Social value accumulation through Australian aquatic facilities

ABSTRACT

Research question

Despite being a critical component of public infrastructure, academic research has rarely delved into aquatic facilities as key for acquiring social value. Therefore, this study analyzed how social value is accumulated through public aquatic facilities and commercial swim schools in Australia, specifically exploring the social capital created for local communities.

Research methods

Twenty-eight interviews with users and managers of aquatic facilities were conducted, representing over 110 facilities across 5 states or territories in Australia.

Results and findings

Guided by Putnam’s conceptualization of social capital, our data demonstrated the critical importance of aquatic facilities in communities across Australia. The analysis identified that aquatic facilities create a range of benefits to community members, including health and well-being, social connection, safety and education, and employment opportunities.

Implications

While arguably more difficult to operationalize and quantify, this research provides a foundation to understand the social value, as well as provides avenues to improve the social value achieved by aquatic facilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Social value
• social capital
• aquatic facilities
• social infrastructure
• leisure

Public aquatic facilities contribute significantly to the maintenance and promotion of active lifestyles within communities. Across Australia, there are over 2,100 aquatic facilities and swim schools, with the majority of Australians (89%) living within a 20-minute driving radius of a facility (PwC Australia, 2021). This is despite over half (58%) of aquatic facilities and commercial swim schools being positioned outside of major cities. Such aquatic facilities and swim schools draw over 340 million visits per year (AusPlay, 2022). Further, these facilities employ over 60,000 individuals in program delivery, service, operational or policy-related roles (PwC Australia, 2021). As such they provide a critical component of public infrastructure that delivers places and spaces for play, aquatic education, fitness activities and social interactions.

Australia’s public aquatic facilities and commercial swim schools generate significant economic, health and social benefits to the community. Economically, over $9 billion AUD in value annually is noted (PwC Australia, 2021), with the RLSSA Economic Benefits Report estimating $26 AUD of health savings per pool visit (Barnsley et al., 2017). Further economic benefits have been cited as spanning improved workplace productivity, tourism, local economic activity, property values and local tax base, and employment and vocation benefits (e.g. Barnsley et al., 2017; Feng & Humphreys, 2018; PwC Australia, 2021). Health benefits describe the positive impacts on physical and mental health that are accrued at the individual and community levels. Such benefits have been noted by industry as health care system impact, reduced absenteeism, and provision of a safe and supervised setting to advance aquatic safety skills, with related effects on reduced drowning (Barnsley et al., 2017; PwC Australia, 2021). Lastly, social benefits have been proposed as including positive impacts on well-being, sense of community, social connection, and education, as evidenced within both industry (e.g. Barnsley et al., 2017) and academia (e.g. Karg et al., 2021).

Industry reports document the economic, health, and social benefits associated with Australia's public aquatic facilities and commercial swim schools, with the emphasis on investigation to date primarily from non-academic sources. Such sources, however, while valuable, can lack rigorous methodological frameworks typically employed in academic research, and often lack communication of their methodological approaches to enable replication. Other potential shortcomings can include narrow scope or bias due to commercial interest, a lack of peer review in presented outputs and limited engagement with theoretical grounding. To bridge this gap, a scholarly perspective can add value and enrich the discourse surrounding these crucial aspects by lending academic rigor and process that engages theory, enables replication, and provides a theoretical framework.

The quantifiable economic and health benefits associated with public aquatic facilities and commercial swim schools are more readily defined, however, understanding of the intangible social value created is less concrete. This includes knowledge detailing the components of social capital that support the realization of social value. As such, the current research aims to provide a deeper understanding of the social value that eventuates from engagement with public aquatic facilities and swim schools. Aligning with this intention, the following research question is proposed: what perceived social value do communities gain from the use of public aquatic facilities and commercial swim schools?

Literature review

The role and value of aquatic facilities

Academics and industry practitioners alike argue that community sport organizations must be agile and responsive to the evolving priorities of policy makers and stakeholders (Davies et al., 2021; Dowling et al., 2021; King, 2009). Currently, in the public domain, this focus concerns social issues and policies (Dowling et al., 2021). Community sport organizations must demonstrate their alignment and contribution to social policy objectives, especially where funding is sought (Coalter, 2015). However, demonstrating alignment can be challenging for community sport organizations who are constrained by resources and capacity (Misener et al., 2013). As a service provider which intersects around community sport, public aquatic facilities and commercial swim schools are not immune to this demand or the related challenges, presenting a comparable research context. Despite this, scant work observes the specific and defined role of aquatic facilities in delivering social value.

