Sports Facility Operation

Sports Facility Operators

Japan has many public sports facilities for local residents. However, these facilities have difficulty earning profits due to limited weekday operations and low usage set to maintain their public status. These difficulties plague municipalities in rectifying the local public finances. To solve this problem, an increasing number of municipalities are resorting to private businesses, including private finance initiatives (PFIs), which have garnered the attention of private companies. There are some new developments, such as a general trading company operating large facilities.
This report organizes the market size and challenges of sports facility operations based on interviews with and questionnaires administered to municipalities and sports facility operators nationwide.  

I. Overview of the Public Sports Facility Operation Market

1-1. Number of Public Sports Facilities and Operating Income Scale
1-2. Ownership and Operation Trends
1-3. Revenue Structure and Profitability
     1) Revenue Structure
     2) Efforts to Improve Profitability
     3) Diversifying Revenue Sources
     4) Reducing Operating Costs (Digital Transformation and Energy Savings)
     5) Heatstroke Prevention Measures
1-4. Challenges and Outlook of Public Sports Facility Operation
     1) Challenges
     2) Outlooks
     3) Business Opportunities in Operating Public Sports Facilities

II. Market Overview by Facility Type

2-1. Stadiums and Arenas
     1) Current Status of Operating Stadiums and Arenas
     2) Status of Stadium- and Arena-Related Businesses
     3) ICT Utilization in Stadium and Arena Operations
     4) Challenges in Stadiums and Arenas
     5) Outlooks (Future of Stadium- and Arena-Related Businesses)
     6) Business Opportunities
2-2. Gymnasiums
     1) Current Status of Operating Gymnasiums
     2) Challenges
     3) Outlooks
     4) Business Opportunities
2-3. Swimming Pools
     1) Current Status of Operating Swimming Pools
     2) Challenges
     3) Outlooks
     4) Business Opportunities
2-4. Fitness Facilities
     1) Current Status of Fitness Facilities
     2) Challenges
     3) Outlooks
     4) Business Opportunities
2-5. Soccer Pitches and Baseball Stadiums
     1) Current Status of Operating Soccer Fields and Baseball Stadiums
     2) Challenges
     3) Outlooks
     4) Business Opportunities
2-6. Tennis Courts
     1) Current Status of Operating Tennis Courts
     2) Challenges
     3) Outlooks
     4) Business Opportunities

III. Sports Facility-Related Company Profiles

• Azusa Sekkei Co., Ltd.
• Aichi International Arena Co., Ltd (IG Arena)
• Fighters Sports & Entertainment Co., Ltd. (Hokkaido Ballpark F VILLAGE)
• Regional Creation Nagasaki Co.,Ltd. (NAGASAKI STADIUM CITY)
• Mizuno Corporation.
• Nippon Taiiku Sisetsu Co., Ltd.
• Bot Express Inc.

IV. Results of Questionnaire Administered to Municipalities

4-1. Overview of the Municipal Questionnaire
     1) Facility Operation Status
     2) Usage Status
     3) Facility Operation Revenue
     4) Future Direction

V. Municipality Profiles

• Prefectures: 13 prefectures
• Municipalities:
  - 11 in Hokkaido
  - 14 in Tohoku
  - 19 in Kanto
  - 18 in Chubu
  - 12 in Kinki
  - 4 in Chugoku and Shikoku
  - 8 in Kyushu and Okinawa