Harm Tegelaars, deputy chair of both Cannons Group and the Fitness Industry Association (FIA) has called on the health club sector to work together to deliver one consistent message to encourage consumers to be active.

“It’s up to all of us in the industry to play a role in improving the health of the nation,” he told Health Club Management.

“Around 220,000 people work in 6,000 clubs and leisure centres and if we could get them all to agree what the message is and put it out every day, in every way, we can then go to government and show we can assist them in passing messages to consumers.”

“If we could get endorsement from politicians, celebrities and the media, we could turn health and fitness into a major force of good.

“You have to work hard, but once you’ve got your message across, it then becomes a lingua franca. Every club and leisure centre has its part to play in this.”

Tegelaars also said that the industry must do more to demonstrate that it offers value for money. “How can a £2.5m club that’s open 14 hours a day, seven days a week with 50 qualified staff, for £35 a month, be considered a rip-off?” he asks. “The media talked us up, and then down again – these rip-off stories have to stop!”

“What we need to do as an industry is to let people know that we are terrific value for money, but I don’t think there’s one silver bullet that will solve everyone’s problems.

“Stickability and retention is a science that the whole industry has to get to terms with, and we’re not there yet. But it all comes back to standing proud – there seems to be a sense in the industry that we’re not quite sure ourselves whether we are providing value.”

For the full interview with Harm Tegelaars see Health Club Management January 2006, p36

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