To mark 50 years of Athletic Business, we polled hundreds of readers from each of our main vertical markets — college athletics, college recreation, community recreation, high school athletics, health and fitness, aquatics and architecture — to gauge the current state of the industry. What follows is a comprehensive analysis of our readers’ perspectives on the verticals they serve. To begin, we asked each of these groups about their operating budgets and deferred maintenance. Despite finding consensus on several topics, the budgetary changes across these verticals varied greatly. Respondents found far greater common ground when describing their deferred maintenance status, with a clear majority reporting less than $2 million of maintenance to be completed at their facilities.
Find your industry segment in the following pages — or get the lay of the land from your colleagues across other industries — to compare your experiences to those of other loyal AB readers. From fan behavior and emerging sports to renovations and staffing challenges, there is no shortage of topics to dive into.
College athletics is in an era of immense change, reflected by the results of the 2026 State of the Industry survey. Respondents identified several key challenges in today’s athletics landscape: recruiting and retaining specialized staff, such as athletic trainers and strength coaches, managing transfer portal turnover, and department budgeting. Respondents also reveal complex budgets, with 83% of survey takers stating that they receive less than 25% of department revenue from “non-traditional sources,” including digital media, corporate partnerships and special events. Despite challenging budgets, 45% of survey respondents still indicate that a facilities project is either underway or will break ground this year.
Chris Barrow
Senior Product Manager, Biamp
How has the role of a sound system in an athletics facility changed over the years?
The biggest shift is that audio has moved from “infrastructure” to “experience.” Not long ago, the bar was pretty low — people could hear the announcer and the buzzer worked. Today, athletics directors are thinking about atmosphere. When the home crowd is energized and the sound system is feeding that energy, that’s a competitive advantage — and administrators at every level know it. Our job at Biamp is to help facilities deliver that experience without handing them something so complicated it takes a specialist just to run a gameday.
What’s the most common mistake facilities make when investing in a new audio system?
Underestimating flexibility. A lot of facilities invest in a system built for gamedays, then call us when the graduation ceremony sounds like an echo chamber. Your gym might host basketball on Tuesday, a fundraiser on Thursday and a commencement ceremony on Saturday — each event needs something a little different. When flexibility is designed in from the start, adjusting for different uses is simple. That’s one of the things we’re most deliberate about at Biamp, because it saves real headaches down the road.
Athletics venues are notoriously tough acoustic environments. What makes them so challenging, and how do you address that?
Every venue fights you differently. Gymnasiums have hard, reflective surfaces that bounce sound in every direction. Natatoriums are even more extreme. Outdoor stadiums deal with wind and open space. The common thread is getting sound precisely where people are and keeping it away from surfaces that turn it into noise. That’s the core philosophy behind our Community loudspeaker line — controlled coverage so the person in the last row gets the same clear experience as someone courtside. Good design from the start eliminates most of the frustration later.
Life safety keeps coming up in facility planning conversations. Where does audio fit into that picture?
This is one topic I love talking about because it completely reframes the investment. Codes such as NFPA 72 require venues to be capable of emergency mass notification — clear, intelligible announcements that reach every person in the building, under any conditions. When you design for that from day one, your gameday PA and your life safety system become one investment, not two. Administrators who make that connection walk into budget conversations with a much stronger case than those who treat them separately.
What are you most excited about when you look at where athletics venue audio is heading?
The gap between “great audio” and “accessible audio” keeps closing — and that’s genuinely exciting for high school and college programs. Technology that used to be exclusive to NFL stadiums is now within reach for everyone. We’re also seeing more ADs gain real independence with their systems: checking status and making adjustments from a tablet without calling a technician. That kind of simplicity has always been the goal. It’s finally becoming the standard, and I think it changes what administrators expect — in a really good way.
Unlike those in collegiate athletics, college rec leaders indicate a retreat from building bigger and better facilities. Instead, they’re assessing deferred maintenance and putting a renewed focus on programming. Outdoor adventure accounts for a large portion of expanded programming, with 48% of respondents indicating climbing and bouldering as their most popular activities, while 23% cite hiking. Alongside outdoor adventure, 43% of respondents say they are expanding specialized fitness (functional training, mobility work) and 35% are expanding mindfulness and meditation programs. As these modalities take up ever-increasing space and staffing time, a surprising 54% of respondents say that less than 5% of their rec programming is inclusive or adaptive for all participants, a gap that suggests accessibility is not keeping pace with program growth.
Rebecca Peoples
Collegiate Recreation East Region Director, Matrix Fitness
How does the campus recreation industry stay ahead of emerging student expectations?
