LEARN TO MANAGE A LEISURE FACILITY
The leisure industry in an exciting sector to work within, with lots of different opportunities available across multiple levels and disciplines. This course is therefore suitable for many different people including:
- Leisure centre supervisors or junior management looking to take a step up
- Managers from the service sector wanting to diversify their skills
- Entrepreneurs interested in investing in a leisure facility
- Leisure centre managers who want to invest in formal education
- Sports coaches
As a manager of a leisure or sporting facility, there are a few key skills that are important. These include:
- Customer service - the ability to connect with different people
- Patience - customers are not always easy, having patience can support how you manage them
- A can-do attitude - there are many components to a leisure facility and as manager you will get involved in most of them
- Empathy - understanding different customer needs and their motivations can help you to get the most out of them
If these attributes sound familiar then this could be the course for you!
There are two parts to this course:
Part 1: A comprehensive introductory course focusing on the management and development or redevelopment of recreation facilities. Subjects cover the nature of recreation and fitness facilities, legal requirements during construction, the management of minor construction projects and evaluating fitness and recreation equipment.
Part 2: This course develops skills to manage day to day operations of facilities such as gyms, health clubs, swimming pools, or recreation facilities. The course deals with managing bookings, purchasing, safety, contingencies and insurance.
Join us and develop your career in the leisure management field!
Lesson Structure
There are 13 lessons in this course:
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The Scope of Recreation Facility Management
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Introduction
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Scope of Community Recreation Services
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Exercise Facilities
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Town Planning
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Survey
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Structural Planning
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Systems Planning
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Advocacy Planning
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Central Place Theory
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Scope and Distribution of Leisure Facilities
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The Nature of Recreation Facility Management
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Multidisciplinary Approach to Management
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The Administrative Process
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Planning for Play
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Planning Processes
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Legal Requirements for Construction
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Introduction
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Construction
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Health
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Special Events
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Liability and Negligence
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Minimising Liability
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Risk Management
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Planning Construction Work
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Work Scheduling
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Planning Management of the Construction
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Competitive Tendering
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Contingency Plans for Disruption to Work
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Indoor Equipment
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Types of Recreation Buildings
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Indoor Equipment and Facilities
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General Requirements; access, security, lighting, toilets, parking, signage, staff facilities, etc
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Needs for Specific Facility Types; swimming centres, community centres, gymnasium, etc
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Selection Criteria for Equipment
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Conducting a Cost Analysis
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Outdoor Equipment
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Introduction
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All Purpose Sports Ground
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Tennis Courts
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Bowling Club
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Camp and Caravan Sites
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Water Recreation; sailing, water skiing, power boating, canoeing, etc
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Playgrounds
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Picnic Areas
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Riding School, etc
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Safety Procedures
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Duty of Care; employer, employee, other person, manufacturer.
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Lifting and Manual Handling
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Protective Equipment
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Chemical Handling
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Protecting Hearing
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Accidents
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Safety Risk Analysis
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Safety Audit
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Safe Communication
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Safety Out Doors
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Water Safety: safety in pools
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First Aid
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Safety on Sports Turf
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Equipment Needs
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Gym Equipment
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Types of Equipment
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Sports Equipment
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Track and Athletics Equipment
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Determining Equipment Needs for different sports
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Tennis
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Dancing
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Scouts, Youth Clubs, Other Clubs, Play groups, etc
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Purchasing
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Introduction to Purchasing Procedures
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Tendering
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Purchasing and Payment Procedures
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Bookings
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Controlling Facility Use
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Exclusive Bookings
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Using Facilities without Prior Bookings
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Keeping Records of Bookings
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Procedure for Filing
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Active and Inactive Records
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Contingencies
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Introduction to Contingency Procedures
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Accidents
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Evacuation
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Staff Absence
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Fire Management
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Indoor and Outdoor Facilities
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Insurance Issues
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Introduction
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Types of Insurance
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Staff Liability
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Determining Insurance Requirements for a Facility
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Insurance Limitations
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Changing Insurance Needs
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Managing Insurance
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Insurance for Contributory Negligence
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Recreation Leaders
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Quality Systems
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Managing a Recreation Facility
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Building Maintenance
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Repairs
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Bookings
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Controlling Facility Use
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Keeping Records
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Promoting a Facility
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Managing Aquatic Facilities
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Toilet and Locker room Facilities
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Security; security systems, vandalism, ignorant acts, vindictive acts
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Minimising Vandalism
Aims
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Explain the scope of work involved in the management of recreation and fitness facilities.