While the quantifiable benefits of Australian public aquatic facilities are suitably documented (e.g. PwC Australia, 2021), consideration of the social value created by these facilities is predominantly amalgamated within broader sport and leisure research (e.g. Davies et al., 2021; Dowling et al., 2021). Adversely, compounding the value of these service providers overlooks the unique aspects of public aquatic facilities, spaces and places that warrant further assessment. Examples of these unique elements include the provision of a space to educate on water safety, conduct child and adult learn-to-swim programs, and facilitate gentle exercise for older adults, rehabilitation, and people with a disability (Victoria State Government, 2017)(Victoria State Government, 2017). Further, the dominant focus on quantifiable benefits is a barrier to understanding social value. Supporting this position, economic approaches identified do not “attempt to measure the less tangible social and community benefits of a public pool, nor the potential improvements in water safety, environmental amenity, option value or property value benefits experienced by local residents even if they are not patrons” (Barnsley et al., 2017, p. 11). Failure to measure these benefits leads to an underestimation of social value and thus highlights a problematic gap.

Distinguishing social value

Social capital, social value, social outcomes, and social impact are related concepts that are often used to describe different aspects of social well-being and community development. These concepts are distinct but related and should be defined and understood as related to an aquatic facilities context.

Social capital refers to the networks, relationships, trust, and norms that exist within a community or society, which facilitate cooperation, collaboration, and collective action (Putnam, 2000). Recently, it has simply been defined as “resources accessible through membership of social networks or other social structures” (Tacon, 2022, p. 54). Within a broad sporting context, social capital has been advocated as impacting society (Lee et al., 2013). However, despite exploration in sport contexts, research concerning the acquisition of social capital is less established within leisure facility contexts (Pitas et al., 2021). The exception is Forsell et al. (2020), who developed the Club Social Capital Scale (CSCS) as an instrument to examine social capital dimensions in sport and recreation contexts. Aligning with broader definitions, the CSCS considers trust, reciprocity, behavioral norms, governance, and friendly acceptance as defined dimensions, but calls for further work to validate the instrument (Forsell et al., 2020). Beyond Forsell et al. (2020), there is a need to examine social value with a specific focus on aquatic facilities. When postulating the application of social capital to aquatic facilities, one could, for example, consider the social networks and relationships among users of the facility, such as swimmers, instructors, and staff. Social capital is generated when individuals and communities access benefits associated with the social network.

Social value is defined by the broad social, economic, and environmental benefits that result from an organization's work. Some industry research has attempted to quantify the social value of the aquatic industry, estimating $3.8bn AUD (PwC Australia, 2021). PwC Australia (2021) proposed social value is primarily driven by an aquatic facility’s role in:

• enhancing the leisure time or life satisfaction of users

• providing a community space which brings people together and increases amenity

• stimulating jobs for young people and regional communities

• supporting early learning in society

Social outcomes refer to the immediate and measurable changes or results that are delivered to society as an outcome of a specific activity (Schulenkorf, 2012). Such benefits may seek to address issues that affect a specific community, location, or the wider population. For aquatic facilities, examples of social outcomes may include increased physical activity levels, improved swimming skills, enhanced water safety knowledge, and increased social connections among users.

Finally, social impact depicts the broader and long-term changes or effects on the people, community, or environment generated by social initiatives, programs, or policies. For example, the social impact of an aquatic facility may include improved health outcomes, prevention of drowning, or reduced loneliness and social isolation for disadvantaged or at-risk community members.

In summary, social capital provides the foundation for social value creation, which is realized through the achievement of social outcomes and ultimately leads to social impact. Social capital can facilitate the creation of social value, while social value is reflected in the outcomes and impacts that are generated by initiatives or programs. Together, these concepts highlight the interconnectedness between social relationships, community well-being, and societal change, and emphasize the importance of considering multiple dimensions of social value and impact in community development efforts. It should be noted that the scope of this research will focus on social capital procurement and the creation of social value in the context of aquatic facilities in Australia, notwithstanding the potential for broader outcomes and impacts to transpire. Importantly, to the researcher’s knowledge, an academic understanding of how social capital, and the resultant social value, is created, maintained, and understood in an aquatic facility context is absent.

Social capital as a foundation

Putnam (2000) presents a theoretical framework relevant to inform our analysis. Putnam's framework highlights the importance of social capital, impacting individuals and communities in various ways. This work has been discussed to focus on how values and attitudes constitute a collective resource (Tacon, 2022). Over the past decade, there has been a shift in social capital research within the field of sport, with a focus on empirical studies rather than conceptual ones (Tacon, 2022). Scholars have sought to explore the relationship between involvement in sport associations and various aspects of social capital. A similar transition is observed within leisure contexts (e.g. Colistra et al., 2019; Ma et al., 2023; Pitas et al., 2021).

