Abstract
In the field of sports, the use of various types of information to improve performance and specialized staff is becoming increasingly important. However, there have been no detailed reports on the actual status of such staff. This study aimed to understand the situation of information strategy specialists in Japan. A snowball sampling questionnaire survey was conducted among those who utilize information to improve the competitive performance of athletes and teams. We divided 295 answers into the information strategy specialist group and other staff group
and compared the results of them. As a result, the information strategy specialist had the following characteristics: males in their 20s and early 30s, worked with highly competitive teams and athletes. They also had a near fulltime work schedule, and their annual income was comparable to the national average. They used information for long-term purposes not only for individual athletes but also for the teams, and the standard work was the data collection, analysis, and reporting of information using sports video analysis software. Compared to the other staff,
the information strategy specialists were involved in limited types and categories of sports. In addition, although there are a variety of designations for information strategy staff, most of the respondents to this survey used the term “analyst”. Based on the results obtained from this study, further findings are expected to be accumulated for the spread and development of information strategy specialists.
