cityfitness Supports University College of Learning

NZ Owned Fitness Chain cityfitness Supports University College of Learning with Provision of Scholarship

cityfitness are pleased to announce their support of the Universal College of Learning (UCOL) in the Wairarapa by providing scholarship funding for their Exercise and Sport Programme. The polytechnic endeavours to produce work-ready people so they have the skills and knowledge to launch their careers as fitness professionals.

Eddy Kuipers, Lecturer on the Wairarapa programme, says, “UCOL is thrilled to have this support for our exercise and sports students and we thank cityfitness for their contribution to not only this scholarship but also for its support for the course as a whole”

Each year in term one UCOL has a graduation ceremony to acknowledge the success of its students. As part of the ceremony, students who have shown promise within their given field of study or who may qualify due to extenuating circumstances are awarded a variety of scholarships. Until recently there hasn’t been a scholarship for the exercise and sport programme.

cityfitness Managing Director Dominic Rogerson says ‘we’re pleased to be involved with this sponsorship arrangement especially as it provides a great platform for people to launch their career in the fitness industry.’

Based in Wellington and catering to over 70 students annually, cityfitness run their own Coaching Academy, currently one of New Zealand’s most successful in-house personal training programmes. cityfitness National Director of Fitness Gerard Fynmore says ‘this sponsorship arrangement is totally inline with our focus on training and development. Our Academy fully supports our students by providing the sales and marketing resources and practical management guidance required to be a successful personal trainer. The course could be a natural progression for post UCOL Exercise and Sport Programme graduates.

News of the sponsorship arrangement comes soon after the New Zealand owned fitness chain made headlines with their introduction of a garage style training approach to their core fitness offerings. Over the next few months cityfitness will roll out ‘Training Zones’ across select clubs New Zealand wide with the first being in Nelson and New Plymouth. The Training Zones will be a separate ‘user pays’ area of the gym and incorporate three new fitness programmes; TRX Suspension Training, Boxmaster and CrossFit. The move is a groundbreaking one given that programmes such as CrossFit are rarely housed in a gym.

Mr Rogerson says “Most gyms offer programmes that cater to a very mainstream audience. At cityfitness we are developing new initiatives that better cater to the needs of all New Zealanders and part of our mission in doing this is to provide service to those who don’t necessarily want gym memberships. With several new international gym chains entering the New Zealand market, we saw this as a way to really differentiate cityfitness as a market leader and provider of a more personalised fitness solution’.

This isn’t the first left field innovation the fitness group has rolled out over the past few years. Late in 2010 cityfitness opened the first Hot Yoga and Pilates studio within an established gym; Abundance Mind Body Studio, in their flagship Porirua club. They have since opened Abundance studios in three other locations across New Zealand. ‘Our focus is on being fit and healthy for life, not on looks and image, which is why we feel strongly about diversifying our fitness offering and providing a complete solution for everybody’ says Mr Rogerson.

cityfitness is a New Zealand based, family owned company beginning with one club in Porirua in 2000 and has steadily grown to 21 clubs nationwide over the last 12 years. The cityfitness group is one of the country’s most progressive health and fitness businesses, building a reputation on their high level of customer service, facilities, equipment and member support. cityfitness clubs offer a wide range of amenities, including: personal training, group fitness, indoor cycling and ‘state of the art’ strength and cardio equipment.

ENDS

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