Social capital has been widely used to understand the social value derived from sporting activities (Pye et al., 2015; Storr & Richards, 2022). For example, sport-related studies conducted by Elmose-Østerlund and van der Roest (2017), and Burrmann et al. (2019, 2020) have examined the link between membership in voluntary sports clubs and social trust in different countries, such as Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. Additionally, sport research has supported sport invovlement, but not non-sport community involvement, as a predictor of social connectedness (Hoye et al., 2015) and an increased likelihood of adolescent social capital development in sports clubs compared to other organizational formats (Schüttoff et al., 2018). More relevantly, within leisure contexts, social capital has been directly related to self-rated health within a nonprofit community wellness center (Pitas et al., 2021) and positively associated with leisure participation in running clubs (Ma et al., 2023). Finally, Colistra et al. (2019) ascertained shared identities; support, reciprocity, and trust as factors contributing to relationship building in community centers. Synthesizing these insights, recent conceptualization has offered three key components of social capital, namely: resources, social ties and access (Tacon, 2022). Each of these components are discussed next as relevant to an aquatic facilities context.

The concept of resources refers to the “stuff” that some individuals can access through their networks, and perhaps can be better defined and understood through the lens of social infrastructure. Social infrastructure denotes the workforce composition, programming and administrative support that can be employed to supplement physical infrastructure, such as pools and recreation spaces. Contrasting physical infrastructure which can be observed, objectively categorized, and measured, social infrastructure needs are “essential services that create the material and cultural living conditions for an area” (Davern et al., 2017, p. 195). Community sport organizations are a suitable avenue from which to evaluate social infrastructure, with a recent report identifying that 38% of physical social connection spaces across four metropolitan communities in Australia are delivered through recreation, sport, and leisure services (Karg et al., 2021). Broadly, social infrastructure can be related to “anywhere that brings people together” (Davern et al., 2017; Temple & Reynolds, 2007; Whitzman, 2001). The concept of social infrastructure is relevant to public aquatic facilities, where the focus is not only oriented on the physical swimming pools or buildings that are the site for activity but also their role in bridging people and their communities. Social infrastructure thus facilitates a symbiotic relationship between people, activities, and spaces (Piggin, 2020), and aligns with the view of Phoenix and Bell (2019) that physical and cultural spaces shape experiences. It is important to recognize that resources, and consequently social infrastructure, are not evenly distributed in society and that the value of different resources is socially constructed. Simply, the presence of social infrastructure can create opportunities for social capital to develop and facilitate the generation of social value. Therefore, given social value accrues when opportunities are provided for people to gather and engage in activities that foster desired outcomes, it is pertinent to also explore the role of aquatic facilities as social infrastructure.

Existence of resources alone does not constitute social capital, as social networks and other social structures are required to facilitate access to resources. For example, Misener and Doherty (2012) explored the connections between community sports clubs and other community-based organizations, highlighting the significance of non-material, social effects such as trust, reciprocity, and friendship. Some alignment is evident with Colistra et al. (2019). Within Putnam's framework, social structures are epitomized through bonding capital and bridging capital; used to describe different types of social capital that individuals and communities can possess. Bonding capital, representing inward-looking and deep or rich connections, creates social capital within tight-knit groups or communities where individuals share similar characteristics, common interests, or backgrounds. Alternatively, bridging capital, representing trust and networks based on thin and open networks, creates social capital through connections and relationships between individuals or groups that are diverse or have different characteristics. Contextually, the distinction is apparent between getting to know people who might be different from oneself (bridging capital) and maintaining existing relationships with people who are similar to oneself (bonding capital). This distinction has been made across diverse contexts. For example, in a study that observed Chinese teahouses and cafes, informal conversations between customers were associated with bridging social capital and bonding social capital separately (Ni & Ishii, 2023).

It is worth noting that while bonding capital and bridging capital present benefits, they are not necessarily developed in symmetry. For example, a study by Zhou and Kaplanidou (2018) demonstrated in a sport event participation context, that while bonding capital was developed for all participants, bridging capital varied depending on event type and involvement level. Similarly, in a context involving Somalis in Australia, bridging capital generated through sport was considered relatively weak (Spaaij, 2012). Thus, it can be important to identify the type of social network or social tie being facilitated and what social value is being constructed as a result. In an aquatic facility context, it is anticipated that the presence of bonding and bridging may depend on various factors, such as the facility's design, programming, management, and community context; social infrastructure may serve as a relevant consideration when determining social capital procurement. However, both bonding and bridging capital can contribute to the social value of an aquatic facility by promoting social cohesion, community engagement, and well-being among its users and the wider community.

