Decathlon launches Back to Sport PE kit to improve accessibility to sport
To tackle rising uniform costs, sports retailer Decathlon has launched its under £25.00 Back to Sport Pack to ensure all kids can participate in sports both inside and outside of school.
The available kit includes shorts, t-shirt, trainers and a backpack, and is available in sizes for ages 4-15, in-store and online from today giving parents plenty of time to get ready ahead of September.
With the cost of living continuing to impact sport and fitness participation across the UK, research by Decathlon has revealed that 63% of parents and carers have experienced struggles with funding the rising cost of school uniform and fitness kit for their children. As a result 2 in 5 children have had to partake in sports in sub-standard kit.
Additional research has found that on average parents spend £52.40 on sports kit per child each academic year. As a result of this, almost half (48%) of primary school aged children have missed out on partaking in a new sport in the past year due to cost, both of kit required and participation fees. The sport which proved the worst for affordability was football (25% agreed) closely followed by cricket (18% agreed), whilst swimming and gymnastics were also amongst the sports that parents felt their children were held back from due to cost.
Decathlon’s unbeatable value kit will help parents to make huge savings against big label brands to ensure every child can feel the joy of sport without cost as a barrier. On footwear, Decathlon’s PE trainers can be bought for just £8.99 whilst big name brands can set parents back anything up to £100.
In addition to the under £25.00 Back to School Pack, Decathlon has a range of sport essentials for as little as £4.00 including sports t-shirts, shorts, socks and even swimsuits.
Decathlon’s Back to Sport range aligns with the retailer’s ambition to improve accessibility to sport for children and young people nationwide and follows the launch of their newly developed circular offering Rentals. Feedback from the service revealed that the low-cost rental platform allowed customers and families to try out a new sport and stay active without the need to invest in new kit.
Will Taylor, Commercial Lead at Decathlon, comments: “Sport habits and participation are known to be developed at school age, and grow through adult life. We know that kids are keen to try out new sports, however we understand that the cost of gear and kit can act as a barrier for participation. The Back to School Pack helps parents and children save significantly on the cost of essential school sports kit, and will hopefully allow more children and young people to try out the sports and activities that they want to, without breaking the bank.”
