Active Academy

What Active Academy does

Active Academy is a privately held, founder-owned Irish fitness services business founded in 2010 by Lisa Redmond, operating primarily in the Wicklow and Dublin region. The company operates two integrated service divisions: Active Kids Academy, which delivers inclusive fitness classes for children with additional needs and disabilities across schools, ASD units, preschools, special schools, and additional needs services; and Active Academy, which provides fitness services for adults with and without additional needs, including corporate classes, personal training, and high-performance training for athletes. The service offering spans 16 distinct products including school PE blocks, sports days, learn-to-cycle programmes, small group sessions, online classes, sibling-focused classes, and professional training modules for teachers, coaches, and SNAs.

The underlying operational model is service-led and human-driven rather than technology-led. Delivery occurs on-site at client institutions, at home visits, in studio/outdoor settings, and through live online sessions via Zoom supplemented by pre-recorded video content and downloadable PDF workout templates. Technology plays a supporting role through standard tools: Zoom for live virtual classes, the website for booking and information, and an Appointlet integration for scheduling free demo classes. The 'Learning to Fail' methodology, which integrates physiotherapy and occupational therapy exercises into fun, participation-focused activities, is the company's documented intellectual property.

Active Academy generates revenue through a hybrid mix of recurring class subscriptions (children's and adult fitness), one-to-one session bundles, professional training workshops, event-based packages (Sports Days and Fun Days), and prepaid gift vouchers in denominations from €50 to €500. Pricing is partially disclosed with class fees on a quote basis. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and direct-to-institution, with free demo classes to schools serving as the primary acquisition channel for institutional clients, supplemented by word-of-mouth referrals, social media, and local press coverage.

Name

Active Academy

Legal name

Active Academy Ireland

Website

https://activeacademy.ie

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Active Academy is a founder-owned Irish fitness services provider founded in 2010, delivering inclusive fitness classes and training for children and adults with additional needs across schools, ASD units, preschools, and community services in the Wicklow and Dublin region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inclusive Fitness Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Adaptive & Special Needs Personal Training (HSADAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Group Fitness, Personal Training & Wellness Coaching (EDALAIAE), Fitness & Exercise Training Education (Strength, Cardio, Mobility) (EDAAAHAB), Physical Education (PE) & Fitness Programs (EDAJAJAC)

Keywords

• Inclusive fitness programs
• Disability fitness services
• Children's fitness classes
• Personal training services
• Corporate fitness solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Wicklow

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Children's Fitness Classes: Fun fitness classes for children with additional needs offered in schools, ASD units, services, online, one-to-one, at home, or small group sessions. These are the core revenue-generating classes.
2. One-to-One Personal Sessions: Individualised programme design and delivery for children who may not suit group classes. Offered in schools, services, or at home with parental involvement.
3. Training for Professionals: Training modules and workshops for teachers, coaches, parents, SNAs, and volunteers working with children through sport. Develops capacity among professionals to implement inclusive fitness programmes.
4. Adult Fitness Services: Fitness classes for adults with and without additional needs, corporate classes, studio/ outdoor classes, high performance training for athletes, and personal training services.
5. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers available in denominations of €50, €100, €150, €200, €250, €300, €400, €500 and custom amounts, providing prepaid class credits.
6. Sports Days and Fun Days: One-off or multi-day events for schools and clubs with packages ranging from Mini (one hour) to Maxi (full day), providing inclusive sports activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Active Academy provides inclusive fitness classes and personal training services in Ireland, with specialist programs for children with additional needs, siblings, adults with disabilities, and general adult fitness, alongside corporate fitness packages, sports days, and one-to-one personal training delivered in-person across Dublin and Wicklow.

Product overview

Active Academy is a fitness service provider offering two main service divisions: Active Kids Academy for children with additional needs and disabilities, and Active Academy for adults with and without additional needs. The company operates as a unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Active Kids Academy provides 12 distinct services including classes for children with additional needs, siblings, one-to-one sessions, small groups, school PE blocks, sports days, learn to cycle programmes, active schools weeks, online classes, programme design, practical lectures, and training for those working with children through sport. Active Academy provides 4 services for adults including classes for adults with additional needs, general adult fitness classes, high performance training, and personal training. Both divisions emphasise inclusive, non-competitive fitness with mental health awareness, goal-setting, and community building at their core. Gift vouchers are offered as an add-on product across all services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Children's fitness classes for additional needs Inclusive group fitness classes tailored for children with additional needs or disabilities, delivered in-person across Dublin and Wicklow by trained coaches.
• Siblings fitness classes Fitness classes for siblings of children with additional needs, enabling inclusive family participation in a structured group setting.
• Adult disability fitness classes Group fitness classes for adults with disabilities or additional needs, delivered with specialized coaching in Dublin/Wicklow facilities.
• General adult fitness classes Group fitness classes for general adult participants (with no specific additional needs), complementing the inclusive specialty classes.
• Personal training sessions One-to-one personal training delivered in person by Active Academy coaches for individual clients.
• Corporate fitness packages Fitness programs packaged for corporate clients and employers seeking on-site or arranged workplace fitness services.
• Sports days Organized sports day events for schools and community/corporate groups, delivered by Active Academy coaches.
• Gift vouchers Gift voucher product redeemable against Active Academy classes and personal training services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Classes described as highlight of children's week with measurable engagement and enthusiasm
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Disability Sports Ireland: National body governing disability sport in Ireland, connecting people with disabilities to sport and physical activity. Comparable as an institutional touchpoint that Active Academy's school and nonprofit customers also engage with when sourcing adaptive programming.
• Enable Ireland: Major Irish disability services organisation serving children and adults with disabilities across therapy, education and recreation. Comparable as a broader institution whose service catalogue overlaps with Active Academy's adaptive PE and movement offering, with much deeper clinical and therapy infrastructure.
• Special Olympics Ireland: Ireland's national programme providing sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities. Overlaps with Active Academy's inclusive fitness mission for additional-needs populations, though delivered through a charity and volunteer-coach model at much larger scale.
• F45 Training: Global functional-training franchise offering adult group fitness. Comparable to Active Academy's adult fitness division in class format and pricing model, though lacking special-needs specialisation and operating at vastly larger scale.
• Les Mills: Global group-fitness content and programming provider supplying classes to gyms worldwide. Relevant as a benchmark for the adult group-fitness programming that overlaps with Active Academy's group and personal training classes.

Emerging players

• The Little Gym: International children's motor-skill development franchise operating structured movement classes for young children. Comparable to Active Kids Academy on child-focused fitness and motor development, though mainstream without special-needs specialisation.

Regional players

• Activity Alliance (Inclusive Fitness Initiative): UK-based alliance promoting inclusion in sport and physical activity for disabled people, including the Inclusive Fitness Initiative for gyms. A regional counterpart running an analogous inclusive-fitness accreditation and delivery model to Active Academy, across a different geography.

Others

• Move Together: Nonprofit delivering adaptive fitness and movement programmes for people with disabilities through community partnerships. Mission and beneficiary overlap closely with Active Academy's inclusive-fitness positioning, providing a comparator in scale and delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/activeacademy20
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8FHKfKBz2WORvji6A2PIlw
• Facebookfacebook.com/activeacademyireland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/active-kids-academy
• Instagraminstagram.com/activeacademyireland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Active Academy