Use of Sports Information Systems

Pascal Sieber

Jun 13, 2023 • 2 min read

Sports Information Systems: digital tools support organizations in the decision-making processes and provide a complete overview of athletes and teams (Source: courtevillegroup.com)

Topic
Nowadays, many different information systems are available on the market, and a range of sports organizations are installing and implementing specific sports information systems (SIS) to gain insights into their collected data. In this study, the focus lies on the use of sports information systems (SIS) in Swiss professional sports organizations in the areas of football, hockey, and skiing. Until today, it is unknown, how Swiss sports organizations use them, what benefits they provide, and to what extent they meet the requirements of these institutions. The aim was to answer these questions.

Relevance
Today's world is becoming increasingly complex, especially in sports, competition is intensifying and requires new instruments to gain a competitive advantage. Sports information systems (SIS) have revolutionized the way organizations and individuals interact and analyze sports data. Nowadays, SIS collect data from various sources (medical, athletic, business, match analysis, etc.) bring it together in one place, and provide it to different users of different interests. Embracing these technologies will enable organizations to stay competitive, gain an overview of their athletes and teams, and unlock new opportunities for success in the sports industry.

Results
SIS are mainly used for central access to data, providing a complete overview of teams and athletes and new perspectives of performances supported by data. Organizations will achieve benefits as providing information becomes more efficient, decision-making no longer depends on observations only but is supported by data, and injuries can be prevented by adjusting the training sessions. Nevertheless, users and suppliers agreed that subjective impressions of coaches will never be replaced by technology.

Overall, the systems meet with a high level of acceptance, are used with pleasure by the users, and mainly fulfill the requirements. Nonetheless, in individual cases, they generate a sharp rejection, despite the otherwise many positive feedbacks.

Summary of findings in this study (own illustration)

Implications for practitioners

The successful use of SIS requires an exact adjustment of the functions to the needs and requirements of the users and the organization
Clear objectives must be defined, which are to be fulfilled by the system
It is recommended to use a modular approach to implement an SIS on a project-based procedure in order to go through the analysis to the pilot phase.
To take full advantage of the system, a data-driven culture is needed, which will evolve over time and lead to new perspectives of performance.
It is essential to acquire the necessary resources and competencies in advance by building up knowledge or recruiting data specialists.

Methods
In this study, the investigation of the use of sports information systems was based on an exploratory approach and qualitative methodology. There were conducted twelve interviews with staff of professional football, hockey, and skiing clubs/organizations, and three interviews with suppliers and developers of SIS. To gain a comprehensive overview of the use of SIS, different people such as performance coaches, athletic coaches, game analysts, etc. were interviewed. Information about user behavior was collected through ethnographical observations and reported in field notes to get a deeper understanding of how they are used in practice. A qualitative content analysis was used to reveal the use of sports information systems in Swiss sports organizations using inductive coding. The coding was done manually by using MAXQDA.

Sign up for more like this.