The Sports and Fitness Sector: An Introduction

Drawing together a selection of informative readings from a wide range of sources in the world of sport, health and fitness management, this book provides a uniquely comprehensive base for students in sport, health and fitness. It is divided into three sections:

• Putting Sport and Fitness in Context introduces the key themes influencing the contemporary sport, health and fitness industries
• Regulatory and Legal Responsibilities in Sport and Fitness introduces the legal and regulatory aspects of sport, health and fitness management
• Valuing the Customer in Sport and Fitness introduces the concepts of good customer care in the provision of sport, health and fitness

Part 1: Putting sport & fitness in context

1. Defining sport, recreation, physical activity and leisure Mick Green
2. The three sectors of provision: public, private and voluntary Mick Green
3. Who's in charge? The organisation and funding of sport and fitness Ben Oakley
4. The health and fitness industry: trends and commercial realities David Minton and Jenny Stanley
5. Why does Government care: The benefits of sport and physical activity Department for Culture Media and Sport and The Strategy Unit
6. Pathways to success: a model for talent development Geoff Cooke
7. An overview of sports participation survey results Mike Collins
8. Social trends and sports participation over the next 20 years Martin Rhys and Indra Sinka
9. Managing sport and leisure services Leigh Robinson

Part 2: Regulation and legal responsibilities

10. Healthy living: whose responsibility? Tony Blair
11. From Lyme Bay to licensing: the development of current regulation of outdoor adventure activities Jan Bradford
12. The voluntary regulation of the fitness industry Mark Talley
13. Legal frameworks of health and safety Jane Goodey
14. The hidden work of a facility manager Neil Wright
15. Managing a monumental crisis Neil Wright

Part 3: Valuing customers of sport and fitness facilities

16. What is a customer? Indra Sinka
17. Understanding customers in sport and fitness Martin Rhys
18. Satisfying customers in sport and fitness Glynis Young and Ben Oakley
19. The rules of customer care Leigh Robinson
20. Customer retention: a business school perspective Tom Power
21. Customer retention: a managers' perspective Mark Talley
22. Staff training and development: providing for quality service provision in sport and fitness Debbie Lawrence
23. Profit from getting close to your members David Minton
24. Turning members into raving fans Duncan Green

Ben Oakley is an experienced academic who has been teaching in higher education for over decade. He is head of Award for Sport, Fitness and Management in the Open University's department of eduction and language studies. In addition to his academic responsibilities at the Open University, Ben Oakley is an external examiner for the Universities of Brighton and Gloucester.

Outside of academic and research work, Ben Oakley has served three years with Sport England, advising on the distribution of the National Lottery funding to sport in the South East region. He is also an accomplished windsurfer, and is a former national windsurfing coach, taking three athletes to the Olympic Games in both Korea and Barcelona.