What Trafford Leisure does

Trafford Leisure Community Interest Company Ltd is a non-profit leisure operator wholly owned by Trafford Council, established in September 2015 to deliver sport and fitness services across the Trafford borough of Greater Manchester. The company operates nine indoor leisure facilities (including move Altrincham, move Urmston, Sale Leisure Centre, Stretford Sports Village, and Partington Sports Village), one golf course and driving range, and 31 outdoor football pitches, serving over 2 million visitors annually. Its core product set spans gym and fitness facilities, swimming pools with structured lessons, gymnastics and trampolining programmes, group fitness classes (including Les Mills-branded content and Hydrohex virtual water fitness), golf with Toptracer ball-tracking technology, racquet sports, and specialist accessible facilities such as Emma's Room sensory room.

The business generates revenue through a mix of recurring monthly/annual fitness memberships (including tiered offerings for juniors aged 11-15 and seniors 65+), pay-as-you-go access, vocational training courses (First Aid, NPLQ lifeguard, Baby Savers, Mental Health First Aid), and health referral programmes operating in partnership with the NHS. Pricing ranges from £15/month youth memberships to £280 for a five-day National Pool Lifeguard Qualification. The company uses a self-serve mobile app (iOS and Android) and an online membership portal as its primary direct-to-consumer channels, supplemented by GP/physiotherapist referral routes for clinical exercise programmes.

Trafford Leisure restructured in April 2025 to operate as an agent of Trafford Council following HMRC VAT guidance, and is a major beneficiary of a £47m+ Council capital investment programme, including £18.3m of Levelling Up Fund money for Partington Sports Village. The company employs 300+ staff (one source cites 400+ qualified staff) and is the largest operator of sport and leisure facilities in Trafford, with a stated annual turnover of £8 million.

Name

Trafford Leisure

Legal name

Trafford Leisure Community Interest Company Ltd

Website

https://traffordleisure.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Trafford Leisure is a Trafford Council-owned non-profit leisure operator running nine indoor facilities, a golf course, and football pitches across Greater Manchester, serving 2+ million annual visitors with gym, swim, classes, and training services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Timperley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fitness Memberships: Monthly or annual membership subscriptions providing access to gym facilities, classes, and activities across all leisure centres
2. Pay As You Go: One-time payment for individual sessions including gym, swimming, classes, and court bookings
3. Training Courses: Revenue from professional training courses including First Aid at Work, National Pool Lifeguard Qualification, Baby Savers, and Mental Health First Aid
4. Golf Facilities: Revenue from Altrincham Golf Course and Driving Range including Toptracer bays

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Trafford Leisure operates a network of nine indoor leisure centres, a golf course and driving range, and 31 outdoor football pitches across the Trafford borough in Greater Manchester, as an agent of Trafford Council. It sells fitness memberships, pay-as-you-go access, swimming lessons, gymnastics, trampolining, group fitness classes, racquet sports, golf, vocational training courses (First Aid, Pool Lifeguard, Baby Savers, Mental Health First Aid), and inclusive programmes such as sensory rooms and health-referral exercise schemes.

Product overview

Trafford Leisure is a leisure facility operator delivering sport and fitness services across Greater Manchester as an agent of Trafford Council. The company operates a multi-facility network including Altrincham Leisure Centre (move Altrincham), Move Urmston, Sale Leisure Centre, Stretford Sports Village, Partington Sports Village, and Altrincham Golf Course. Its core offering encompasses gym and fitness facilities, swimming pools with lessons, group fitness classes (including Les Mills and Hydrohex water fitness), racquet sports, gymnastics, trampolining, and sensory facilities. The company also provides vocational training courses (First Aid, Pool Lifeguard, Baby Savers, Mental Health First Aid) and operates a mobile app for bookings. Technology integrations include Toptracer golf tracking, Les Mills fitness classes, and Hydrohex water fitness. The portfolio serves over 2 million annual visitors across 9 indoor facilities, one golf course, and 31 outdoor football pitches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• move Altrincham
• Move Urmston
• Sale Leisure Centre
• Stretford Sports Village
• Partington Sports Village
• Altrincham Golf Course & Driving Range
• Trafford Leisure Mobile App (twmove)
• Gym Facilities
• Swimming Facilities & Lessons
• Hydrohex Water Fitness
• Les Mills Classes
• Gymnastics Programme
• Trampolining Programme
• Emma's Room Sensory Room
• Racquet Sports
• Membership Plans
• First Aid at Work Courses
• National Pool Lifeguard Qualification
• Baby Savers Course
• Mental Health First Aid Course
• Clip and Climb Wall

