Managing urban sports facilities

The aim of this paper is to examine the issues involved in the management of urban sports facilities, to review the relevant literature and research and to indicate dificiencies and thus priorities for future work. Urban sports provision is multi-dimensional involving firstly a range of types of facility, some sport specific and others of a more general or primarily non-sport nature where some sport happens to take place. Secondly, these facilities are provided and managed by a variety of different bodies, including commercial bodies, private and voluntary organisations which are essentially authorities, including education authorities, and to some extent, central government and its agencies. The third dimension in the urban sports space consists of the activities which take place in the facilities provided. The isues of management of these facilities vary with the aims and objectives which it accommodates. In some cases the management of the facility can be seperate and different from the management of the activities which take place.