The trade body has won a Sport England lottery award to fund a new market research project with the aim of providing a better understanding of the outdoor physical activity market.
The initial phase of the project will be completed by January 2015, with findings communicated industry wide.
It will pull together existing research and emerging activity to provide in-depth market analysis, which will be used to identify market gaps and opportunities within the outdoor sector.
“This new partnership is a fantastic opportunity for our industry to benefit from some groundbreaking insights into the outdoor market,” OIA CEO Andrew Denton, who will be heavily involved in the project, says.
“We’re confident the results of the project will help to make a significant impact on increasing regular outdoor sports and activity participation throughout the nation.”
The OIA has been working with Sport England for a number of years, securing a Britain on Foot grant via the British Mountaineering Council and recently helping the National Trust and Forestry Commission gain project funding to increase outdoor activity on their grounds.
“Our partnership with the OIA will give Sport England and the outdoor sector greater scope to make improvements in the levels of participation for regular outdoor sport and activity,” Lisa O’Keefe, director of insight at Sport England, says.
“By partnering with the OIA and bringing together partners, we can start to share insight, develop networks and explore partnerships in order to increase participation.”
