respondents, 83 per cent, were either very or completely satisfied with the level of service at the leisure centres. However, only 40 per cent actually use the facilities regularly.
“There’s not anything that really surprised me, other than to say how complex it is in terms of what we can pinpoint,” Humphrey said.
An obvious first angle is pricing. A one-year LeisureCard, which grants access to all of the facilities, costs $557, while the average for a private facility is $474.27. “I know the costs are a little more expensive with the city, but I actually think you get more for your money,” Linda Kalyn said at the Fieldhouse Saturday.
Kalyn has been using city leisure centres for 17 years, and teaching dry land fitness classes for the last four. She sees value in the variety of locations and the activities available, from aerobics to swimming to skating.
“Although I’m one of the ones who look at it as getting a lot for my money, a lot of people don’t look at it that way,” she said.
In the survey, 75 per cent of respondents said the price of a LeisureCard is fair. One of the main sticking points is getting them to commit to a full year, according to Humphrey.
He pointed out new, shorter-term pricing schemes as one possible change that could come quickly.
Candace Shewchuk was headed into Goodlife Fitness, a private gym, Saturday. When asked why she chose it over a city centre, she said she didn’t know enough about what is offered, and worried about the quality of the facilities.
“I think maybe it’s public awareness. I feel like if I was to sign up for the Fieldhouse, or another leisure centre, it seems like a lot of a process. I’m not sure if they have as much weights,” she said.
Niki Thomson, also at Goodlife, said she was drawn to the women-only section of the gym, something the city does not offer.
With the survey complete, and the results tabulated, the city will now take some time to examine where to go next. Humphrey said an internal “innovation team” is looking at the data, and will have the first of what will likely be several supports complete this fall.
He said they’ll look at things like pricing in the short term, and larger issues like the breadth of programming, and where classes are offered, over a longer period. The specifics of what changes will come have yet to be determined.
“The reality is our admissions is declining. This kind of survey really is the launching point to doing a more in-depth review,” Humphrey said.