As Private Frazer of the Walmington Home Guard famouly said  - “we’re doomed”. Yes, the economic outlook is looking bleak for the United Kingdom. As Cameron and Clegg continue to slash government spending, experts are forecasting a deeply biting recession, involving job losses, a decline in spending and generally large doses of unhappiness all round.

Not so it seems for extreme sport related commerce, which appears to be bucking the national downwards trend and is continuing with a pattern of healthy growth. Consumer spending on extreme sports products is rising sharply, year on year, and specialist clubs and events are springing up across the country. The public seems willing to spend out on kite surfing lessons or tickets to a Mixed Martial Arts event – many tournaments, competitions and festivals are attracting record numbers of spectators. As well as this, local authorities and private businesses are investing in the country’s extreme sports infrastructure, building skate parks and artificial ski slopes in towns and cities across the U.K.

Part of the reason for this growth is the recession itself. It has been almost two years since the word ‘recession’ publicly crossed the lips of our once Great Leader, Gordon Brown and since then the economic woe has been felt across the U.K. Recession causes a drop in the consumption of foreign holidays amongst those hit. Many will substitute a costly trip to France or Spain with domestic entertainment instead, such as extreme sports lessons.

The growth of extreme sports business requires more explanation than the recession alone. Extreme sports industries are experiencing rapid growth not just because people are declining to travel abroad; it is also attributable to the lack of growth in previous decades. Extreme sports industries are very new, when compared to the music industry or theater for example. The British public are deeply interested, but the facilities and products are only slowly becoming available. In short, whilst demand is there, the businesses needed to cater to this demand are not. The business infrastructure is undeveloped and there are many tasty niches left to be filled. This gives a bright spark with an intelligent mind an excellent arena to practice the art of making money and in doing so, aid the extreme sports boom.

It is not just private business that has got the bug for promoting the growth of extreme sports in Great Britain. Local authorities and councils are getting in on the act as well. The rulers of cities, towns and villages across the country are agreeing to fork out for modern public facilities, such new skate parks, BMX tracks, etc. When the money can’t be found for a permanent site, a good compromise is made. Take the example of St Albans Council. The local skateboarding community had been campaigning for months in favor of a skate park facility in the area. The cash-strapped local council heard the calls and sought to act on them without spending too much money; so they hired a mobile skate part, which toured the region over the summer months.

Derby City, Wokingham and Ealing have all announced plans to open new extreme sports facilities within their areas. Belfast has gone a step further by saying yes to a colossal new urban sports park, which will be a first for Northern Ireland. The-state-of-the-art facility will provide a space for the city’s youngster to practice their skateboarding, BMX and parkour skills. Even the nation’s leaders are joining the queue to back British extreme sports. Most people are aware of the Prime Minister’s intrepid attempts to promote British surfing. Now we can add the Chancellor to the list of government enthusiasts. George Osborne has recently put his weight behind a campaign to build a skate park in his local constituency. Despite Mr Osborne’s insistence that the country slash public spending, he believes his local community should find the funds for this project.

So the future looks good for British extreme sports. Public interest is booming and extreme sports businesses are growing fast. The political establishment has recognized the potential social and financial benefits of backing extreme sports and continued investment seems likely. Extreme sports are on the grow and this trend doesn’t look like abating soon. Long may it continue.

** Photo by William Warby **