We live in an information age. The internet has meant that we now have a knowledge-based society, whilst recent technological innovations continue to ensure we live in an increasingly individualistic time. Access to goods, services, entertainment and information is available directly to individuals through their laptops, phones and tablets. With such direct access people are no longer dependent upon, or bound to, social or cultural institutions.. This has empowered individuals, giving them greater freedom and independence: The self-employed represent 15% of the total workforce, compared with 8.7% in 1975; 99% of businesses in the UK are now small or medium-sized businesses employing no more than 249 people; and less than 1% of the UK electorate is now a member of the Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrat Party, compared to 3.8% in 1983.

As in society, so in sport.

The recent Active People Survey once again highlights that individual sports, such as running and cycling are showing growth, while a number of team sports are declining. Furthermore, membership of sports clubs is also declining, particularly amongst adults. Meanwhile, alongside these changes, technological advances have produced a significant growth in the use of personalised technology in sport and physical activity. Tracking devices, health monitors, and fitness trackers to monitor activity and food intake mean that an individual can now obtain detailed information about their fitness levels, performance and health status.

Crucially, they can obtain this information without membership of, or even access to, an umbrella institution.

This trend presents a number of implications for the sports sector.

Firstly, participants are no longer so dependent on large institutions for information or guidance. Technological innovations provide detailed personalised information about users activity, some analysis and are increasingly offered performance tips and coaching online. This highlights the problem with the "one size fits all approach" that most sport clubs provide. If you, as an individual, can gain detailed information about your fitness weaknesses, and how to improve them, you can obtain fitness or exercise programme designed specifically for you. A bespoke programme, built around your needs, will be much more attractive than attending another standard training session aimed at a number of regular participants in your club.

Secondly, and more crucially, individuals are no longer so dependent on institutions for activities. Increasingly, non-sports organisations (such as the National Trust and other charities) are enabling or facilitating individuals to take part in sporting activities without commitment to an organisation or a regular schedule (e.g. through fun-runs, charity events etc.). This is also happening in the commercial sector, with organisations such as Goals Soccer Centres using "Pay and Play" models to enable one-off or unscheduled small sided football games – moving away from the traditional membership model or the weekly Saturday morning commitment normally required for teams.

This flexibility of choice is increasingly attractive to individuals. In a progressively pressured world, where most of us struggle to maintain a balance between work, social and family commitments, the trend is for accessing sport & physical activity alone or in small groups, at times convenient to them. Flexibility of provision is therefore key in attracting and retaining participants.

Technological developments mean that businesses have to be strategically mature and razor sharp in analysing risk. A business model can be undermined rapidly. In theory, larger organisations should be better resourced to adapt to a changing market. There are however, many examples where size has actually been a disadvantage - where larger, successful businesses (e.g. Kodak, IBM, Blockbuster video) have failed to adapt to, or adopt, the new technologies in their area – whether through complacency, an unwillingness to accept the change around them, or just the lack of flexibility and speedy decision making that can come with large institutions.

In contrast, smaller organisations do not always directly benefit from the status quo, and are not therefore committed to existing structures. They are often more willing to consider new approaches or technologies and being more leanly managed, they can quickly adapt or change strategies to meet new challenges.

The challenge for the sports sector, and in particular those organisations in the traditional model of delivery (eg clubs, NGBs) is how to respond to these changes. Looking at the sector as a whole, this is more of an issue for those NGBs who govern team sports, or for those dependent on membership subscriptions for revenue.

Of the 100 or so sports and activities officially recognised by Sport England, about 30 can only be undertaken as a part of a team. Many of these have traditionally been in a strong position. They represent the larger, conventional sports we are familiar with – rugby, football, cricket, hockey, netball. They customarily receive more exposure and more caché. Their foundation for participation is guaranteed through being compulsorily played in schools, and they are better placed financially than the smaller sports. Those 30 sports however also include a number of smaller sports, for whom participation is never guaranteed and funding remains a struggle. Examples include handball, lacrosse, and volleyball. For both of these groups adapting to the age of the individual is vital.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of those 100 sports and activities are aimed at individuals (e.g. martial arts such as karate or judo) or sports such as running and cycling (which have the additional benefit of being recreational activities, thus requiring no competitive infrastructure or framework to take part). They are ideally placed to use the new technologies to their advantage, as well as their participants

So the challenge for sport organisations is: how can they adapt to a changing society and technology to ensure their offering remains attractive in an individualistic age?

Alex Scott-Bayfield is a Director of Fitmedia and a Director of Sportsgroup

sportsgroup.co.uk