Where does the data come from?

We pull information in from over 400 existing databases and websites. The biggest of these is Active Places (19,000 entries) but the other 18,000 entries come from a variety of NGBs, CSPs, local councils and PCTs.

We’ve also got a Content Management System that allows people to update their data directly in the system.

How often is the data updated?

We’re currently updating the data every 6 months, though we’re working on improving that.

www.nhs.uk and www.change4life.com take information from the Activity Search tool every 2 months, so if you update data on the Activity Search tool then it might take 2 months for the data to appear on their sites. They’re working to make this process even more regular.

Which websites are displaying the information from the Activity Search tool?

By far the largest sites using this data are www.nhs.uk and www.change4life.com. The NHS site has over 10 million visitors per month, which is obviously huge!

Oh no. Not another place for me to update my data? Is it worth me adding my data?

If you want to increase participation then this is a great, simple, cheap way to do so. By adding your data to the activity search tool you’ll make it searchable by thousands or even millions of people looking to do more activity.

We’re not trying to replace the existing systems that anyone (e.g. County Sports Partnerships) already run. We’re just trying to pull all that data into one central location and make it easy for the public to search it from wherever they are online.

What’s the best way for me to provide our existing data

If you’ve got lots of data (over 100 entries) in a database then please export the data as a .csv file (anyone running your website/ database will know what this is – it’s kind of like an excel spreadsheet) and email that to us. We’ll then format and upload that data to the system in our next planned update.

If you’ve got less than 100 entries then please add them directly into the system. You can apply to become an editor by filling in this form and we’ll then email you a login and details of how to use the system. This is only available for people in County Sports Partnerships, councils, PCTs or National Governing Bodies. If you run a sports club then you’ll need to get in touch with your local County Sports Partnership to get an account set up. We’ll be adding more details around this soon.

How will the data be kept updated?

We’re doing this trawl of existing websites every 6 months. We’re also making it possible for local providers to update their own information. If you have, or know of a database of local sport or activity then please email it to john@makesportfun.com.

How will the data be used?

It will be used to make it easier for the public to find where to play sport or do activity. Nothing else. We absolutely guarantee that this data will not be used for any mailings to the sports clubs, sports centres or anyone else we gather data about. Make Sport Fun (the company we’ve hired to build this system for us) are registered with the Information Commisioner’s Office on the Data Protection register.

Who will maintain ownership of the data

Whoever owns the data now will continue to have complete ownership of their database. We will simply be taking a copy of it.