Coinciding with the Paris 2024 Olympics, Swiss startup Equip rolled out an innovative rental system to get everyone moving. To make sports more accessible and encourage impromptu play, the company installed 60 self-service rental units in Parisian parks and near sports fields and courts. Each compact unit contains basketballs, soccer balls or padel rackets in three separate lockers with glass doors, which are opened using an app.
Typically, people are charged a small hourly rental fee via the app, but these Play for Free units were sponsored by retail giant Decathlon. Since installing them in June 2024, Equip reports facilitating over 10,000 game sessions for more than 4,000 players, 30% of whom were women. Two percent of the sessions resulted in theft, much lower than anticipated. Following Paris, Equip just launched the concept in London, also in partnership with Decathlon.
🏀 ⚽️ 🏓 Equip's collaboration with Decathlon offers a practical solution to combatting pervasive societal concerns: the loneliness epidemic, excessive screen time and sedentary lifestyles. By removing barriers to participation and promoting spontaneous physical activity, Play for Free demonstrates how simple interventions can get people moving and playing together. As cities worldwide grapple with similar public health challenges, the Parisian experiment could serve as a blueprint for fostering more active communities. One to roll out across the globe?
