One of the greatest joys (for me) of the phased relaxation of lockdown restrictions has been the recent reopening of sports and leisure clubs.  'My' club, Martlesham Leisure, is an independently-owned facility in east Suffolk and when news came that the squash courts would once again be open and available I was extremely happy.  Since Monday 27 July, the first day play was possible, I have managed to shoehorn in five sessions, supplementing the running regime I instigated during the preceding period in an attempt to maintain at least a modicum of cardio fitness in preparation for The Big Return.  That effort is proving dividends on court, though attempting to retrieve short-ball front wall drop shots, even in the New Normal world of socially-distanced court-drill training only, proves that there really is no substitute for the game itself when it comes to deep lunges and recovering from the same...

The new club environment is a strange one.  Martlesham Leisure has been forensic in implementing strict reopening protocols designed to safeguard members, with one-way systems, sanitising principles, social distancing and, I am pleased and even proud to report, the deployment of online booking systems for squash, gym, pool and class reservations.  Squash bookings have been available digitally for many years but all other activities now join the digital revolution - and to me, this is not only a mandatory fulfillment of authority regulations but also proof that, despite its comparative size and independent status, clubs such as Martlesham Leisure can reap competitive advantage via this small act of Digital Transformation.  I see three key areas where the owners win:

1. Guaranteed regulatory compliance.  Returning members are now mandated to pre-book visits and upon arrival, undergo compulsory hand sanitation and barcode-based membership identification and registration.  This ensures that the club can identify any and all members who may have been present during any future potential COVID case investigation and initiate their own local Track & Trace routine accordingly.  Speaking personally, this digital action brings peace of mind at a time when many will be anxious about returning - and that's great customer service.

2. Enhanced Customer Experience (CX).  Being part of a members leisure club isn't only about the sporting and fitness facilities.  The very reason why Martlesham is a "leisure" club is that members meet members and become friends, often sharing fitness activities, competitive matches and, critically, shared leisure time.  The staff is all carefully recruited for genuine member (customer) empathy and engagement and, alongside a cafe/bar recreational 'vibe', complete a welcoming, warm environment.  The focus on safety only enhances the feeling of wellbeing (as per the club's own statement from their website, below) and the new digital registration capabilities provide massive reassurance at a time of understandable concern.  The mental welfare benefits of once again being able to re-engage with friends not seen for many months, albeit at a socially-distanced two arms' lengths away, is made possible by digital initiative.

3. Analytical insight for survival and growth.  Ironically, the club may not even yet appreciate an invaluable by-product of digital adoption - the opportunity to leverage the data collated through the new App-driven booking system to better understand member sentiment, usage trends, demographic (age, membership type, gender, length of tenure, geography, etc.) and take-up vs. lost member ratio.  The App chosen to administer bookings is a generic one, not a custom-designed application, but the insight latent within the seemingly innocuous data content can just as easily be extracted, analysed and reported upon against business metrics which make sense to the survival and long-term financial viability of such a club.  The opportunities for enhanced Loyalty and member personalisation programmes become a key possibility.

Reopening club facilities called for the private owners to invest heavily in systems, processes and protocols designed to at least allow a fighting chance of survival.  Ultimately, it will be the members who decide the fate of such clubs; as with other Retail environments there is a fine tipping-point between fixed overheads/costs and revenues, and no business can continue indefinitely regardless of the depth of independent pockets.  But Martlesham Leisure's mix of warm, friendly attitude, a staff of long-standing, customer-centric individuals, quality facilities, members who are friends and a governing ownership willing to invest in digital innovation shows that even small business can - and will - thrive in these uncertain times.

And I, for one, am delighted.  Even if I've already pulled a hamstring (again).