Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre

What Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre does

Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre is a municipal aquatic and fitness facility located at 458 Harris Street in Ultimo, Sydney, New South Wales. The centre is owned by the City of Sydney and operated under management contract by Belgravia Leisure, a private leisure facility operator. Named in honour of Australian Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, the centre is housed in a distinctive wave-shaped building and comprises three heated indoor pools — a 50-metre eight-lane pool for lap swimming and squad training, a leisure pool with spa, and a dedicated program pool for swimming lessons — alongside a fitness centre, group exercise studio, spin studio, and sauna and steam room facilities.

The centre serves individual consumers and families across the Ultimo and broader Sydney catchment, with core customer segments including local residents and visitors seeking aquatic recreation and fitness, families and children enrolled in Learn to Swim programs, and visitors with disabilities served through an extensive accessibility programme that includes pool hoist, aqua wheelchair, ramped access, the Access Key guide, communication boards, and social stories. Revenue is generated through four streams: 360 Membership subscriptions providing cross-centre access across the City of Sydney Leisure network, pay-per-visit entry fees, program fees covering Learn to Swim, adult lessons, school holiday intensives, swim squads, group exercise, and personal training, and facility hire for private events and sport competitions.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer model with walk-in access, online booking, and phone support, supported by marketing through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, the City of Sydney Leisure website, email newsletters, and editorial content. Partnerships include the core operational relationship with Belgravia Leisure and the ownership relationship with City of Sydney, alongside a programming partnership with Les Mills for branded group exercise classes. No AI/ML capabilities, patents, or proprietary technology are disclosed, and financial details are not publicly reported.

Name

Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre

Legal name

Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre (operated by Belgravia Leisure under City of Sydney)

Website

https://itac.org.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre is a City of Sydney-owned municipal aquatic and fitness facility in Ultimo, operated by Belgravia Leisure, offering three heated indoor pools, a fitness centre, studios, Learn to Swim programs, and accessibility-focused services to local residents and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquatic and Fitness Recreation Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquatic Centers & Swimming Facilities (MPAKAEAF)

Keywords

• Aquatic recreation services
• Swimming facility operations
• Learn to swim programs
• Fitness centre memberships
• Wellness and recreation

Headquarters

HQ city

Ultimo

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: The centre offers 360 Membership providing access to aquatic and fitness facilities with tiered pricing plans including free trial options for new members.
2. Entry Fees and Admissions: Pay-per-visit entry fees for individuals and families accessing pools, fitness centre, sauna and steam room facilities.
3. Program Fees: Revenue from Learn to Swim programs, adult swimming lessons, school holiday intensives, swim squads, group exercise classes, and personal training sessions.
4. Facility Hire: Rental of facilities for private events, sports competitions, and organised group activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre is a municipal aquatic and fitness facility operating three heated indoor pools (50m, leisure with spa, program), a fully equipped fitness centre, group exercise and spin studios, sauna and steam room, and an array of paid programs including Learn to Swim, swim squads, personal training, and exercise physiology. The centre is owned by the City of Sydney and managed by Belgravia Leisure, serving individual consumers in the Ultimo/Sydney CBD area via casual entry fees, the 360 Membership program, and program registrations.

