Raising the Bar for Leisure Industry Excellence
Free resources. Real templates. No catches. No Pitching (by Sponsors)
Join the Community
Who Can Benefit?
Whether you manage one facility or multiple sites, whether you’re experienced or new to the sector, OpsExcellence offers resources that can transform your operation
The Knowledge You Need. The Community You Deserve. Free.
After 30 years in the leisure industry, supporting over 100 council trusts and universities across the UK, one thing is clear: excellence shouldn’t cost extra. The templates, procedures, and methods that transform operations shouldn’t be locked behind paywalls.
OpsExcellence is our answer to the problem. It’s where industry experts share their knowledge freely because our sector needs it.
Why OpsExcellence Exists
The leisure industry has a problem. Good operators struggle with basics not because they can’t do the job, but because knowledge sits in silos. The same mistakes happen across hundreds of facilities because best practice isn’t shared—it’s sold.
We're changing that.
We’re building a community where business owners share their proven methods and learn from each other.
How it works:
- Share your successful processes, templates, or business solutions
- Join workshops where we develop practical tools and templates together
- Access all community-created resources at no cost
The principle is simple: when you contribute your knowledge, you gain access to everyone else’s expertise. No one pays for resources – your participation is your contribution.
What you get:
- Ready-to-use business templates and tools
- Proven processes from successful operators
- Direct access to industry best practices
- Workshop participation to develop new solutions
What we ask:
- Share at least one working process or template from your business
- Participate actively in workshop sessions
- Help refine and improve community resources
This isn’t about selling courses or charging fees. It’s about experienced operators helping each other run better businesses through shared knowledge and collaborative development.
What You Get
Complete Framework—Real Templates You Can Use
The OpsExcellence framework covers over 1,850 specific areas across every part of leisure operations. This isn’t theory—it’s practical templates and real examples that you can adapt straight away. (The picture on the right shows how tough it is to run leisure centres.)
Risk Management & Health & Safety Templates
- Over 400 specific risk assessment hazards are considered so you can create templates or use them to review what you currently have/pay for.
- Incident investigation templates and near-miss reporting examples
- Emergency evacuation templates for different facility types
- Water safety protocol templates
- Equipment maintenance schedules and safety inspection examples
Operational Excellence Templates
- Opening procedure templates for every facility type (pools, gyms, sports halls, outdoor facilities)
- Closing checklist templates
- Shift handover templates
- Cleaning schedule templates and hygiene standards
Training & Development Templates
- Fitness instructor development templates beyond basic qualifications
- Customer service training templates with measurable outcomes
- Leadership development templates for supervisors and managers
- Technical training templates for pool plant operations and water chemistry
Leadership Development & Culture Building Templates
- Strategic planning templates that work
- Performance management templates that develop staff
- Conflict resolution templates for diverse teams
- Board reporting and governance templates
Marketing & Member Retention Templates
- Member retention strategy templates with proven results
- Community engagement programme templates
- Digital marketing templates for leisure audiences
- Corporate partnership development templates
- Data analytics templates for informed decisions
Industry Professionals – People Giving Back
What makes OpsExcellence different is the calibre of professionals involved. These aren’t consultants looking for work – they’re industry experts giving back:
Our Expert Contributors:
- Gill Twell – Health & Safety Excellence
- Dave Candler – Swimming Operations
- Mark Tweedie – Strategic Leadership
- Malcolm McPhail – Operational Leadership
- Stuart Broster – Leadership Development
- Danny Melling – Industry Networking
- Mark Harrison – Fitness Excellence
- Ruth Lynch – Member Retention
- Helen Jagger – Wellbeing Programmes
- Lynne Briggs – Mental Health Support
- Stuart Stokes – GP Referral Schemes
- Simon Parish – Sales Excellence
- Andy King – NHS Partnership Development
- Dawn Anne McAneny – Data Analytics
- Daniel Ekema – Pool Plant Operations
These professionals represent decades of experience and run masterclasses free of charge. No sponsors pushing products, no sales pitches, no hidden agendas – just professionals sharing expertise because they believe our industry deserves better.
Collective Wisdom Approach
This isn’t one person’s view of excellence, although I am willing to give my previous work as a starting point for each workshop—it’s the collective wisdom of our industry’s best minds. Every template, procedure, and piece of guidance has been tested in real conditions and refined through practical use.
This isn’t theory—it’s proven practice that delivers results.
Real Impact
With over 40 organisations already committed, the momentum is building. We’re not just sharing resources; we’re creating a movement that will:
- Standardise Excellence: Establishing what good looks like across our industry
- Democratise Expertise: Making world-class guidance available to every operator, regardless of budget
- Foster Innovation: Creating a platform where the best ideas can be shared and refined
- Build Community: Connecting professionals who share our commitment to excellence
- Challenge Complacency: Raising expectations of what constitutes acceptable practice
