Summary

The global market for sports coaching has been experiencing substantial growth, projected to increase by $11.823.95 million from 2023-2027, with a CAGR of 5.87%. This growth is driven by increased government initiatives, technology integration, and higher demand for personalized coaching services. The pandemic has significantly reshaped the market, accelerating the transition to online coaching and diversified fitness regimes, with a pronounced demand for exercises that also promote mental health and well-being. However, the industry faced a downturn during the pandemic in 2020, with Italy's production value in sports coaching dropping by about 35% from the previous year. Despite this setback, the sector is characterized by a predominance of micro-enterprises and self-employed professionals, as indicated by Italy's 81.5% of sports and recreational coaching providers registered as sole traders. As of the latest data, the number of sports coaches, instructors, and officials is anticipated to rise from 39,700 in 2018 to 47,800 by 2023, with a strong rebound post-pandemic.

Trends in the Italian Sports Coaching Market

In recent years, the sports coaching market in Italy has demonstrated significant trends reflecting the changing attitudes and behaviors of the Italian population toward physical fitness and activities. Despite Italy showcasing a lower engagement in regular sporting activities than recommended, with only between 10 and 15 million people engaging in regular sports practice, there has been a noticeable shift in recent times. One of the most evident trends is the increase in demand for personalized sporting services, particularly highlighted during the pandemic when restrictions in movement led many to seek home-based fitness regimes to maintain their physical and mental well-being. This led to a surge in the demand for sports coaches who could provide services at home, facilitating the growth of personalized offers in the sports coaching market. The pandemic also spurred the growth of online coaching, which not only catered to existing clients but also expanded client bases.

The sports coaching market's structure has evolved with technological advancements and changing consumer preferences, integrating digital solutions to cater to a wider audience. This evolution towards a more hybrid model of fitness services, where individuals have the flexibility to work out both at home and in gyms, is part of a broad digital transformation that the sector is undergoing. In terms of market structure, the Italian sports coaching market is primarily composed of small and medium-sized enterprises, with over 80% participating as self-employed, individual entrepreneurs or freelancers. This indicates a highly fragmented market with significant opportunities for independent sports coaching professionals.

The employment in the sports coaching sector is also worth noting, with the proportion of sports coaches, instructors, and officials experiencing a decline in the past five years but anticipated to grow strongly in the coming years. Currently, less than half of the positions in this sector are full-time, suggesting a market with abundant part-time opportunities. Analysis of sports participation in Italy reveals that there is a strong correlation between educational qualifications and sporting engagement across various age groups, with higher levels of education correlating with higher levels of sports participation.

Regional disparities in sports participation are also evident, with the highest concentrations of sports participation found in metropolitan areas and larger population centers, while smaller towns show lesser engagement. The number of sports coaches registered with professional associations in Italy has seen a steady increase, with approximately between 1,000 and 2,000 professional coaches currently recognized, showcasing the growth potential within the profession. Finally, as we consider the financial aspect of the market, the cost of hiring a sports coach varies widely across different service modalities. It ranges from between 15 to 20 euros for a standardized online training.

The Landscape of Key Players in the Evolving Sports Coaching Market

In the dynamic world of sports coaching, several entities stand out as key players shaping the industry. Their roles vary from providing certifications and setting professional standards to offering direct coaching services and technological solutions.

One of the principal authorities is the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), which plays a crucial role in the accreditation and organization of sports federations, clubs, and coaching personnel. CONI ensures that sports coaches are duly registered and hold the necessary qualifications, such as instructor, coach, and/or master certificates, providing a clear structure to the sports education and coaching in Italy. The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) is another significant player, known for providing professional certifications to fitness coaches worldwide. ISSA courses and certifications are designed to equip trainers with the required knowledge to offer high-standard coaching services.

