Whether you’re delivering a youth soccer program, a mass participation fun run, or a mixed basketball competition – the service you’re providing has common elements to consider in the design phase.

In this blog I’m providing a breakdown of the features within a sport and active recreation program that we commonly work to evaluate and enhance with our partners. We’re not diving into the principles of good program design here - such as being participant-focused, co-designing with communities, or the importance of partnerships - instead we’ll be focusing on the sport program as a service using Kotler’s 3 Layers' model. Chances are if you’ve studied a marketing subject, you’ll recognise the three circles reflecting the following layers of a product:

1. Core Benefit

2. Actual Product

3. Augmented Product

But instead of an iPhone or small SUV, picture the sport or active recreation program that you participate in or manage.

The Core Benefit (aka. ‘Motivation to Participate’)

The inner-most layer refers to the core needs being satisfied by the consumer – their ‘why’. People participating in sport and active recreation programs are motivated for a variety of reasons, but my favourite model for segmenting these motivations is the “Three Worlds” model by Dave Collins and colleagues. In their paper, the researchers proposed that participation can be categorised across a continuum of three pillars:

• Participation for Personal Well-being – what I will call ‘well-being’

• Personal Referenced Excellence – what I will call ‘development’

• Elite Referenced Excellence – what I will call ‘excellence’

So the inner circle of our diagram reflects that a sports program or event needs to fundamentally understand what motivates its participants:

• Well-being = motivated strongly by the 3 Fs: fun, friends and fitness.

• Development = motivated by personal bests and ‘raising the bar’

• Excellence = motivated by elite-level results and competition

One program may cater to multiple pillars. For example, many mass participation running events offer separate categories for walkers/social groups, those seeking a personal best, and elite categories vying for cash prizes and international ranking points.

But sport organisations need to clearly understand which category they are targeting, as this will shape the outer layers of the circle as we dive into the features of a program.

The Actual Product (aka ‘Core Program Features’)

In the middle circle we break down the elements that shape the activity portion of sport and active recreation programs

• Branding: The name, slogan, and visual elements of a program tell a huge story around who should show up and how they should show up.

• Segmenting: how participants are grouped and managed to optimise the experience (think age groups, All Abilities programs, wave starts by running speed). The participant-to-deliverer ratio is very important here within most sporting activities.

• Content: The actual activity being conducted, shaped by the curriculum, competition format or course/route.

• Duration: Viewed as both the length of a discrete session (45-minutes, 10 kilometres), or the length of a season (8 weeks, 5 races, one-off event).

• Format: Is the program conducted in a modified or social style? For team sports, how many players on the field? For a fun run, is it a relay or solo event?

• Deliverer Quality: How well coaches, technical officials/umpires, and MCs meet the expectations of participants.

• What to Wear: Most commonly relates to uniforms and what choices participants are given, relating to size/fit/colour/style. May also include footwear and accessibility to specific items like helmets and wetsuits.

• Equipment and Surfaces: Includes how sport equipment may be modified and maintained to promote a positive experience depending on age/ability, and also the quality of scoring/timing infrastructure.

• Hydration and First Aid: Participants need water! And depending on the context, first aid could be argued to be an ‘augmented’ feature but increasingly across many active recreation contexts it is a core requirement.

The Augmented Product (aka ‘Augmented Program Features’)

Depending the specific program, some of the ‘augmented’ features may actually become ‘core’ features. For example it could be argued that music is a core part of a group fitness class, or that refreshments and toilets are a key part of an Ironman triathlon – their absence would make participation unfeasible. But I’ve kept close to the textbook definition here, where these are important factors that can add value to participants beyond the physical activity itself. A non-exhaustive list of things to consider at this level include:

• Social events

• Venue accessibility

• Come and Try / free trial options

• Food/drink options

• Toilet and change facilities

• Registration and ticketing processes

• Website and social media

• Pre and post-program communications

• Photography and videography

• Music

• Extra coaching and tutorials

• Opportunities to ‘do good’ (e.g. fundraising)

• Merchandise

• Shipping and fulfilment method

• Rewards and recognition

• Pathways and progression

• How people spectate

• Links to community

Summary

• Providers of sport experiences need to understand the core benefit (inner circlethat participants are seeking to gain from their involvement in a sport or active recreation program - why do they play and what need are they trying to satisfy?

• The core program features (middle circle) are not necessarily going to distinguish your event from others (OK, some may), but they are important to get right before diving into program add-ons.

• The augmented program features (outer circle) are the things that are likely to enhance the experience of your participants and separate your from other providers. Many of these features work on providing a strong sense of belonging and connection to the participant.