Finally, access to resources through social ties must considered contextually. Contextual factors, such as the culture of an organization or the character of a neighbourhood, play a crucial role in shaping social capital. Past research has highlighted that the context of a person's involvement in a sports organization, including the type of sports club and the social interactions within it, is central to the development of social capital. For example, sports clubs have been defined as “comprehensive” and “traditional” (Okayasu et al., 2010), or “mixed” and “separate” (Theeboom et al., 2012), influencing the dynamics of social capital. Understanding the context of a person's involvement is essential in comprehending how social interactions take place and the development of social capital.

Notwithstanding empirical progress occurring over the past decade, the process through which social capital emerges and is maintained remains an area for academic development (Tacon, 2022). The current study presents a novel and specific focus on aquatic facilities, allowing for a nuanced understanding of the social value accrued. Putnam’s (2000) approach is useful in the context of aquatic facilities where community network relations, reciprocity of trust between patrons and staff, and the development of a sense of belonging for many community members transpire due to their facility interactions. Therefore, leveraging Putnam’s (2000) framework and the conceptualization of Tacon (2022), the accumulation of social capital through public aquatic facilities and commercial swim schools in Australia is examined, specifically the social value created for local communities.

Methods

The current research aimed to understand the potential for public aquatic facilities and swim schools to contribute social value. To achieve this, a range of public aquatic facilities and commercial swimming pools representing the breadth of operational backgrounds in industry were explored. This breath ensured the representation of aquatic facilities including standalone single pools, and larger multi-purpose facilities that incorporated pools as well as amenities including health and fitness facilities, sporting courts and public spaces.

In addition, a range of management and ownership frameworks are evident within the industry. The current research focused on facilities which operate under models common to the industry. These included commercially or privately owned facilities (comprising largely swimming or learn to swim facilities), leased for service or contract managed facilities (where a facility is a council or local government-owned, but the operations of the facility are outsourced or contracted to an external body), and self-managed facilities (where a facility is owned and operated by a council or local government) (Arthur, 2010). The aquatic facilities services were varied, offering swimming programs or lap swimming for fitness, recreational programming, learn to swim programming or water play areas.

With an aim of understanding social value within these facilities, this research utilized 28 individual interviews from across Australia, including facility owners and management staff (n = 20), and facility users (n = 8). Given that these individuals were often part of a network of ownership or operating multiple facilities, the respondents represented over 110 facilities across 5 states or territories in Australia. Interviewees were recruited as an extension to a survey exploring the social value of their facilities. Managers were invited to opt in to be part of an interview and to invite their users to similarly participate in an interview. This was done through the industry partner and recruitment was done at an arm’s length process. An email was sent via the industry partner, and social media posts to promote the study and invite people to participate in both the survey and the interviews.

The research was conducted using a nationally representative sample during a pandemic related lockdown, necessitating online video conference interviews. Interviews lasted for between 30 and 70 min and were recorded and transcribed to facilitate data analysis. Qualitative data analysis via NVivo was undertaken using a combination of inductive and deductive coding, in line with Braun and Clarke (2022). Analysis was an iterative approach, with inductive coding being undertaken first to analyze the data for common themes in the interview transcripts. Subsequently, the themes were checked and refined for consistency and clarity. Finally, a deductive approach was applied where concepts drawn from the literature review were used to further analyze the data and identify similarities and differences with previous research.

Findings and discussion

Aquatic facilities create a series of unique opportunities for their local community to connect, engage, and develop social bonds and relationships; social capital accumulation and social value are evident. Overall, the aquatic facilities studied provide diverse community members with a variety of opportunities to connect with others in their community, fostering social connections and relationships which significantly improve user health and well-being. Analysis of the qualitative data identified four key themes: health and well-being, social connection, safety and education, and employment.

Health and well-being

Health and well-being were identified as a key theme, with analysis supporting that participation at aquatic facilities provided opportunities to improve physical, mental, and functional health outcomes. Physical health outcomes are the most obvious, however, study participants articulated that aquatic facilities are so much more than a place for individual physical activity. The provision of places and spaces for individual and community well-being was given as a prominent social value benefit. This aligns with the benefits proposed by Barnsley et al. (2017). To embody this perspective, one participant stated:

Community connection, mental health, would probably be the biggest [benefits], like we have a nice clean venue, and you get people that come and interact, if it's being run efficiently and correctly. You know we're able to provide an environment that is safe where there's always someone to help you if there's a problem. It gives you exercise, your health benefits, but then lets you interact with the whole community.

