ABSTRACT
A considerable amount of data on sport is collected on a regular basis at considerable cost, particularly by government agencies. The government agencies which commission them can be seen as the primary users, but they are also used by a variety of other organisations and individuals, including industry bodies and firms, other levels of government, consultants and academics. Most sport organisation generate routine data which can be of use for research purposes and many have management information systems specifically designed to produce data upon which assessments of the performance of the organisation are based. National sport participation surveys are the main source of information available to researchers on overall participation levels in a range of sport activities. Time-use surveys ask respondents to keep a diary of their activities for one or two days, so they cover all aspects of time-use, including sport, and are a key source of information for sport studies.