Campus recreation is such an all-star group for us to partner with because rec leaders are constantly sharing ideas and learning from their peers. Uniquely, the student body is not only a captive audience as the user, but rec is also made up largely of student staff. Our leadership teams stay in tune with the student pulse through engagement and assessment, such as continuously monitoring traffic, utilizing assessment tools and various student surveys to gather data and feedback. From there, they have the roadmap.
How does Matrix evolve to meet industry needs?
We listen. Because we have incredible partners with all this meaningful data, we take their roadmap and go to work. We pay attention, gather intimate knowledge, learn how they operate and then provide our recommendations. Our goal is first to establish trust, then work collaboratively to bring their vision to fruition. We recognize our recreation facilities must adapt quickly to engage the student body while enrolled and active on campus. We approach every relationship with the goal of being responsive to shifting trends and delivering on each request promptly.
What opportunities do you see in the campus recreation industry?
We see a growing opportunity to support professional development advances for student staff and pro staff within recreation. Matrix prides itself on being extremely generous in its backing of education. We want to be a strong partner that provides resources to help individuals explore a career in fitness and wellness. The emphasis on continuing education in academia also extends to recreation, and we aim to increase awareness of certifications and other educational opportunities available to set the staff up for success.
How does access to a limitless amount of fitness content impact campus recreation?
Our young adults are inundated with social fitness content, but it often lacks clear guidance that drives long-term adherence. Without clear direction, this can cause our students to feel overwhelmed, which could result in avoidance. Recreation services, such as personal training sessions, can mitigate the unknown with a structured approach of actionable workout plans built for meaningful progress toward students’ goals. Empowering student staff to explore trainer certifications can support your program development and encourage rec engagement.
How does Matrix support campus recreation partners beyond equipment?
As student wellness expectations evolve, Matrix expands our focus on providing education related to physical and mental wellbeing, offering access to CECs for multiple courses and developing personalized wellness solutions that can drive engagement within recreation facilities. We also have an incredible service department that invites everyone — pro staff and student staff included — to go through intensive training to become Matrix-certified technicians. It makes me proud to know the lengths our service team will go to encourage professional development in ancillary fields and optimize equipment longevity for every facility.
Many challenges facing today’s high school athletics departments have been building to a crescendo for years. Most notably, zero survey takers indicate a surplus of officials or referees in their area. In fact, 30% say they have canceled games due to referee shortages, and 65% say they’ve experienced poor sportsmanship from both student-athletes and fans in the past academic year — the latter no doubt begetting the former. Despite these developments, 40% of respondents suggest relatively stable student athletics participation, with 55% reporting only small participation fluctuations (6% to 25%). While high school NIL and transgender student-athlete rules dominate the news cycle, a clear majority (90%) state that their student-athletes are not engaging in NIL deals, and 72% report not being aware of any transgender athletes on their prep teams or opposing teams.
Mike Lorenz
CEO, NGU Sports Lighting
You’ve been involved in sports lighting innovation for more than a decade, dating back to your time helping pioneer LED sports lighting at Ephesus. How has the industry evolved?
When we first introduced LED sports lighting at Ephesus, the focus was primarily on professional venues. Teams and operators wanted dynamic light shows, enhanced broadcasts, instant on/off capabilities and a more exciting fan experience. Those benefits justified the investment. But when we began speaking with colleges, high schools and municipalities, we realized those same benefits didn’t resonate nearly as much. Athletics directors and parks departments care more about budgets, maintenance costs, reliability and safety. That’s where the industry hit a wall. While LED technology was proven, the traditional purchasing model made adoption difficult. Many organizations couldn’t absorb the upfront capital costs or navigate lengthy approval and bond processes. As a result, while most professional venues have transitioned to LED, we estimate nearly 80% of high school and municipal sports fields still have not. That realization led us to create NGU Sports Lighting’s “Performance Lighting Delivered” model.
What exactly is Performance Lighting Delivered, and how is it different?
PLD is the future of sports and recreation lighting. It’s simple. You get the best of what you need: defined light levels, guaranteed energy savings/consumption and customized controllability, all for a fixed cost, guaranteed. What you don’t get is risk, confusing technology, the need to navigate complicated product warranties or the fear of the unknown. You get what you need, when you need it, how you need it — every month, or you simply do not pay.
Why do you believe this model is particularly important right now for schools and municipalities?
Communities are demanding more from their sports facilities than ever before. Fields are being used year-round for school athletics, youth leagues, tournaments and community events. Yet many facilities still operate with outdated systems that are inefficient, unreliable and expensive to maintain. At the same time, budgets are tighter than ever. PLD allows organizations to modernize immediately instead of delaying projects for years while trying to secure funding. We often say this isn’t really a lighting problem, it’s a process problem.
