Abstract
In recent Japanese sports market, the maturation is in progress. Accordingly, the service industry for commercial sports facilities has grown up remarkably. The concept of the service industry has much influence on the future of theappreciation of commercial sports facilites. It is not certain that the present concept being beginner oriented will be available in the future. The purpose of this study is to consider what the product of the commercial sports facility will be. P.Kotler's theory of structured product considers the sport and the need for the product. Two groups, the committed sportsman and the beginner, were formed which differ substantially in the level of appreciation of the aport. The need for each structured product was compared with each other by way of a written questionnaire. The main results were as folows:1) The committed sportsman has a much larger need for the core product.2) There is no difference of needs within two groups for augmented product andformal product. It was suggested that the various needs were changing to the essential attractive needs of sports, from the point of view that the commited sportsman's needs have been changed from the beginner's one. It is necessary to keep up with the need for augmented product and formal product as a strategy for attracting new customers. However, when implementing this strategy the core product should not be overlooked. The long-term success of a sports facility cannot be expected if the need for the core product does not satisfy the customer who has changed from being a beginner to a dedicated sportsman. Therefore, if there is no need for the core product, the customer's involvement in the sport will be short-lived. Catering to all needs for sports services will not be enough to produce a high level of appreciation of the sport and long-term success. In this context, the concept of the product should be developed to help customers become aware of the essential value of sports.
