Well, it is with surprise that I return from Holiday to see the Stunner has picked up on my first ever real post. While that was completely unexpected, it is rather nice to know that they are on the ball. Thankyou. It made me re read my post with the dread that I had said something I would regret, but no, I don't think so.
My second post was planned to be about one of my favourite mountain bike routes in Derbyshire, however the Telegraphs interest has encouraged me to develop on the theme of what a Leisure Centre Should be for.
IMHO, it should be an amenity for the residence of the local community. With the growing "Obesity Crisis" everyone is talking about, part of the role of local Government should be to promote physical activity. They do so in part by providing a Leisure Centre.
To do this effectively, the various activities should be widely promoted, and should be priced at a level available to all. While nothing is free these days, my feeling is a Leisure Centre should never be about making money. It should be subsidised by the local government, to make sport of all sorts available to all.
So, let us take a look at Squash.
An area I am familiar with, having played at Ashbourne, Uttoxeter and the private club in Duffield. I will for now ignore the possible parking costs of going to Ashbourne to play squash, but will just note here that at Duffield parking is free, although it might cost a little more in petrol to get there.
A couple of years ago (I think it was 2 years, although time does fly by) I spoke at length to a person at Matlock (to remain nameless) about the cost of Squash Courts at Ashbourne. As a regular player, the cost was high for me, and I was hoping to discuss ideas about how to encourage other players to start playing. We talked, I thought at the time, fruitfully about monthly or annual fees instead of court fees. Cheaper courts during the day, and several other ideas involving the club. I was told at the time that Ashbourne's prices were set to match other Council run courts within 15 minutes of Ashbourne. I might be slightly wrong in the detail, but "compared with courts within 15 minutes" was certainly part of the discussion. I have been racking my brains ever since to work out which courts these are, to no avail. And anyway, nothing was done.
As a player who dreams of playing on average twice per week, the true cost of Ashbourne Squash I realised was £6.35 per week,
(£6.35 x 2 times per week / 2 players per court) or in 50 weeks of the year, £317.50. A considerable sum.
On talking to players at Duffield, I discovered I could play at £120 per year, plus
(£2.00 x 2 times per week / 2 players per court) £2.00 per week or in 50 weeks of the year, £120 + £100 = £220 per year.
A saving of nearly £100 per year. Oh, and if you play at lunch, or early afternoon, courts cost only £1.00 each, handy if you work nearby.
On top of that, you get more people to play, nicer showers, a sauna, a Gym of £1.00 per session, pool, a bar, world class matches to watch... the big down side is the people. I miss the people I used to play with every week. Fortunately I still get to play with them occasionally, even if Dave Short calls me a traitor :)
Nearly forgot to mention, you can still play over the Christmas break, when Ashbourne Leisure Centre is shut.
So, without looking at the prices at Uttoxeter, where I think the pricing is even more favourable I come back to my original point. A leisure centre should not be there to make money. If a private club can offer better facilities at a better price, I have to ask, why can't it be done at our Leisure Centre?
So What Should Ashboune LC Do:
- Reduce the cost of a Squash court
- Reduce the cost of courts during the day