Can you share a real-world example of how PLD works?
A great example is the Syracuse City School District project, where we upgraded lighting across 10 athletics venues at five high schools, district-wide, over a single summer.
Traditionally, a project of that scale would have taken years and required multiple funding phases. Instead, the district was able to modernize all 10 facilities at once. That’s when people really understand the power of the PLD model.
NGU’s “Don’t BUY Sports Lighting” campaign is a bold message in an industry built around selling equipment. What’s the thinking behind it?
The campaign is intentionally provocative because it forces people to rethink the traditional model. We wanted to cut through the clutter of ads showcasing beautifully lit fields that did not address all the hurdles required to get there. Once we have your attention, our message is simple: there’s a smarter way. “Don’t BUY Sports Lighting” doesn’t mean don’t modernize your facilities. It means don’t get trapped by an outdated purchasing process that slows projects down, strains budgets and leaves communities waiting years for upgrades. Most projects don’t stall because people don’t want better lighting. They stall because the funding and procurement process becomes overwhelming. Once customers understand they can get guaranteed performance, future technology upgrades, maintenance support and predictable costs without the risks of ownership, the conversation changes completely.
While collegiate and high school programs reconcile stagnant or decreasing budgets (see page 37), 58% of survey respondents working in community recreation report budget increases over the past five years. Moreover, they have achieved this impressive growth despite a majority of respondents (65%) reporting little or no public-private partnerships. These community rec professionals have their eyes set on the future, showing a growing interest in sustainability initiatives, team sports leagues for community building and finding new ways to promote longevity among staff members. Nearly half (48%) of respondents say that retaining qualified part-time staff is their greatest staffing challenge, while 55% say that referrals remain their top recruiting tool over career fairs and job boards.
Stephen Springs
FAIA, senior principal,
Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects
What role has Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects played in the evolution of community recreation centers?
BSW was founded in 1975 and over the past five decades has emerged as a leader in public recreation facility planning and design. The firm’s growth in this space follows the trajectory of Athletic Business, which was founded in 1977. BSW’s work has been in nearly every edition of the magazine’s Architectural Showcase since 1996, and its architects have served as Facilities of Merit™ judges and have been frequent contributing writers.
What key changes or trends have you observed in community-based recreation?
As budgets tighten and construction costs soar, more municipal parks and recreation departments are partnering with other public entities to share space. Libraries are one of the most common partnerships of this type. The 47,000-square-foot East Arlington Library and Recreation Center in Texas, for example, opened in late 2020 with a shared-spaces concept that has been uniquely successful, with intergenerational programming leading the way.
What aspect of recreation centers has changed the most over the years?
Multigenerational programming has shaped — and continues to shape — community centers. One prime example is the demand for aquatics facilities and programming. Meeting this demand can take the form of multiple indoor and outdoor rectangle and activity pools serving targeted groups — including pools set to different temperatures to attract older adults and users with therapeutic needs.
What challenges do municipal recreation center operators face today?
The debate continues over recovering operational costs versus providing low-cost services when planning a new community project. Funding new facilities used to involve defining the program needs for a facility, and then deciding how best to meet those needs while establishing capital costs. Budgeting annual operating expenses was rarely discussed, as a large subsidy — typically from a city’s general fund — was simply the expectation. Now, covering operating costs is a prevalent talking point from day one among city managers, recreation directors, elected officials and even the general public. The question ultimately comes down to: How much are you willing — and, perhaps more importantly, how much are you able — to commit to general operating funds to support ongoing operations and maintenance of a facility? That drives what you build.
Where do you see municipal recreation heading?
Parks and recreation departments were validated by many as an essential service during the pandemic, and now municipal recreation leaders are being challenged to maintain that status — especially when it comes to allocation of additional funding and resources. The National Recreation and Park Association recently unveiled its “Seven Dimensions of Well-Being” explaining how they are interdependent and interconnected. The seven dimensions are cultural, economic, environmental, intellectual, mental, physical and social. And at their center is access for all. A perfect example of “access for all” is the role public recreation facilities, with their spacious gymnasiums and locker rooms, play in natural disasters and tragic events. They house people temporarily displaced by weather events, such as hurricanes or extreme heat or cold, and serve as reunification centers in the wake of community emergencies.