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Explain the nature of recreation and fitness facilities, including their physical characteristics and their management requirements.
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Explain the legal aspects which must be satisfied by construction work projects.
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Plan the management of construction work projects for different recreation facilities.
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Explain the suitability and management of equipment for a given purposes in indoor recreation or fitness facilities (Part A - Indoor Equipment).
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Explain the suitability and management of equipment for given purposes in outdoor recreation or fitness facilities (Part B - Outdoor Equipment).
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Develop safety procedures for a recreation facility.
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Determine equipment needed for a sports or fitness facility.
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Purchase new equipment for a recreation or fitness facility.
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Manage the bookings for use of a recreation facility.
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Develop contingency plans to deal with likely emergencies in recreation and fitness industry workplaces.
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Manage insurance issues for a recreation or fitness facility.
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Develop a plan for managing the use of a specific recreation facility
What You Will Do
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Explain the nature of recreation and fitness facilities.
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Research and explain legal aspects which must be satisfied by construction work projects.
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Assess the suitability of equipment for a given purpose in a recreation or fitness facility.
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Conduct research to find out what recreation facilities services are provided in your locality, and by whom.
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Compare three different facilities in your locality that provide the same type of recreation and fitness services.
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Describe the minimum facilities required to provide common services in different types of recreation facilities, including:
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gymnasiums
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recreation centres
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swimming pools
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golf clubs
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bowling clubs
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sporting clubs
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sports grounds.
Exercise Equipment
Exercise equipment is only part of leisure facility management. The opportunities to work with exercise equipment are probably greater than you imagine. Consider; people build whole careers designing and manufacturing this equipment. Others work in the distribution and sales of gym equipment. Technicians build niche businesses servicing and repairing the equipment. Gym managers and fitness professionals need a good understanding of equipment, in order to choose and use appropriate products in their facilities.
Major categories of equipment, include:
Exercise bikes
These can range from the basic home unit to state of the art electronically programmed commercial models. They are a very useful and popular piece of gym equipment.
All exercise bikes need to be user friendly, have the basic manual program, which is activated simply by pedaling. To choose a different program the bike should have clear instructions on its use and push button operation.
Bikes need to be comfortable, with adjustable seat and frame so that correct biomechanics can be achieved by all gym users. Pedal straps should be quick release and adjustable for safety and comfort. Heart rate monitors, including Polar chest strap or ear clip are useful additions to any exercise bike given the user feedback and motivating effort. Some heart monitors include safety shut off features that will react to the user’s heart rates exceeding specified heart rate to age data that is programmed into them beforehand.
The recumbent cycle provides a unique alternative for the fitness enthusiast, especially the deconditioned, pregnant or rehab user. With a wider seat and lower back support they are more comfortable than standard exercise bikes. Other benefits include increased work out for the buttocks and back of the thigh because of the seating angle. The recumbent cycle is easier on the heart and will allow higher calorie burn off for less heart effort, they also allow the user to watch T.V or a video or even to read. This style of exercise bike is becoming more and more popular in gyms everywhere.
Rowing machines
Modern rowing machines can be combined with computer software and audio visuals to produce interesting and even exciting challenges for gymnasium users. For example one program allows the user to race for the finish line in a challenging regatta - complete with realistic sounds, starting gun, cheering crowd, etc. For an added thrill a shark swims into view and devours part of the competing crew, the user then gets a low intensity interval before one last push to finish. The user is caught up in the animation of the program and the work out is more engaging as well as designed to get maximum effort out of the participant.