The work of Kumar et al. (2018) clearly establishes a connection between facilities and broader sport participation and physical activity. This was equally relevant in our analysis, where participants expressed a strong belief that aquatic facilities offer opportunities to enhance and fortify physical health within a secure and encouraging setting:

It's just that community feel that community hub, that's my vision for the centre is to be the community hub, where we can be healthy, we can promote a healthy lifestyle, we can provide activity in a safe space.

Social connection

The creation of social value was also identified through social connection within public aquatic facilities and swim schools. For social connection, the staff teams were pivotal; providing a safe and welcoming space. Interview data consistently identified that the greatest opportunities for social value were micro-interactions between staff and the members of the community. These interactions create opportunities to build new and enhance existing, connections between people who may not otherwise meet or engage. For example, interactions where a staff member could communicate in a user’s first (non-English) language, or when someone reached out to check if they were okay because they had been away on holiday were highly valued. A quote from a participant about a staff member at a facility highlights this point well:

She [staff member] can tell you every single person's backstory, the family story, because she's been here for ages and she's built that rapport with them, with the members, and I think it's just that connection.

Additionally, our analysis emphasized the need to understand the concept of social networks as related to, but separate from, resources or programming; alignment is given with the key components of social capital defined by Tacon (2022). Separation from resources is justified as many of the interactions where social value was identified occurred in the seemingly unimportant interactions, through moments of consideration or kindness from others, or simply a sense of being respected and recognized. Theoretically then, the development of social capital amongst patrons and staff is created through interconnected networks which help build trust and foster safety (Putnam, 1993). Epitomizing this, networks developed through the aquatic facilities were crucial in times of need; and assisted to develop the feelings of trust and safety. A quote from a staff member demonstrates this:

So, one of the other things that we really try and do out there is, we really try and focus on okay, who might be having a hard time, so we, we also have teachers that speak to the mums. We don't tend to put up walls between us and our clients, I guess that's how we find out who needs help … to provide that social support.

Expanding further, for some communities who may experience socio-economic hardship, social issues such as family violence were discussed. This highlighted the role that swim teachers and staff members played in identifying concerns or supporting families. One swim teacher explained:

The teachers have very good insights into different parents in their classes, and they're the ones that are noticing what's going on, they are the ones noticing who's got bruises, that sort of thing, which we've had come up because of where the school is located, we had a parent break a child's collarbone in class Monday on purpose. Those sorts of things we get to see, and that is very confronting, and that it teaches those that have never seen domestic violence before. So, they're also getting an insight into what to do and how to recognise that, and how to react as well. I use our teachers, very much for community input, because they are out there all the time.

Social connections were created through the different opportunities to engage both through and at the facility. Analysis identified that social value could emerge not only between staff and the community but also between community members. Specifically, members of the community who take on the critical role of building connections between individuals and groups, similar to the concept of “change agents” articulated in sport for development research (Schulenkorf, 2010). If a facility wishes to enhance social connection outcomes, it is important to identify, support and encourage these individuals (formally or informally) to continue to engage their community. These social connections can encourage the development of supportive relationships, particularly for vulnerable members of the community. In this way, the facility acts as a common interest that facilitates rich connections and thus, bonding capital (Putnam, 1993). The opportunity for people to come together and exercise, whilst being social, was discussed by many participants. One participant explained:

The fact that you've got a facility that enables people to come to do their exercise with another group of people, and then spend time to actually catch up and socialize and provide a space for them to do that, I think is a really positive social mechanism in the community.

This is also relevant to the facility itself, which may act as the “connector”. Seifried and Clopton (2013) exemplify sport facilities as a social anchor, defining sites where community development can occur via social capital and collective identity. Our analysis identified aquatic facilities and swim schools as valuable social anchors that enable community development. For example, the impact of COVID-19 shutdowns highlighted the role of aquatic facilities as social anchors for those who regularly attend them. Leveraging Maynard and Kleiber (2005), aquatic facilities as social anchors act as places where people can come together for discussions and engagements. The position of aquatic facilities as social anchors was conveyed in light of COVID-19 shutdowns:

On the health and wellbeing side of it, for their mental health and social wellbeing, it is important, because some of those classes, that we have, they come twice a week or once a week, and that might be their only social outing. They tell us they do miss it, we had a three-month lockdown, a lot of our clients, when we reopened, we're very fortunate that they reached out because it was starting to affect them mentally.