In no other industry are personnel shortages so apparent than aquatics, with 57% of survey takers reporting that recruiting and retaining lifeguards is their greatest staffing challenge. Staffing and training lifeguards is the most pressing safety concern for 43% of respondents. Despite the hiring challenges, a plurality of respondents (47%) still indicate that the best investment for their facility today would be adding another body of water, which is significant given that 29% of respondents already report managing four or more bodies of water on their property. Still, half of the respondents manage a facility with only one or two bodies of water. As respondents dream of recruitment successs and upgraded facilities, 54% also cite a moderate or severe impact to their facility’s budget due to increasing energy and utility costs.
Mark Hines
Vice President of Sales and Marketing,
Paddock Pool Equipment Company
How has Paddock Pool Equipment Company evolved alongside the aquatics industry?
Paddock Pool Equipment Company has done more than evolve alongside the aquatics industry — we have been a leading innovator for more than 60 years. The number of commercial aquatics products introduced by Paddock is remarkable. The Compak Vacuum Sand Filter, true radius gutter and the Evacuator are just a few examples of innovations that have helped shape the industry.
What challenges and opportunities are aquatics facilities facing right now?
One of the biggest challenges facing aquatics facilities today is staffing. Part of the solution is paying lifeguards and other employees a fair wage that reflects the responsibility of their positions. Another important factor is creating aquatics facilities that are destination workplaces — spaces that are attractive, durable and easy to maintain. Indoor facilities must also prioritize good indoor air quality so employees and guests are not exposed to unhealthy conditions.
What misconceptions do facility operators often have about pool systems or water management?
One of the biggest misconceptions involves indoor facilities. Water quality is extremely important, but indoor air quality may be even more critical. Whenever organics from swimmers mix with chlorine, trichloramines are released into the air. These gases can make breathing difficult, cause eye irritation and contribute to long-term health concerns. Trichloramines are also responsible for many maintenance problems commonly seen in indoor pools, including corrosion, premature HVAC failure, heater and pump issues, and increased cleaning and repainting requirements.
What differentiates a high-performing aquatics facility from an average one?
It really depends on the type of facility. Municipal facilities need to offer a variety of options, be family-friendly and provide programs that appeal to multiple age groups. Learn-to-swim programs, swim teams and fitness opportunities are important — but so are slides and other fun amenities. Competitive swim facilities require fast pools with wide lanes that can accommodate different course lengths for racing and training, while also supporting activities such as water polo. For indoor facilities, air quality is critical. No one wants to leave a pool smelling strongly of chlorine, with irritated eyes or breathing difficulties. Families will not return to facilities that create unhealthy experiences.
How are budget constraints influencing purchasing decisions in today’s market?
Budget constraints play a major role in purchasing decisions. During the design phase, the focus is often on including amenities and creating an attractive appearance. However, during construction, projects are frequently forced to reduce costs to stay within budget. As a result, long-term cost-saving equipment is often overlooked because of higher upfront expenses. Products such as RMF filtration systems, the Evacuator, stainless steel gutters and stainless steel main drains help reduce maintenance costs, save energy and provide longer service life compared to less expensive alternatives.
What does the future look like for the aquatics industry?
The aquatics industry has a strong future. Water will always be an important part of recreation, fitness and competition. The industry continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of the communities it serves. We are excited to continue growing, innovating and developing alongside the swimmers and families who enjoy the adventure, competition and learning experiences provided by aquatics facilities around the world.
Health clubs are booming! More than 60% of survey takers report profitable or strongly profitable financial performance over the past five years, while concurrently reporting unchanged membership pricing (58%) in the past two years. Club owners’ survey responses indicate low levels of deferred maintenance and stable staffing levels, and more than 50% report an active member base that visits the facility more than eight times per month. Despite client demographics that lean heavily Millennial and Gen Z, wearables and virtual fitness were not a focus for 62% of respondents, but home fitness technology is still on club owners’ radars, with 24% citing at-home fitness tech option as the largest competitive threat to their facility.
If you’ve flipped through the pages of the Athletic Business Architectural Showcase in the past few years, it should come as no surprise that 48% of architects report that community and college recreation facilities make up the bulk of their revenue opportunities. Several years out from the supply chain chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, 59% of respondents indicate a stable project pipeline and zero respondents indicate a significant decrease in projects. While project work continues to pile up, 62% of architects still identify client budget constraints as their greatest challenge, while citing a moderate (41%) or significant (34%) impact from construction inflation and labor shortages. One set of particularly surprising responses came from our sustainability line of inquiry. While community recreation leaders noted an interest in solar panels, rainwater retention and geothermal heat pumps, 64% of architects report that less than 50% of current projects incorporate sustainability goals, and not a single responding architect tabbed sustainability as the trend most influencing clients.