Treadmills
Treadmills are used for cardiovascular training, warm ups, cool downs and weight loss. They are relatively safe and comfortable. The better treadmills have a shock absorbing deck which can relate to a third less impact than jogging on roads, this can be better for the joints. It is suggested that a participant should stand on a treadmill with one leg either side of the running strip and press the Start button. Once the strip begins to move the person may step on walking gradually in time with the strip. They can then adjust themselves with the increasing pace until one is reached that is suitable. It is often safer to keep the head and eyes towards the front of the treadmill promoting better balance for the individual.
Once the head turns to talk or look at surroundings the balance can be lost and the feet can move towards the side of the running strip with the chance of injuring themselves.
Step machines
Cardiovascular conditioning and weight loss. A useful piece of equipment in the modern gymnasium that simulates walking or running up varying slopes/stairs. A decent stepper should have a variety in resistance and pace, with climbing modes of steeper ascent and increased pace for the better conditioned user.
Strength-training equipment
Strength training equipment is available in individual machines or multi-station units. Industry experts recommend individual machines for the majority of fitness centres, unless space is an issue. Machines need to be offered that exercise each different muscle group. Equipment needs to be designed in order to meet the needs of a wide variety of users. The equipment should be designed to allow the user to adjust selected resistance from the exercise position.
Placards should be used to inform users of correct posture, muscles worked, muscles assisting and safety considerations while using a particular piece of equipment. Examples of strength machines include:
Chest press, Pectoral fly, Shoulder press, Lateral pulldown, Seated row, Abdominal torso, Tricep extension, Leg curl, Leg press, Bicep curl and many more.
Some of the more expensive equipment has specially designed cams that vary resistance through full or partial ranges of motion. This avoids the dead sections of weight training at the start or end of the lift and allows for a more flowing action.
Hydraulic resistance circuits
Hydraulic resistance circuit equipment works the opposite to weight training. Weight machines work best when the user lifts and lowers the resistance slowly. Hydraulic machines work better the faster the user pushes and pulls the lever. The resistance of the hydraulic machine is created by the energy that is put into the lever. The stronger the person the more resistance from the machine. These machines are very good fat burning and aerobic forms of exercise. A circuit should have machines that work all muscle groups. Floor space can be 600 square metres for 12 stations. Machines are very popular in gyms.
Free weights
Free weights are more popular in the body building gyms. Hotel or resort gyms tend to steer away from them due to safety and pilferage concerns. They should not be offered in unsupervised gyms. Dumbbells should range from one (1) to fifty (50) pounds and lifting benches are also required. Barbells can be weighted upwards of 400 pounds but this would really only be required by the serious body builder, weight lifter or strength athlete. Strict supervision is advised when this type of gym work is proceeding as the risk of damage is quite high if weights are lifted incorrectly or when overly fatigued.
WHY STUDY WITH ACS?
There are lots of reasons why you should sign up to do this course with us, including:
- The information is comprehensive and will give you excellent depth to your knowledge to help you to understand more about managing leisure facilities
- Within each lesson you have the opportunity to apply your learning to activities in order to extend your knowledge and research specific areas of interest, enhancing your understanding
- Knowledge of the facilities and development of leisure facilities will enable you to stand out from others and give you greater confidence
- Our subject specialist tutors will be there to support you throughout your course, they are only too happy to share their industry knowledge and experience with you
- When studying with us you set your own deadlines, meaning you study at your own pace enabling it to fit around other commitments
TAKE THE NEXT STEP AND ENROL NOW!
You can enrol on the course now, but if you have any questions about the content of the course or studying with ACS, then please get in touch with us today - use our FREE COURSE COUNSELLING SERVICE to get in touch with our expert tutors. They will be pleased to help you!
