Pecs pressed over protest at gym price hike

Hundreds of furious students have signed a petition protesting against Nottingham’s new gym membership.

UoN Sport’s new deal asks all students to fork out a flat payment of £135 for the year – a rise of nearly £70 for some.

The price hike provoked one outraged member into creating an online petition in protest of the change.

With over 500 signatures already, it appears that many share his frustrations.

The petition itself

Many students, in particular those previously on more basic membership plans, feel they are being unnecessarily charged for facilities they have no intention of using.

Byron Grant, the commercial director of the men’s football team, said the petition was “a brilliant idea” and one which he certainly hopes “catches the attention of those that pull the strings in the Athletic Union.”

He said: “Some of us only pay it to avoid being revoked our club membership, so it really is a joke.”

Until this year, memberships operated on a scheme where Nottingham’s elite athletes and amateur lifters could choose between Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Hardcore gym-goers won’t have to pay for Gold ever a

Although regular gym-goers were forced to fork out £200 for the year for the Gold pass, the Bronze membership cost a measly £69.

The change has led some to believe, not least one petition supporter attempting to offer some wise alternatives on the page, that the university sports centre must be “reeling from a lack of funds”.

Some think the price change is out of order

A spokesperson for the University of Nottingham said: “There has been a general consensus amongst groups of students and staff for some time that the sports membership was unfair.

“UoN Sport wished to respond to that feedback and have created a membership that ensures the best possible value across the broad range of students and staff wishing to take part in sport and health and fitness activities, within a simple and easily understood offer.”

From this, you might think that any chance of a re-think on the new model looks unlikely. And for this particularly defiant bunch of iron-pumping sportsmen it might have to be a case of biting the expensive bullet and digging a little deeper into their pockets.