‘They feel targeted’: Warwick Sports Hub’s new cancellation fines hit women hardest

Warwick Sports and Wellness Hub’s new cancellation fines for missed gym classes hit women hardest, a Freedom of Information (FoI) request has revealed.

The University of Warwick’s Sports Hub recently introduced a fine system for members who fail to attend a booked activity or fail to cancel an activity more than two hours in advance.

After the new charges were introduced, a FoI request was filed for the proportional breakdown of fine recipients by gender, which showed nearly 80 per cent of fines have been issued to women. 21 per cent of penalties are handed to men, while one per cent are categorised as “unknown”.

Members who miss a class they’ve booked are charged £5, and those who cancel less than two hours before face a £3 penalty. Until the fine is paid, students can’t cross the barriers for the Sports Hub or book any further activities.

Women across the UK attend more fitness classes than men, and the University of Warwick has confirmed this is a pattern that occurs at its sports centre too. According to a spokesperson, females represent around 75 to 85 per cent of its class bookings.

However unexpected childcare arrangements, eldercare and health problems like period pain and fatigue have all been cited by students as reasons the fines may be more likely to disproportionately impact women.

Warwick Sport and Wellness Hub via Google Maps

In response to the fine system, one female Warwick student told The Warwick Tab: “There should be more trust; it shouldn’t go straight to a fine. A strike system would make more sense and encourage people to use Warwick Sport.”

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The student feels as though the fees have been put in place to generate further profit from students, especially women, “because the gym knows they can as most of us have no better option than the Warwick gym”.

“Since this is mainly a student gym, the fines just feel targeted. First years aren’t going to an off-campus gym – most undergrads and postgrads use Warwick Sport because it’s so accessible,” she added.

These fines are the next step in the “no-show” policies implemented by Warwick Sport.

In February, there was the introduction of fitness class no-show policies, and in an email to members, Warwick Sport claimed: “In just 6 months, no-shows have fallen from an average of 350+ to 60 per week”.

From 10th September 2025, the “no-show policy” will be broadened to badminton, squash, tennis and table tennis bookings.

via the University of Warwick

A University of Warwick spokesperson said:”Warwick Sport introduced a ‘no-show’ cancellation policy for fitness class booking on 10th February 2025 in response to feedback from customers, who wanted us to free up class spaces that were being lost to late cancellations and missed sessions.