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The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of relationship marketing factors of sports centers on commitment to relationship and intention to recommend.

A statistical survey was conducted for quantitative research, and in-depth interviews, for qualitative research, according to the mixed methods research.

The results of the quantitative research show that the relationship marketing factors of bonding, facility, and price positively influence commitment to relationship. Expertise and facility positively influence intention to recommend. Finally, commitment to relationship positively influences intention to recommend.

Sports centers could build relationships based on polite and hospitable service, and host monthly events for building rapport among members. Instructors’ expertise promotes bonding and serves as the most essential factor for intention to recommend. Sports centers must adequately introduce promotions related to rational consumption and specialized promotion. Centers that are managed too carelessly or frugally will have a highly negative impact on customer relationship and intention to recommend.

This study aims to empirically analyze customer needs by comparing the results of in-depth interviews with customers based on the results of quantitative studies through mixed methods research. It determines the relationships between the aforementioned variables, providing practical implications through analysis of the customers’ subjective consciousness by focusing on sports facilities in order to secure competitive advantage, and thus, overcome financial difficulties.

The purpose of this paper is to establish the effects of service quality of sports centers on customer loyalty and intention to adhere to exercise.

In total, 500 questionnaires were distributed to five sports centers located in the city of Seoul, of which 472 were returned and used in the data analysis. The collected data were subjected to frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, a reliability test, and structural equation model analysis using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 18.0.

The results show that, first, service quality, comprising the two factors of the facilities of sports centers and instructors, positively influences customer loyalty. Second, the service quality of sports centers positively influences the intention to adhere to exercise, and, third, so does customer loyalty.

Management needs to make more efforts to strengthen service quality, comprising facilities and instructors, in order to increase customer loyalty, represented by the sense of closeness with and attachment of customers using sports centers, as well as to increase the need for exercise.

Previous studies on the service quality of sports centers have been limited to customer satisfaction, customer trust, reuse intention, recommendations to others, consumption behavior, and relationship commitment. Since the research on the direct relationship between service quality of sports centers and exercise adherence is still limited, this study provides data and implications relevant to the management of sports centers by investigating the relationship among service quality of sports centers, customer loyalty, and intention to adhere to exercise.

The purpose of this paper is to determine how an instrument – designed to assess quality, value, and satisfaction – works, and compare results obtained in female users of unisex sports services and fitness centres and female users of exclusively female sports services and fitness centres.

A total of 745 women belonging to 62 sports services and fitness centres took part in this study; 36.60 per cent were members of female-exclusive centres. The average age was 32.97±14.11 years. In total, 38.70 per cent of the women surveyed used the sports services and fitness centres twice a week for 66.37±32.87 minutes on average. The EPOD2 questionnaire was used. This instrument is made up of 25 items and measures quality, value, and satisfaction. The invariance of the factorial structure in the two groups was verified and regression coefficients were calculated for the relationships in the model.

The model is stable in both of the groups. Quality is a predecessor of value and satisfaction. Value is related to a large extent to Satisfaction. The dimensions of quality (activity, sports instructors, service personnel, and space) are directly related to value and/or satisfaction. There are significant differences in the standardised values that relate quality and its dimensions with the value and satisfaction between women users of female-exclusive centres and women users of unisex centres.

This paper is important because the findings of this study can be applicable to help sports services and fitness centres, whether unisex centres or female-exclusive centres, obtain better assessments from female users.

In order to ensure the high-quality completion of the construction of stadiums and gymnasiums and the smooth holding of the Fourteenth National Games, through on-the-spot investigation and collation of relevant literature at home and abroad, lessons are drawn from the experience of the planning and construction of the stadiums and gymnasiums of the recent three National Games. According to the investigation of the stadiums and gymnasiums in Shaanxi Province, the number, characteristics, overall layout and construction methods of the required stadiums are specifically analyzed. Taking Xi'an Sports Center as an example, from the point of view of the construction requirements of the main stadium of the National Games and the sports construction technology, the functional orientation and construction standards of the competition facilities and training base facilities are put forward. Especially for the planning and design of sports construction facilities including “one stadium, two gymnasiums”, Tennis Center and outdoor sports stadium, the specific index analysis is made. The index analysis provides suggestions for the compilation of the planning and design task sheet of Xi'an Sports Center, and provides reference for the planning and construction of other stadiums and gymnasiums for the Fourteenth National Games.

The concept of national fitness has promoted the construction and development of public sports. And how to effectively implement the layout of urban public sports planning has become a hot topic. Based on this, in the study, the layout and integration of the public sports cities in modern cities for the national fitness were mainly discussed. First of all, the research background of the planning and layout of public sports in modern cities under the concept of national fitness was expounded, and the development of urban public sports theory was briefly outlined. Then, the planning and layout of public fitness in modern cities were analyzed. Finally, through the planning and construction projects of public sports in modern cities, the design of public fitness corridor, community road and Sports Park was carried out. It is proved that the scientific and rational planning of sports cities can promote the development of the city.

