Sports Manager
David Lloyd Fitness

James W

00:00:02 My name’s James W, I work for David Lloyd Bromsgrove as a Sports Manager. I’m responsible for all activity within the club, and it’s all around ensuring that member gets everything out of their membership, that they participate in whatever they want, and that they enjoy using the Club and get value for money.

00:00:20 There’s been a lot of roles on the way, sort of through old structures and new, and I’ve seen quite a lot of things come and go, as you do I suppose inside a – I’ve only ever worked for David Lloyd. A friend of mine had just joined as a Fitness Instructor, he got that as his part time role to gain some experience in the industry, and advised me to apply. I was that keen, at the time, to get this part time role, I was in Kos, on a holiday with all my University friends, and I kept ringing up to check if they’d got back to me. And eventually they offered me the job while I was on holiday, ’cause I think they just thought, who’s this crazy guy that keeps ringing up for a role?

00:00:59 I think I had the usual sort of boyhood dream of being a footballer, but never quite had the talent unfortunately for that to ever become reality. From school age I’ve always had a real keen interest in sport, and PE was one of my A-Levels that I took, and my most favourite out of all my A-Levels that I took. I always wanted to be kicking a ball, or holding a tennis racket. Where that came from I suppose was my family life, my Dad was keen into sport and it had been a massive part of his upbringing.

00:01:31 I suppose a key moment really was that there was someone that was a friend of my – was a close friend of the family that had been to University before me, and talked me through about the benefits of going, and how it would make me more independent and really mature. And I think it’s safe to say I wouldn’t have gone to University if it wasn’t for that person in my life sort of saying to me – you can’t miss out on this opportunity.

00:01:58 My dad was a very successful businessman, and still is, in a completely different industry, in the haulage industry. He’s of an Irish background, and it’s very much said that your son sort of comes in and works for the business, and that tends to be the way things happen. But he never forced me to do that, he always encouraged me to do what I wanted to do, because he knew that’s what I – that really made me tick. And that I’d have been unhappy doing that. So he was a real inspiration.

00:02:28 What I really enjoy is football, both playing, I run a football team, and I also follow Manchester United. So we’ve been to Moscow, Rome, Barcelona last year. It’s sort of my time, and where my wife and my kids are great are they understand that, it’s where I sort of down tools, that’s sort of my release. I put everything into work, I really do, when I’m there. What I’ve – what I’ve learned having a family is really investing your time and using it to the best of its ability when you’re not there. I remember when I was a child how much it – how important it was to me my family, you know, my Dad being at home and my Mum being at home, so I really try and make sure I’m there as much as I can.

00:03:14 I’d love to have my own Club within David Lloyd, I’d love to be a General Manager, that’s sort of where I want to get to, you know, I’d like to think that’s going to happen sooner rather than later. I’m getting to the stage now where I feel like I could do the role, but that’s sort of – would be a real success story for me if I could get General Manager of my own Club, it would be great.

00:03:34 I suppose I’ve got a dream if you like of having a home away from England, somewhere hot, somewhere we can just go and chill and not have to worry about things, and I think that would be a dream to one day have my own place abroad, so that my family can enjoy that.

00:03:49 ENDS