The present study examines an approach that achieves effective use of public school sports facilities by delegating part of the facility management to private organizations for local sports promotion. The "Tragedy of the Commons" from game theory and from the theory of D.C. North's new institutionalism forms the conceptual framework of this study. Data acquired from a questionnaire survey sent to all incorporated nonprofit organizations operating "comprehensive community sports clubs" (CCSC) and from interviews with several key clubs were analyzed. For the analysis, CCSC members were classified into four groups in accordance with whether the clubs operate "public sport facilities" and whether the clubs operate "public school sports facilities." The major findings are summarized as follows. First, city administrators should enter into a contract with clubs and allocate part of the management operations of public school sports facilities to clubs. Second, it is essential for clubs undertaking management operations to encourage self-enforcement by facility users, even though city administrators retain overall authority. Third, adopting the first and second conditions simultaneously creates effective operational synergy between the city administration and the club management of public sports school facilities.

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The present research attempts to clarify the formation process of physical education management, which is a forerunner of sport management, in the context of academic historical research, bringing the formation of sport management in Japan into perspective. The findings are summarized as follows. Until the mid-30s of the Meiji era, physical education theory in Japan was mainly developed by the army, the National Gymnastic School (Taiso-Denshujo) and the Japan Association of Physical Education (Nihon Taiikukai). In the second half of the Meiji era, as the necessity of scientific research on physical education was called for primarily by the officials of the Japan Association of Physical Education and investigation and research on physical education became more advanced, books on physical education theory came to be published. With the establishment of the National Institute of Physical Education in the 13th year of the Taisho era, physical education research gained momentum and the system of physical pedagogics was arranged as an independent science. When the system of physical pedagogics was domestically streamlined around the 10th year of the Showa era, physical education management was positioned as part of this system. The contents of physical education management were based on the elements of physical education management seen in school management and pedagogy during the Meiji era. Moreover, since sports became more popular than ever before in Japan from the Taisho era to the beginning of the Showa era, the rational management of sports became increasingly required. As the management of sport associations and athletic meetings drew more attention, physical education management came to incorporate their content. In addition, physical education management was incorporated into the teacher-training course of physical education in the mid-10s of the Showa era, and physical education management developed into a full-fledged science with the establishment of departments of physical education at universities after the Second World War. As can be seen here, physical education management formed as one domain of domestic physical pedagogics.

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