In this regard, aquatic facilities can be likened to the broader definition of sport facilities as “assets created by the community, rather than just as a public service consumed by it” (Findlay-King et al., 2018). Our analysis aligns with prior work by Piggin (2020), defining a symbiotic relationship between people, activities, and aquatic facilities as spaces. As social infrastructure, aquatic facilities can thus be considered within the resources component of social capital (Tacon, 2022). Roult et al. (2014) noted that the built environment can play a constructive role in promoting healthier lifestyles, and forging connections with both social identity and physical activity; this was reinforced by one participant who stated:

All the furniture gets rearranged and there would be 20 or 30 of us sitting around having a coffee, exchanging movies, food recipes, book exchanges. It's got everything, even got the book exchange people swapping over who needs this and who needs that, like it's quite amazing and it's really filled the gap for me, it's really great for me, because my work is pretty full on.

Moreover, analysis identified that both the pools and programs delivered within them are key to creating social connection and reducing social isolation for at-risk members of the respective communities. The strength of connection and social support was clearly articulated by those for whom the pool or program provides their most regular and genuine social interactions. For example, our findings showed that some elderly patrons had been using facilities for decades, and built relationships with other community members and staff, which in turn positively affected their lives. In this regard, there was clear evidence of bonding capital (Putnam, 2000). One participant discussed the importance for the elderly:

We all thought that the seventy-year-old lady, was going to be too scared to come back after the first lockdown … they were knocking on the door, because this is their life. Our facility has a morning tea after aqua [class] and that's always the best part of the day [for the participants]. And after each and every lockdown, they're [the aqua participants] the first ones back, they say “what am I doing now that I don't have this”, it is where they see their friends, every day, this is where they get their exercise every day. It's a disaster at the moment for that for that group.

However, interviews also observed that some community groups do not have access to the same opportunities as others, for example, people with a disability, low-SES communities, or the LGBTIQ + community. Simply, some community groups are excluded from developing and accruing social capital by not accessing the facilities (Putnam, 2000), reinforcing issues within the distribution of social infrastructure. Therefore, it is important to consider that the facilities themselves are not enough to ensure positive social value. Roult et al. (2014) identified that well-organized and inclusive activities are essential to build strong communities, which is reflected in this quote from a facility manager:

In a multicultural society where you've got a lot of people coming in and it's surrounded by water, that they [pool users] can come in and they can learn skills and being in water environment with less risk associated with it, because you've got lifeguards on or you've got organised programs, helping them to learn to swim.

When everybody has access to the benefits available via an aquatic facility, the whole community benefits from the facility. One powerful quote from a participant illustrates this point well, and the camaraderie of this social network, especially in times of social isolation:

When we haven't got it, what we really do, is miss the activities physically, it's the social aspect too, we're really missing it [the aqua aerobics classes]. There’s 65 of us on a WhatsApp group, so we're sharing stuff in the group, which keeps us going, keeps the morale up right now.

Safety and education

The social value of aquatic facilities was exemplified through safety and education benefits. Learn to swim and water safety programs provide essential life skills to ensure that all participants can safely engage in the water-based activities that are often a key part of the Australian way of life. Those who do not take the opportunity to learn to swim in a safe environment risk having a lack of confidence and competency in controlled environments and are more likely to be at risk in open water environments. The ability for aquatic facilities to procure this benefit has been epitomized within existing industry reports (e.g. Barnsley et al., 2017; PwC Australia, 2021). Further, these facilities can act as a central point of contact for access to other community services, providing a safe space for those needing help or assistance. One facility manager highlights:

A river runs right through the town and it's one of the highest risk rivers identified by rural life for drownings and so forth, so our role here is very big in the community in aquatic education with the schools.

In an Australian setting, aquatic facilities not only play an essential role in water safety and drowning prevention, but also during heatwaves, acting as a safe and welcoming space to seek respite from the weather. This contextual factor is an important consideration that fits within the access component of social capital developed by Tacon (2022). Research undertaken by Orr and Kellison (2023) equally identified sport facilities as important community hubs during times of crisis and for building resilience in response to climate change. With increased risk from higher temperatures, facilities can be paramount in areas at risk of droughts:

So, I just think that we are very much about the at the health benefits to social to the mental wellbeing, I think there's a lot more benefits that we are not tracking. Like suicide rates, like regionally, it's, look at the drought, I know that I had one venue where what they did, was they were actually shifting water via a semi trial because the town was in drought and was going to close the pool. No one had backyard pools, everything was dying, but the Council made the decision - you know what, we need to give them an outlet, we would have a truck turn up to pump water or we were the only place with green grass around. Yeah, we've been able to keep the spirit alive for that town, that one decision for that period.

