Motivations to be active in club-based sport compared to fitness centres

Abstract

Purpose: Understanding motivations for participation in different types of physical activity and settings has important implications for growing, servicing and retaining participants. The aim of this study was to identify the motivations to engage in organised club-based sport and activity through fitness centres. Methodology: Two surveys were conducted, of Australian adults, those playing sport or who were active through fitness centres. Findings: 4,509 adult survey respondents reported their motivations for participating in sport clubs (n = 3824) or fitness centres (n = 685). There were many significant differences in the motivations between the two groups. Overall, sport club participants were significantly more likely to report fun and enjoyment, and social reasons for a motivation to play compared to fitness centre users (p < 0.001). The fitness centre users were significantly more likely than the sport club participants to report physical health or fitness, to lose weight/keep weight off/tone and for psychological/mental health/therapy (p < 0.001). Practical implications: These findings have implications for sport and fitness centre managers in terms of program design decisions. For example, motivations may inform the creation of options that lean more to social or health outcomes for new users. Research contribution: This study uniquely investigates motivations for participation across organised sport clubs and fitness centres.