ukactive and 4GLOBAL enter multi-year partnership to strengthen data and insight across physical activity sector

ukactive has announced 4GLOBAL as its Strategic Data Partner, helping to deliver more consistent and robust evidence, support the continued growth of the health and fitness sector and better demonstrate the importance of being active.

This partnership builds on three years of collaboration between the UK’s trade body for the physical activity sector and the specialist data and intelligence company.

As ukactive’s Strategic Data Partner, 4GLOBAL will provide benchmarking, analysis and evidence development, bringing together data across public, private and independent operators.

The partnership aims to address longstanding challenges of fragmented data and inconsistent benchmarking, helping to deliver a holistic view of the market to inform strategy, investment and policymaking.

One example of the work set to be delivered is the Adroddiad Marchnad Iechyd a Ffitrwydd y DU. Bringing together data on visits to health and fitness facilities across the UK, this annual report will continue to provide a comprehensive picture of the sector and how it is changing over time.

Clemency Lion, Director of Research, Policy and Communications at ukactive, said: “High-quality data and insights are vital if we are to demonstrate the true value of the physical activity sector and support its sustained growth.

“Having a multi-year partnership will enable us to better identify and respond to trends, giving ukactive members, partners and policymakers a clearer picture of how the sector is performing and the contribution it is making to society.

“A consistent, robust evidence base will improve our engagement with government and make a stronger case for why further support is needed to unlock our sector’s full potential.”

Jack Shakespeare, Managing Director at 4GLOBAL, said: “We’re delighted to deepen our long-standing partnership with ukactive and to play a bigger role in strengthening the evidence and insight available to the physical activity sector.

“The opportunity isn’t simply to collect more data; it’s to connect data from across the sector, turn it into meaningful insight and use that evidence to support better decisions. By combining ukactive’s reach and sector knowledge with 4GLOBAL’s data expertise and InsightOS infrastructure, we can build a much clearer picture of how the sector is performing, the value it creates and where the greatest opportunities for growth lie.

“Ultimately, this partnership is about giving the sector and its partners greater confidence in the evidence they use to make decisions –- and helping the sector demonstrate its contribution with greater clarity and consistency.”