To study the spatial layout of urban sports parks, the constraint graph model was used to quantitatively analyze the construction of urban sports parks in China. At the same time, theories on the construction and development of urban sports parks and urban renewal at home and abroad were reviewed. The construction status of urban sports parks in China was systematically studied. Foreign case cities were investigated. Finally, the case cities in our country were discussed. The results showed that in addition to the influence of certain policies and economic factors, the development of sports parks was affected by factors such as urban space development, population size and living distribution, urban culture, regional environmental characteristics and the layout of original sports resources. Therefore, the impact of the above factors should be considered in the development of sports parks and their spatial layout. The layout of the sports park should be balanced to meet the diverse needs of the residents.

The research presented in this study replicates and extends the QSport-10 scale proposed by Rial, Varela, Rial and Real in their 2010 study, by incorporating the Programme dimension into the original measurement of service quality in Physical Activity and Sports Centres (PSCs). The objective of this research is to examine the dimensionality of the QSport-10 scale and extend it to capture the additional Programme service quality dimension. Study results confirmed the dimensionality of the service quality measurement offered by the QSport-10 scale and presented strong empirical support for the existence of Programme, Installations and Staff dimensions. Programme dimension was considered the most important factor for the largest consumer segment in the study.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the proposed measure of sports service quality (SSQ) and examine the relationships between emotional experience (EE) and user satisfaction (US) for sports competitions/training venues (i.e. for the sport of badminton).

Focus group discussions and related literature review were used to generate items for the SSQ. Structured questionnaires captured the perceptions of 240 users of sports venues in Malaysia. The relationships between SSQ, EE and US were assessed via structural equation modelling (SEM).

Results show that the SSQ has five dimensions (peripheral, reliability, responsiveness, core and value). Core, peripheral and value have positive effects on users’ EE whereas peripheral, reliability, responsiveness and core have positive effects on US. The SEM analysis suggests that EE mediates the relationship between SSQ and US.

The SSQ scale is developed using data from the badminton sport industry and is yet to be validated in other types of sports venues. In addition, measures of customer loyalty also need to be considered.

Findings suggest that provision of quality service directly influences satisfaction with sports venues and enhances the EE of customers. Sports venue managers should monitor the service management, particularly in terms of the physical environment and personnel.

This paper proposes a specific measure of service quality tailored for use in sports venues. It also provides further support for the mediating role EE plays in the service quality-satisfaction relationship.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the position of sport management education (SME) in relation to employment in the sport fitness industry and if a shift towards a greater emphasis on business and management module teaching is justified or conversely a greater utilisation of the rich data being generated by sport management researchers can be applied to the vocational development of sport management students.

The study was conducted in two parts. Part 1 consisted of interviews with the author by an interviewer to explore their industry experiences, the author’s experience of entrepreneurial sport industry business and intrapreneurial sport teaching. The resultant data have been distilled into a series of paradigms, including employing sport industry staff and teaching sport management. Part 2 triangulates part 1 with the managerial experience of sports and leisure centre managers to develop a qualitative study. Sports and leisure centre managers were interviewed regarding candidate and employee competences judged as extreme examples of sport management knowledge and understanding.

Four themes emerged, such as alignment, underpinning subject-specific knowledge, a voice from the sport industry in developing SME and postgraduate opportunities for work-based learning.

A small-scale study that requires further research in each of the three areas: sport spectator, sport participation and elite performer management.

The sport centre interview instrument, with some refinements, could form the basis of an improved system to gain rich data from industry members of higher education business advisory groups. The developed data collection tool could increase the effective collection of data from a wider cohort.

The approach has produced an adapted category of pedagogy. Employability inspired teaching (EiT) is an original terminology describing the subject-specific content that leads to improved opportunities for subject (sport) industry employment.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the ways clients find out about a sport centre and the factors that lead them to enrol and influence their satisfaction with their membership. A secondary objective was to determine the reasons for continuing to attend a sport centre and how they influenced satisfaction towards achievement. Finally, the authors aimed to identify differences between reasons for enroling and reasons for continuing at a sport centre.

A specially developed 16-item questionnaire was sent to 125,000 clients and 21,043 responses were obtained.

Clients who found out about the centre through a recommendation or the internet were 25 per cent more likely to be satisfied with it than those who knew of the centre due to proximity. Similarly, clients who had a specific motive to continue using the centre, for example, to prepare for a sports competition were twice as likely to be satisfied with their membership as any other group (p<0.001).

It identifies a set of research priorities for the journal and the field.

In conclusion, the option of staying fit is established as the most effective recruitment method for retaining clients at the sport centre.

This paper intends to do is to establish the bases of information and knowledge for the treatment of high motives, as well as for managers of sports centres to remodel their strategies of marketing to attracting customers.