On the education front, institutions like Fiteducation offer a different form of support to the sports coaching market. They compile and provide valuable statistics regarding employment rates, working hours, and demographic distributions of coaches, helping both prospective fitness coaches and industry stakeholders gain insights into market dynamics. From the technological side, platforms such as Revoo and FirstHand have gained traction by offering innovative solutions to coaches and fitness enthusiasts alike.

These platforms have proven instrumental in driving the digitization of sports coaching, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, by facilitating online coaching services and digital personal training. In the context of the Italian market, the statistical agency ISTAT provides crucial data related to sports coaching services, offering insights into production values and practitioner numbers, thereby helping to measure the economic impact and growth rates within the sector. Let's not forget the essential role of professional associations like CreaCoach in Italy, which represent and support the growing community of professional coaches.

By advocating for high standards, offering resources, and fostering a network of licensed professionals, they contribute towards elevating the quality and perception of sports coaching. Unioncamere, the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce, plays its part by providing a census of the gym facilities available and their geographical spread, which is vital information for strategic planning within the fitness industry. To summarize, the sports coaching market is robust and multifaceted, with key players ranging from national committees and educational institutions to digital platforms and professional associations. Each entity contributes to the shaping of a market that is increasingly personalized, digitized, and focused on delivering high-quality coaching to an array of clients with diverse needs.

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  • Number of pages : 30 pages
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  • Last update : 10/05/2023
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Summary and extracts

1 Market summary

1.1 Definition and presentation

Coaching consists of personalized support aimed at helping customers achieving a specific goal. It is possible to find coaches in different fields, including personal and professional development, and sport. In the latter case, coaches usually work in two different areas: either fitness room or home-based, depending on whether they are employees or self-employed.

The global market for sports coaching is expected to grow by $9.07 billion during the period 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of 4.83%. 

In 2018, almost the 35.3% of the Italian population was considered to be a regular or occasional sports practitioner. Even if this proportion counted for 20.7 million of Italian citizens, a significant part of the population did not carry out the minimum recommended level of physical activity. On average, adults should exercise at least thirty minutes each day, five days per week, while youngers one hour per day. However, due to other impediments including work, as people get older, they find it objectively difficult to perform physical activities on a daily basis. These negative facts are also reflected in the average amount of money spent by Italian families to do sport annually, which counts only for the 2.3% of total Italian consumptions.

Surprisingly, the pandemic played a positive impact on the proportion of people practicing physical activities. Most declared they wanted to exercise while being home because of the beneficial effects on both physical and mental health. Consequently, having experienced positive results for the well-being, a vast majority of the population continued to train even after lock-down was released. In addition, as the situation was still critical, only a part of the population decided to go back to gyms and fitness centers, while a relevant part opted for personal trainers who delivered home service.

Therefore, following the increasing demand for home services to practice physical activity, the profession of sports coach is evolving towards more personalized offers.

1.2 Global Market

The sports coaching market is poised to grow by $**,***.** million over ****-****, accelerating at a CAGR of *.**% during the forecast period. The market is driven by increasing government initiatives, technological integration in sports coaching, and increasing demand for sports coaches [***].

The sports coaching field is expected to continue performing well in ...

1.2 Italian Market

The economic value created by sports coaching services can be consulted on the istat website, taking the following ateco code as a reference: **.**.** – Sports and recreational courses, which includes the activities of:

sports training (***) sports training centres and camps gymnastics courses riding courses or schools swimming courses sports instructors, teachers, and ...

1.3 Impact Covid-19

The closures and limitations of gyms have forced all operators to reorganize: this situation has been seen as an opportunity to experiment with online or distance coaching. Online coaching, in fact, allows one to manage one's current clients but also to expand one's clientele, providing a diversified source of income when ...

2 Demand analysis

2.1 The practice of sport in Italy

In Italy, only **.* percent of people aged * years and over practice sport continuously, some **.* million. The highest percentage is recorded for those who practice neither sport nor physical activity, a total of **.* million. It was also seen that almost * out of ** children practice sport when both parents are regulars, compared to ...