Building upon concerns for water safety and the well-being of community members facing challenging social circumstances, participants also deliberated on the safety of elderly and vulnerable individuals. The impacts of extended lockdowns on some people were causes of concern for some staff members:

I guess the older ones who live alone, that are that bit older, that aren't able to attend due to the lockdowns, this is often their only outlet so in these lockdown periods when they do come back, they are overjoyed and just being able to engage with other adults, whether it be socially distanced or not. It does make a massive impact - clearly on their health and mental wellbeing, so we hear those stories every time we come out of lockdown. And each time we do go into lockdown when they call, some just double check that we are closed, and like everybody else, they are incredibly disappointed.

Safety in relation to drowning was also a prominent theme in the data. For migrant communities, who may not have been taught to swim, aquatic facilities and learn to swim lessons were seen as vital. One participant outlines the prevalence of South Asian families in some facilities, many newly arrived migrants, and their desire to learn about water safety:

What we've noticed is that the Indian population, we do have a lot of them come but they are the ones that also come back as adults to learn, none of the other demographics come back into the adult classes. Where we've noticed that, as a community there is a very high, high level of, I guess, supervision. Because, and I think this goes back to the fact that a lot of the Indian families are buying houses with pools, and they realize that if because we've kind of spoken to them a little bit about it, they realize that if their kids get into trouble, they can’t actually rescue their kids because they don't know how to swim.

Another quote highlights the importance for multicultural inclusion and targeted learn-to-swim programs for recently arrived migrants:

We also get lots of stories from adult learn to swim classes on wanting to feel as though they're living the Australian dream, they all want to go to the Gold Coast for the school holidays, they want to be able to go to the barrier reef. So, lots of stories of those adults, who have said, you know, we've actually helped them make their dreams come true by feeling like they are really Australian now, that they've learned to swim.

Employment

Employment was a final theme arising from our analysis. Facilities provided positive social value both for employees, as well as the local community. Contextually, the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia (2019) found that the majority of the workforce in the aquatic sector are either casually employed or have multiple jobs and are members of the local community. Our analysis reinforces this, finding that aquatic facilities provide opportunities to a variety of people, particularly young people studying in high school or higher education, who use their employment as a lifeguard or swimming teacher to financially support them through their studies. Findings thus also align with the PwC Australia (2021) report which proposed stimulating jobs for young people and regional communities as a primary driver of social value. Employment outcomes at aquatic facilities additionally provide opportunities for parents and carers who need to work flexibly and for older Australians who may be stepping down from a career or seeking a career change. One participant outlined:

We run a traineeship program where these individuals will start off in an administrative role and then some evolve into a lifeguard or learn to swim position, and some of these individuals have not ever known how to swim so, they are learning how to swim and the look of joy and achievement on these traineeships. These training individuals when they can actually achieve a milestone, as they are almost coming into adulthood, it is amazing, so yes that's certainly a social impact that I see as being, I guess, a school for life, that we're offering with our training.

Employment is often overlooked as a social value benefit of sport and aquatic facilities. Pye et al. (2015) identified the important role that sport infrastructure can play in education and employment opportunities. Aquatic facilities employ thousands of people in a wide variety of roles to create positive outcomes for their local community. A quote from a facility manager explains the importance of facilities on livelihoods and income:

You know and that's without the financial costs, you know don't worry about me as the operator, but what about the employment. What about those five, there's five kids who live, you know off their income for us over the summer and that that covers it throughout the whole year.

This also reinforces the value of social capital where participants convert their networks and social value of such networks, into economic capital through employment opportunities. Central to Putnam’s (2000) social capital analysis, social networks have value, and benefit an individual. These networks are not an individual possession but a collective possession of those who are connected by social ties (Glover & Hemingway, 2005). Relatedly, the social impact and benefits to staff via employment were also discussed:

So I think the benefit from a staff perspective, yes, they understand the community that they probably interact at various degrees with, and learning that you can interact with a child at this age and then you can also interact with a ninety year old woman that's coming in, and sometimes you'll make someone's day that little bit better, and I think that that's a really nice effect back on staff.