Quantifiable outcome

• 9,000+ children learn to swim each week
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• The Michael Carrick FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership supporting the Carrick's Street Reds football club at Old Trafford Sports Barn for children aged 8-19. Trafford Leisure provided boot drop-off points and marketing materials for the foundation's boots room campaign collecting football boots for disadvantaged children.
• Dean TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint operation of Partington Sports Village at Broadoak School. Partnership includes significant investments including £1.05m for new artificial grass pitch and Levelling Up funded redevelopment.
• Trafford CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrafford Leisure operates as an agent on behalf of Trafford Council to deliver leisure services. Council provides £18.3m Levelling Up funding for Partington redevelopment and £47m investment program for leisure centre improvements.
• Sport EnglandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported development of facility designs at Altrincham and Sale leisure centres to deliver long-term sustainable leisure provision with best health and wellbeing outcomes for residents.
• Macmillan Cancer SupportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partnership with staff fundraising activities including 26-mile Northumberland Mighty Hike raising £1,672 for Macmillan.
• Institute of SwimmingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining academy partnership delivering Level One and Two Swim England qualifications for swimming teachers. More than 90% of training costs funded by Trafford Leisure with £85 registration fee for candidates.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GLL (Better): UK's largest public-sector leisure trust, operating council-owned leisure centres on agent/management agreements across many boroughs. Directly comparable as a council-facing, multi-facility leisure operator with similar membership and active-living programmes.
• Everyone Active (SLM): Operates over 200 leisure centres on behalf of local authorities in partnership with SLM, serving a community-based membership model with mixed gym, swim, and class programming — a near-identical operating model to Trafford Leisure.
• Places Leisure: Leisure trust managing council-owned centres including swimming, gyms and health-referral programmes. Comparable in mission-driven structure (community impact / CIC-style), footprint and active-living focus.
• Serco Leisure: Operates leisure facilities on behalf of UK local authorities under long-term contracts, combining gym, swim and community programmes. Directly comparable as a contracted council leisure operator with multi-site management responsibilities.
• Better (via GLL) - Greenwich Leisure: Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), trading as Better, is a UK leisure social enterprise running facilities for local authorities with health-referral and community programmes — same CIC-style model as Trafford Leisure.

Regional players

• Active Tameside: Adjacent Greater Manchester borough (Tameside) leisure trust operating multiple council facilities with gym, swim and class offerings; similar community CIC model and customer base, but in a separate geographic catchment.

Broad incumbents

• The Gym Group: National low-cost gym chain competing for the same value-seeking Trafford memberships, though without the council-agent model, swim lessons, or community health programmes.
• PureGym: UK's largest gym operator with multiple Greater Manchester sites competing for the same value gym membership segment, although narrower facility scope than a multi-activity leisure centre operator.
• David Lloyd Leisure: Premium family health club chain offering racquet sports, swimming, fitness and kids' programming at premium price points, competing for higher-income Trafford households.
• Nuffield Health: UK health and fitness provider combining gym membership with clinical health services and health-referral pathways, comparable to Trafford Leisure's Active Living referral scheme.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/traffordleisure
• Facebookfacebook.com/traffordleisurecic
• Instagraminstagram.com/traffordleisure

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trafford Leisure