2.2 The numbers of federal sporting activity

THE FEDERATIONS WITH THE MOST REGISTERED ATHLETES IN **** Football Tennis Volleyball Basketball Athletics   THE FEDERATIONS WITH MORE SPORTS CLUBS IN **** Football Volleyball Basketball Tennis Cycling   AMONG THE DSA THAT HAVE MORE ATHLETES AND MORE SPORTS CLUBS, RESPECTIVELY. Checkers Sports billiards   The ranking of the most widespread federations in Italy in almost ...

2.3 Italians' interest in the fitness world

The ** percent of Italian respondents answer to the Statista survey on "Fitness and health service purchases" with "Gym membership". The personal trainer option counts just the *% of the respondents. The survey was conducted in ****, among *,*** consumers, between **-** years old.

Fitness and health service purchase Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

As Italy tops ...

2.4 New Fitness trends after the pandemic

To find out what habits have become and how they have changed over the course of a year, *,*** sportsmen and sportswomen (***) from *** countries worldwide were interviewed.

The first and clearest result was that the most popular trend in **** was outdoor activities. Indeed, **.* percent of respondents chose outdoor activities such as running, ...

3 Market structure

3.1 Structure of the Italian Market of sport coaching

Based on the ateco code described earlier in part *.*, it was possible to derive the number of practitioners of sports and recreational coaching services in Italy, from **** to the last updated year of ****. We can see from the graph a steady growth, dampened in the year **** by the advent of the ...

3.2 Federal sporting coach

The figure of the sports coach comes in various guises, there is the fitness coach who refers to the figure of the personal trainer, practicing both within sports facilities and at home, and coaches associated with a regulated sport, related to the federal sports world, e.g. football coach, volleyball coach ...

3.3 Professional fitness coach

A professional fitness coach is a professional in the field of fitness and exercise, most often instructor (***), including professionals sports club's fitness trainers and aerobics and yoga instructors and authors of fitness instruction books or manuals [***].

In all, there are ***,*** fitness instructors who help gym-goers find the right type of workout. ...

3.4 Major players in the provision of sports coaching services

Corresponding to ateco code **.**.**, there are the largest Italian sports centres whose offer is very diverse, from swimming courses to motorbike sports instruction.

The table below shows the largest companies in this role:

4 Analysis of the offer

4.1 Analysis of the sporting coach figure

Coaching is a practice that is also becoming increasingly popular in the world of sport, where it is called Sports Coaching and focuses on all situations related to motivation, concentration, performance anxiety, improving technique, and more. The goal is to unlock the athlete's full potential. Put another way, coaching is a ...

4.2 Cost of the service

The range is very varied: it starts at a minimum of **–** euros and goes up to *** euros for an hour's lesson. There are several factors that influence the price of a session with a gym trainer, including education, the level of specialization, the type of client and training, the time required ...

4.3 How is the figure of the sports coach evolving?

In the past, the coach was seen as a mother technician, with tasks limited to athletic preparation and choice of formation. However, this conception has changed, and today the coach is seen as a true leader, with a strategic vision and ability to manage group dynamics.

As an example, we can ...

5 Rules and regulations

5.1 Regulation

The new provisions on sports work for amateurs and professionals:

On * January ****, the new provisions contained in Legislative Decree No. *** of * October **** aimed at a reorganization and reform of Italian sports regulations will come into force.

Last * November, the following was published in the Official Gazette Legislative Decree no. *** of * October ...

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Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Sport Management S.p.a
RABE 23 S.R.L.S.
SAN CARLO SPORT SOCIETA' SPORTIVA DILETTANTISTICA A RESPONSABILIT A' LIMITATA
CENTRO SPORTIVO BABEL SOCIETA' SPORTIVA DILETTANTISTICA SOCIETA' A RESPONSABILITA' LIMITATA IN LIQUIDAZIONE

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