Finally, creating employment opportunities for vulnerable community members was seen as extremely impactful. This related to women in particular, where mums made up a high proportion of swim teachers in some facilities, as one participant explained:

It could be they might have done it for several different reasons, they've been made redundant, or their husband has left them. We had one of our mums just walk in off the street one day about 12 years ago and said my husband just left me, I've got no money, I need a job, and she is now in charge of the biggest school in New South Wales. Then you've got other people that just want to earn a little bit of money and they can swim either way, and that might be the mums that are on maternity leave, so for somebody that's coming into it, socially they are going to benefit from getting new friends.

In summary, our data demonstrated the critical importance of aquatic facilities in communities across Australia and created a range of benefits to community members, including health and well-being, social connection, safety and education, and employment opportunities.

Conclusion

Aquatic facilities in all their forms provide social infrastructure for communities across Australia, creating social spaces to build relationships, provide social support, and foster feelings of trust and connection. Our research argues that social value can be facility-agnostic. The positive social capital and social value created by these facilities are found equally across state-of-the-art facilities, and regional seasonal outdoor pools with only very basic infrastructure. Our analysis identified that it was the people – the staff and the community – who were instrumental in developing a safe and welcoming space where social value was created. Empowering community members in their roles as social connectors was also identified as critical in engaging the wider community more deeply.

While our research underscores that aquatic facilities serve as vital social infrastructure, it is important to differentiate how these facilities uniquely foster social value compared to other types of leisure facilities or community infrastructure. Aquatic facilities, by their very nature, offer a distinctive blend of social, recreational, and health benefits that are less commonly found in unison elsewhere. Firstly, the aquatic environment inherently promotes inclusivity and accessibility. The buoyancy of water provides a unique medium that is particularly accommodating for individuals with physical disabilities, seniors, and those undergoing rehabilitation, offering opportunities for exercise and social interaction that might be challenging in land-based settings. Secondly, the range of programs and activities available at aquatic facilities is typically broader and more diverse than at many other community infrastructures. From learn-to-swim programs for all ages, water aerobics, competitive swimming, to leisure swimming, these facilities cater to a wide array of interests and skill levels, encouraging lifelong engagement in physical activity. This diversity not only supports physical health but also fosters social interaction across different groups, creating a unique social fabric that binds the community together. These elements facilitate a different kind of social value, one that is more inclusive, varied, and integral to the community’s identity. In sum, aquatic environments are uniquely positioned to serve a broader spectrum of the community, including those often underrepresented in traditional leisure spaces. This aspect leads to the creation of distinct opportunities pertaining to health and well-being, social connection, safety and education and employees. For industry practitioners, understanding and strategically leveraging these unique values is vital to demonstrate their alignment and contribution to social policy objectives, especially where funding is sought (Coalter, 2015).

Data suggests that there is limited understanding on how best to work in partnership with diverse communities, which identifies a need for increased awareness and cultural competency, particularly for more marginalized or at-risk communities such as LGBTIQ + and First Nations people. These minority social groups were not able to access or accrue community social capital, with no opportunities to foster social networks and connections through accessing the facility. This raises important questions about whether community facilities such as aquatic facilities benefit all of the community. We suggest facilities create community development and engagement strategies, to reach and engage underserved social groups or seek to work with agencies and advocacy bodies to identify areas of improvement in policy and procedure for diversity, inclusion, and safety. This is important as it is these groups who can really benefit from increased social capital and diverse networks (Storr & Richards, 2022). Developing safe, welcoming, and inclusive places for all community members requires staff to be formally trained in cultural competency, person-first approaches for people with a disability, and to better understand gender-diversity. The more safe, welcoming, and inclusive an aquatic facility can be the greater the opportunity for the local community and facility staff to develop social connection.

Although this research provides insight into the social impact of aquatic facilities across Australia, we must acknowledge the limitations of both study design and scope. Aquatic facilities are abundant across Australia, largely due to the climate and geography, and as such we acknowledge that the level of social capital and social value may be more substantial than in other countries with fewer facilities or a climate less conducive to engaging in swimming related activities. Additionally, although our sample is drawn from across Australia and in a wide variety of facility types, we are sure that there are unique facilities and communities that may not be represented in this research. Future research in this area could investigate other types of social infrastructure in the sport and active recreation setting, or undertake a more detailed investigation in a specific social impact identified here.

Ethics statement

This study received ethics approval from the Research Ethics Office of Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne (Reference 20215753-6842).

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank RJ Houston and Royal Life Saving Society Australia for their contributions to the research presented in this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Royal Life Saving Society- Australia.