Sports activities boost consumption across city

By Yan Wanqin.

This summer, Yichang's sports market is on fire. Fueled by major events such as national badminton tournaments, the Hubei Provincial Games, and the Hubei City Football League, the city has seen packed stadiums, booming equipment sales, rising demand for personal trainers and a surge in youth sports. All of this is driving a thriving sports economy.

On August 5, over 40 young players were practicing football at a club in Dongchen Sports Park. After becoming a die-hard fan of Yichang HEC Team during this year's Hubei City Football League, eight-year-old Li Muge asked his mother to sign him up for football lessons.

The Dongfang Feiyu Swimming Center, which is also in the Dongchen Sports Park, had more than 200 students in July, and August bookings remain strong. The park now offers seven sports programs, including football, badminton, basketball, tennis, table tennis, swimming, and fitness. There are nearly 1,000 people participating in its programs, an increase of about 5 percent year on year, according to operations director Jiang Yingchen.

Emerging sports are also gaining traction. At a pickleball club, 11-year-old Shi Lingxi said the sport is easy to learn, not tiring, and great for making friends. Over 50 students have been enrolled this summer, with adoption spreading faster than expected, according to club head Ji Li.

Badminton coach Shen Xianming at the Youth Palace said parents are increasingly prioritizing their kids’ fitness, making sports a summer must-have. The deep local cultural connection with badminton continues to fuel a booming market.

The trend has created a broader surge in everyday fitness demand. At Yichang Sports Center, 21-year-old Yang Ming said he plays badminton twice a week during summer, praising the professional courts and reasonable prices. At the climbing gym, 40-year-old Liu Feng recently bought 10 sessions for 680 yuan (US$101), saying the upward climb offers great stress relief.

Major public venues are implementing free or low-cost opening policies. Bookings at the Yichang Sports Center rose 15 percent this July compared with a year ago. The Yichang Olympic Sports Center recorded over 9,000 visits across multiple sports in July, up about 11 percent.

Fitness enthusiasm is translating directly into spending. At a sports equipment store on Tiyuchang Road, customers flock to buy rackets, shoes, and protective gear. Summer sales are up about 20 percent, driven mainly by young consumers.

Demand for personal trainers is also on the rise. Jiang Yonghang, a graduate of China Three Gorges University, leads a 10-trainer team whose business grew 30 percent this summer from last year, with trainers sometimes visiting four locations within a day.

Growing fitness awareness, personalized demand, and the flexibility and safety of door-to-door services are fueling the sector's rapid expansion, said Li Chao, founder of another mobile personal trainer service. From buying gear to buying services, "sports plus" is igniting a new consumption engine, he added.

Yichang's sports vitality is no accident. In August 2020, the city was named one of the first national sports consumption pilot cities. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the size of Yichang's sports industry reached a cumulative 40.26 billion yuan, accounting for 1.94 percent of GDP during the five years. Local residents’ sports consumption hit 11.58 billion yuan during this period.

To sustain this summer's momentum throughout the year, Qin Xiaoping, dean of the college of physical education at China Three Gorges University, suggests strengthening local signature events such as the Hubei City Football League, dragon boat league, and mountain cross-country races to amplify their crowd-pulling effect. "Turn the cheers in the stadium into sustained momentum for urban consumption," he said.

Liu Jingjing and Shi Gang contributed to this story.