Holiday programs provide a safe and fun environment for children to be cared for during the school holiday period. They are sometimes run at school-based Out of School Hours Care services or at external centres and are a service that is valued by many families.

Here are some reasons why running a holiday program at your centre is a great idea:

Utilise your existing space

Your sports centre probably already has the space you need to run a holiday program. While children will need somewhere to leave their belongings, eat meals and rest if they’d like to, most of the day will be involved in sports and activities in areas you already have. Think about your existing space and consider how you might go about converting some of it for a holiday program.

Brings new people into your centre

Opening up your sports centre for a school holiday program can bring in a whole range of new people. As well as inviting in children who may not have visited your centre before, you’ll also be seeing their parents and carers too. This can be a great opportunity to cross-promote your other services and gain some new members for your sports centre at the same time.

Provides a service for your community

Holiday programs are necessary for a lot of families and providing one at your sports centre offers a valuable service to your community. Giving your local community a specialised holiday program allows you to support your existing members and their families during the school holidays too.

Utilise the skills of your staff

Your centre already contains staff that are sports coaches and experts in their field who are trained to work with children. Utilise these skills to create an exciting, sports-focused holiday program that is engaging and professional.

Running a holiday program at your sports centre has many benefits and should be considered if you have the space, staff and desire to do so. It can extend the reach of your client base and also provide a useful and highly valued service to your local community.