How often do you hear a member of your Club saying ‘wouldn’t it be great to have a gym?’. It is important that the reasons for a club investing in a fitness facility are very clear as the capital outlay, maintenance and management of such a facility can draw heavily upon resources.
A fitness room for a rugby club should ideally be a dedicated training unit within or attached to a clubhouse to provide a facility for specific training requirements. The following section provides information on indicative costs for equipment, suggested layouts, equipment requirements and some possible alternatives to providing your own gym.
Capital Costs
| Equipment Type |
Cost Range |
| Treadmill |
£2,500 - £7,000 |
| Exercise Bikes/Ergometers |
£500 - £3,000 |
| Rowing Machines |
£300 - £1,500 |
| Incline Press |
£2,000 - £3,500 |
| Bench Press |
£1,500 - £2,500 |
| Fly |
£2,500 - £3,500 |
| Chest Press |
£2,500 - £3,500 |
| Seated Row |
£2,000 - £3,000 |
| Lat Pulldown |
£2,000 - £3,000 |
| Leg Press |
£3,000 - £4,000 |
| Leg Extension |
£2,000 - £3,000 |
| Leg Curl |
£2,000 - £3,000 |
| Smith Machine |
£3,000 - £4,000 |
| Bar |
£200 - £500 |
| Bar Weights |
£100 - £300 |
| Dumbells |
£100 - £500 |
| Multi-Gym Type Machine |
£2,500 - £3,500 |
Suggested Layouts and Equipment Requirements
The amount and range of equipment will be determined by both the size of the facility/room you have available, your training programmes and, most significantly, the costs. It is important that, when assessing the amount of equipment your club needs and the layout of a fitness room, you must aim to provide a balance between equipment for cardiovascular and resistance (weight) training. A general rule of thumb is to allow 5m2 per piece of machinery when calculating the number of pieces of equipment to fit into your training area.
Free Weights
For clubs where space is limited and the cost of the equipment is an issue. The purchase of a range of free weights can provide sufficient equipment with which to focus upon key areas of training or specific conditioning requirements. Free weights can be stored easily and do not require a large space in which to be used effectively. Clubs could look to supplement free weights with a couple of key machines in order to cover their identified training needs. It is extremely important however that initial instruction is given in the technical aspects of their use by a qualified trainer to key members of the coaching/playing staff in order to prevent mis-use and potential injury to players in the future. Individuals with high blood pressure, back problems or hernias should consult a physician prior to engaging in a weight training program.
Financing
There are obviously a number of ways to raise the capital in order to purchase the equipment, however it is worth remembering that it is likely to be a large capital outlay for the club which also incorporates on going maintenance costs. Many of the major manufacturers and a number of finance companies now offer lease/purchase arrangements on fitness equipment. These are usually set over five years where the company will supply, delivery, fit and offer a maintenance agreement for all the equipment and as a club you would pay an annual leasing cost. This then becomes a yearly revenue cost to the club as opposed to finding a large capital sum with which to purchase the equipment initially and arrange a separate maintenance agreement.
Alternatives
The alternative for clubs to access fitness gym equipment without having to place huge demands on the club’s bank balance is to utilise other local facilities. For example the local health club, fitness gym or sports centre. It maybe possible to arrange a club night where you hire the gym for part of your training night or that the club can negotiate a ‘club’ rate for the use of the gym by its members in order to assist them with their training.
Contact your local authority leisure services department for details of the facilities available in your area.
List of suppliers/ manufacturers
Cybex International UK
10, North Portway Close, Round Spinney, Northampton, NN3 8RQ
Tel: 01604 490 900
Life Fitness UK Ltd.
Queen Adelaide, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 4UB
Tel: 01353 666017
Technogym UK Ltd.
Doncastle House, Doncastle Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8PE
Tel: 01344 300236
Polaris Fitness
22 Alfreton Road, Derby, DE21 4AS
Tel: 01332 381853
Pulse Fitness
Concorde House, Walley Street, Biddulph, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST8 6EA
Tel: 01782 375400
Star Trac UK Ltd.
Unit 4, The Gateway Centre, Coronation Road, Cressex Business Park,
High Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 3SU
Tel: 01494 688260
Powersport
Queens Road, Bridgend Industrial Estate, Bridgend, CF31 3UT
Tel: 01656 678910
Precor Products Ltd.
17 Marino Way, Hogwood Lane Ind. Est., Finchampstead, Berkshire, RG40 4RF
Tel: 0118 973 3994
Further information
Fitness equipment rooms Guidance Note (Sport England, 1996)
National Facilities Strategy for Rugby Union in England (RFU, RFUW, and Sport England, 2001)
Sport England Publications
PO Box 255, Wetherby, LS23 7LZ
