• SportAnima (international release)

SportAnima. This is the name I have chosen for a business idea in the field of tourism activities, aimed particularly to the practice of some sports that I feel should be considered more often.

This idea came to me because of the combination of several factors, opinions and experiences.

The experience part is related to something on which I was involved until the end of last year’s tourist high season. I’ve been a typical tourist entertainer in the most attractive touristic region in Portugal, the Algarve. And I want to continue being one. Anywhere in this whole world. But not in a way that favors traditional activities, very much in vogue for what can be called as the touristic globalized offer for the masses. I’m taking about group activities such as water gymnastics, afro-latin dance classes and others. People generally believe that particularly those tourists that exhausts low-cost hotel units capacities want this. I do not. I think one should offer them something better.

There is so much to still do in innovative ways in sporting activities for tourists. Some new activities should be offered to be found out how enjoyable they can be. Other traditional activities have this margin for progression towards perfection so huge, still.

Also, the kind of sporting activities that I will talk about don’t have to stick only as an available service in hotel units. No. It should also be a service to be provided to schools and to the public, in general. In order to allow, to whom have never done these, the experience of practice and/or immersion in a given sport. Awakening vocations. Encouraging the continuation of its practice.

This entertainment service that I imagine is also ideal to be available in sporting goods large distribution sale areas. As major examples in my country market, Decathlon, SportZone and Sports Direct.

In these large stores, like supermarkets of sporting goods, the mere sight of articles exposed in some lesser known sports areas in itself encourages clients to try them. But one can enhance sales of these items if we do not passively confine to expose them. If we take people to try them, right there in the store. Guided by what can be called as "customers-actors".

Decathlon stores are most appropriate to have this entertainment service. Both indoors, in specific areas such as golf and table tennis; and outdoors, with areas to practice sports such as mountain biking, skating, soccer, basketball, etc.. It would be interesting, in addition to these, also archery (of course, implemented with strict safety rules), fencing (not only the olympic sport but also something on which one handles a sabre, kendo, the japanese martial art), tennis, badminton, etc..

About Kendo, it was once regarded in last century final decades as one of the sports of the future. One that would have the number of its practitioners growing fast, worldwide. As it was suggested in a famous science fiction tv series. Just to try wearing once all this kendo outfits is a great experience in itself*. One puts himself in the skin of a samurai warrior for a while.

Racquet sports are also very dear to me. Badminton and specially table tennis are among those sports who more develop fast thinking and reflexes and, therefore, our brain. Not considering the world of strategy games like chess, of course. Studies reveal that fencing and kendo also have this effect. All these sports are moreover adequately scenic to captivate practitioners or photography enthusiasts to follow them while in store, thus attracting even more people to enhance sales.

Archery** and tennis are other activities that cause me great enthusiasm. On archery, I have an idea to create targets with a support structure for an all-terrain use. As for tennis, I think we must innovate with a larger use of ball machines in intensive training in tennis academies. One of the gains that SportAnima aims to bring the panorama of sporting activities is to provide the experience of using these ball machines, much since the beginner or casual player levels. To let people experience a bit of the way pro tennis players have in their daily lives.

Also for table tennis, I have an idea to create tables with an innovative design, again using a very popular item sold in Decathlon stores, the Rollnet. Specially designed to use all the potential of this fine item, including the aesthetic. Being this field, aesthetics, something very neglected, in my view, in the full item range of supply of Decathlon and this market, in general.

These tables - as well as the archery target support structures mentioned above - have also to be suitable to be transported in a van, because SportAnima will be a traveling entertainment service.

As said before, In addition to sporting goods stores, SportAnima services can be taken to schools, public institutions and hotel units. Promoting its various sports activities already mentioned and still others like athletics. To give a new life and greater use to so many sports complexes in all countries, especially those outside large urban centers. With the natural benefits that these centers can gain. Shaking the local serenity of a given place in a positive way. And potentially lucrative for tourism in the region.

There are nowadays many track and field athletic complexes that I presume with little use, all over the world. This is a main opportunity for SportAnima.

In athletics we must get people, whether school children or tourists who visit us, to experience, for example, put on those very expensive shoes for speed events, 100 to 400 meters. With hurdles or not. And jumps, either in length or in height. Or just about anything you can finally do in an athletics track, like javelin, discus or hammer throw. With an entire surrounding ambiance that allows us to feel like being olympic athletes for a few moments. 

How many of us would neglect to have this experience, just to put on some shoes like those of Usain Bolt for a moment and see if they can fly with wings on his feet as he does? We see these shoes on store shelves but we believe that will not be worth the investment in its purchase, just for a use to give them so elusive. Here again our partnership with a sporting goods store like Decathlon would bring good dividends for both companies.

The enthusiasm that SportAnima’s sports entertainment services can wake up in so many of us should be our best guarantee of sustainability and viability. 

What's more, there are nowadays some hotel units that are run all year round open doors for niche markets, such as national teams training periods for élite athletes. This is the case in my country, Portugal, of Herdade da Cortesia in Aviz, Alto Alentejo, for rowing athletes. Several others exist to supply the demand of sportsmen winter season training periods. For those sportsmen living in less mild climates than those of southern Europe.

So, in sum, what can SportAnima be?

1. A tourist entertainment service, particularly aimed to offer sports activities on exclusive or top class hotel units.
2. A in-store entertainment service, aimed to promote sports activities, with the goal of attracting more customers and enhance sporting goods sales.
3. A supplier of experiences in new sports, other than the most popular ones like team sports, for school children, teenagers willing to find their best sport skills and public in general, of all ages.
4. An entertainment service for élite sportsmen recreation times during pre-season, pre-competition or pre-match special training periods, allowing athletes to learn about and enjoy different sports from the ones they are professionally engaged.
5. A think-tank and counseling service for the better and most enjoyable practice of sports on already existing or to be built sports facilities.
6. A promoter of a larger use of sports facilities in small communities, enhancing these to a better tourist offer.

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Note: This very same post has been already written in portuguese, my mother language, but now I felt like sharing this SportAnima’s concept to a wider audience.

* And the same goes to all other sports that are mentioned in this SportAnima’s concept presentation. For instance, one might find a bit funny some golf outfits, but nevertheless one would like to try to wear them at least once in one’s life, don’t we all?

** Archery is in some of the finest places around this world to have great relaxing vacations a major activity, in the overall tourist offer of some of the most exclusive hotels units. Like in the Banyan Tree Al Wadi hotel and resort, in the United Arab Emirates. Where one is invited to step into the shoes of an arabian archer.