Purpose -Aims to identify the aspects of service delivery deemed most important by the users of Greek fitness centers and to examine whether their desires differ according to the type of fitness center they use as well as according to certain demographic and motivation patterns. Design/methodology/approach -The study was based on the QUESC instrument developed by Kim and Kim. A total of 346 individuals who were members of public and private fitness centers in Athens/Greece completed the questionnaires. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was conducted for each item of the instrument in order to examine whether different groups had different desires for service delivery. Where a difference between group means was identified, Duncan's multiple range tests were performed to determine which means were significantly different. Findings -The aspects of service delivery desired more by sports centers users refer to the tangible elements of the facilities, the personnel attitudes and abilities, attributes related to the cost of participation and items related to the programming and scheduling of services provided. The findings also suggest that significant differences of desires exist between males and females as well as between users of public and private sports centers.Research limitations/implications -The sample of the fitness centers was convenient rather than statistical. The reason was that there is no official agency in Greece with a complete list of fitness centers. Practical implications -This paper is a useful source of information for fitness centers management to identify their customers' wants, take action to improve service delivery, and establish standards of performance to address the identified customers' needs. Originality/value -This paper sought to address questions on the way certain demographic variables and patterns of use might affect sports centers' users' desires, so that an information package can be applied in making marketing decisions for improving sports centers service delivery.

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The EFQM Excellence Model is an advanced tool for organizations' improvement, which is based on the principles of the theoretical frame of Total Quality Management (Michalska, 2008). The aim of this study was a first attempt to assess the Hellenic One hundred respondents from 18 HNSFs participated in this study. According to the results, processes of management's excellence do exist and are indeed applied, but neither often, nor systematically. Moreover, there is a differentiation in perceptions between the three hierarchical administrative groups. It is concluded that in this particular moment a management excellence program may prove difficult to be applied in the HNSFs, unless there is common perception and agreement between the parties involved, on: a) the meaning of management's excellence and b) the profits it may produce for the sport organization.

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