We're already seeing results from a major national drive to unlock sport and physical activity opportunity data

Almost one year after we teamed up with the Open Data Institute (ODI) to support OpenActive – a major national initiative to unlock sport and physical activity opportunity data – we've already seen big progress.

Finding the right information online is essential if we're to make sport and activity easy and accessible. But for too long, information has been buried on old-fashioned websites and printed flyers.

We want to make sure that accessing sport and activity online is as quick and simple as booking a flight to Spain. But that can only be done if activity providers, sports clubs, leisure operators and the private sector open their data and allow it to be available to all.

Revolutionising the experience

When travel operators unlocked their data several years ago, it revolutionised the experience for holidaymakers. Now, we're used to seeing immediate information about flights, cost and accommodation.

Imagine the same thing for the sport and physical activity sector: knowing where, when and at what cost sport or activity is happening in your local area.

The more organisations that join OpenActive, the easier it will be for people to find and access physical activities

Lisa O'Keefe, director of insight, Sport England

In just nine months, OpenActive has established a community of local and national organisations, and individuals in the sector, who are now doggedly working towards making sport and physical activity data openly available.

We're already seeing results from a major national drive to unlock sport and physical activity opportunity data

Almost one year after we teamed up with the Open Data Institute (ODI) to support OpenActive – a major national initiative to unlock sport and physical activity opportunity data – we've already seen big progress.

Finding the right information online is essential if we're to make sport and activity easy and accessible. But for too long, information has been buried on old-fashioned websites and printed flyers.

We want to make sure that accessing sport and activity online is as quick and simple as booking a flight to Spain. But that can only be done if activity providers, sports clubs, leisure operators and the private sector open their data and allow it to be available to all.

Revolutionising the experience

When travel operators unlocked their data several years ago, it revolutionised the experience for holidaymakers. Now, we're used to seeing immediate information about flights, cost and accommodation.

Imagine the same thing for the sport and physical activity sector: knowing where, when and at what cost sport or activity is happening in your local area.

The more organisations that join OpenActive, the easier it will be for people to find and access physical activities

Lisa O'Keefe, director of insight, Sport England

In just nine months, OpenActive has established a community of local and national organisations, and individuals in the sector, who are now doggedly working towards making sport and physical activity data openly available.

Continue to develop a data standard for the whole sector to use, and introduce ways to make opportunities easier to find on search engines and easily bookable by consumers.

Our director of insight, Lisa O'Keefe, says: "Over the past 12 months it has been fantastic to see open data published by large leisure operators, national governing bodies and other activity providers."

"I'm really excited by what the next year holds, as we focus on supporting innovative start-ups to use this data too. The more organisations that join OpenActive, the easier it will be for people to find and access physical activities and ultimately, get active."

Find out more

• Check out Open Active
• Check out the list of organisations who have now published open data
• Discover more about the benefits of open data with this free e-learning course, developed specifically for the physical activity sector

https://www.sportengland.org/openactive/