Product overview

Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre is a leisure facility offering a unified suite of aquatic and fitness products and services. The core product portfolio includes three heated indoor pools (50m pool, leisure pool with spa, and program pool), a fitness centre with strength and cardio equipment, group exercise studios offering Les Mills classes, and a spin studio. Additional services include Learn to Swim programs for children, swim squad training, personal training, and exercise physiology. The centre also provides sauna and steam room facilities. The 360 Membership program provides integrated access across multiple City of Sydney Leisure centres, serving as an add-on membership option to the core facility services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 50m Pool Indoor, heated 50-metre swimming pool with 8 lanes, available year-round for lap swimming, squad training and competition use by individual members and swim squads.
• Leisure Pool Heated indoor leisure pool with spa features designed for casual swimming, relaxation and family recreation.
• Program Pool Dedicated indoor heated pool used for Learn to Swim lessons, school holiday intensives, adult swimming lessons and other instructional aquatic programs.
• Sauna and Steam Room Sauna and steam room facilities used for relaxation, post-swim recovery and general wellness by members and casual visitors.
• Fitness Centre Fully equipped gym featuring strength machines, a cardio zone and a free weights area for individual fitness training by members and casual visitors.
• Group Exercise Classes Group fitness classes held in the on-site studio, including Les Mills branded formats, cardio classes and general wellness classes for members and casual participants.
• Spin Studio Indoor cycling studio used to deliver group spin classes to members and casual participants.
• Learn to Swim Term-based swimming lesson program for children that teaches water safety, skill progression and confidence building, delivered in the dedicated program pool.
• Adult Swimming Lessons Swimming lessons designed for adult learners to build water confidence, develop stroke technique and progress their swimming ability.
• School Holiday Intensives Short-course intensive Learn to Swim blocks run during school holidays to accelerate children's water safety and skill development.
• Swim Squads Competitive swimming squad programs for developing swimmers that provide structured, coached training sessions in the 50m pool.
• Personal Training One-on-one personalised fitness training sessions delivered by certified personal trainers in the fitness centre, available to individuals seeking tailored exercise programming.
• Exercise Physiology Allied health exercise physiology services delivered by accredited exercise physiologists for rehabilitation, chronic disease management and clinical exercise support.
• 360 Membership Subscription membership program providing tiered, integrated access to aquatic and fitness facilities across City of Sydney Leisure centres, with a free trial available for new members and monthly billing.
• Facility Hire Rental of aquatic and fitness centre facilities for private events, sports competitions, indoor sports leagues and organised group activities.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Belgravia LeisurecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgravia Leisure is the operator and manager of the City of Sydney aquatic and fitness centres, including Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre. The company operates the facility on behalf of the City of Sydney local government. This is a core operational partnership where Belgravia Leisure manages all aspects of facility operations, programming, and member services.
• City of SydneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Sydney is the government owner of the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre facility. The aquatic and fitness centres are owned by City of Sydney and operated through a management agreement with Belgravia Leisure. City of Sydney acknowledges the Gadigal of the Eora nation as the Traditional Custodians of the local area.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Belgravia Leisure (other managed facilities): The parent operator runs a national portfolio of aquatic, fitness, and leisure facilities under the same operating model and management practices. Direct functional comparator on operational efficiency, programming, and contracting expertise.
• Fitness First Australia: Major Australian premium fitness chain offering gyms, group exercise, and personal training with aquatic-adjacent programming. Comparable target segment (urban professionals) and overlap on fitness centre, group exercise, and personal training products.
• YMCA NSW (aquatic and recreation centres): Not-for-profit operator of aquatic, fitness, and recreation centres across NSW including learn-to-swim, gym, and group exercise. Comparable operating model and product mix on the fitness and aquatic side, broader portfolio scale.
• Goodlife Health Clubs: Established Australian fitness chain with broad urban gym footprint, group classes, and personal training. Competes on the fitness centre, group exercise, and personal training product lines though without aquatic depth.

Direct peers

• Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre: Another City of Sydney Leisure aquatic and recreation centre managed by Belgravia Leisure. Closely comparable operating model, target segments, and product mix (learn-to-swim, gym, group exercise, memberships).
• Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre: Large-scale heated indoor aquatic and fitness centre in metropolitan Sydney hosting competition pools, learn-to-swim, and gym services. Comparable on aquatic product breadth and learn-to-swim programming; broader geographic reach within Sydney.
• City of Sydney Leisure (network): The umbrella brand network that includes Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre and several other centres sharing the 360 Membership. Effectively the centre's own peer set within a multi-centre municipal leisure network.
• Cook + Phillip Park Pool: Sister facility within the City of Sydney Leisure network operated by Belgravia Leisure; offers a comparable mix of aquatic, fitness, and learn-to-swim programs under the same 360 Membership umbrella. Directly comparable in operator, brand parent, pricing model, and program portfolio.
• Andrew 'Boy' Charlton Pool: Indoor heated aquatic centre located in the Sydney CBD/Eastern Sydney area offering lap swimming, learn-to-swim, and aqua fitness. Comparable urban Sydney aquatic centre serving a similar premium inner-city customer base.

Emerging players

• JUMP Swim Schools: Australian specialist learn-to-swim operator with multiple locations across Sydney. Direct comparator on the Learn to Swim product and school holiday intensives, though lacks the broader aquatic/fitness facility footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ianthorpeaquaticcentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ian-thorpe-aquatic-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/ianthorpe_aquatic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre