The Sports Analysis Institute

What The Sports Analysis Institute does

The Sports Analysis Institute (Idrættens Analyseinstitut, branded as Idan) is a Danish self-governing research institute established in 2004 by the Ministry of Culture and relocated from Copenhagen to Aarhus in 2018. Its statutory mandate is to produce overview, knowledge, and public debate on Danish sports policy. The institute operates through three sub-brands: Idan (core sports research), Vifo (Videncenter for Folkeoplysning, the adult and folk education knowledge center created in 2013-2015), and Play the Game (an international initiative promoting democracy and transparency in sport, merged into Idan in 2011).

Its core products are research publications and recurring surveys rather than software. Flagship outputs include the Danish Sports and Exercise Habits Survey (Danskernes motions- og sportsvaner, run periodically since 2007), the annual Team Danmark Wellbeing and Athlete Surveys (covering ~1,200 elite athletes), the Facilitetsdatabasen (national sports facility database), the Idan Forum membership network, and a portfolio of commissioned evaluations and scientific articles. The institute does not develop proprietary technology platforms, does not expose APIs or developer tooling, and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

The institute is funded through a base allocation of approximately 10 million kr per year from Kulturministeriet (financed by lottery legislation), supplemented by commissioned research for Team Danmark and Danish municipalities, and by project grants from foundations such as Novo Nordisk Fonden (a 100 million kr grant in 2019), TrygFonden, Nordea-fonden, and A.P. Møller Fonden. Customers are almost entirely within the public and non-profit sectors: the Ministry of Culture, Team Danmark, the major Danish sports confederations (DIF, DGI, Dansk Firmaidræt), a growing roster of municipalities, and anti-doping partners (Anti Doping Danmark).

Name

The Sports Analysis Institute

Legal name

Idrættens Analyseinstitut

Website

https://idan.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sports Analysis Institute (Idan) is a Danish government-funded research institute, established in 2004 under the Ministry of Culture, that produces surveys, analyses, and policy research on Danish sports, elite athletics, and adult education for public-sector clients including Team Danmark and Danish municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Policy Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Quantitative Research & Survey Analytics (Survey Design, Sampling, Statistical Modeling) (MPAAALAF)

Keywords

• Sports policy research
• Sports participation surveys
• Elite sports evaluation
• Sports facility analysis
• Subsidized research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarhus

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Base Funding: Annual basic allocation of approximately 10 million kr from Kulturministeriet, financed through lottery legislation (Lov om udlodning af overskud og udbytte fra lotteri). Covers fundamental analyses, operations, administration, housing, and communication.
2. Commissioned Research and Projects: Revenue from commissioned assignments, external project grants, and other income-generating activities. Includes evaluations for Team Danmark, municipality studies, and special-purpose research.
3. Special Grants: Occasional special allocations for Play the Game's good governance work in international sport.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Idrættens Analyseinstitut is a government-funded research institute that conducts surveys, analyses, and evaluations on Danish sports participation, elite sports, sports facilities, and sports policy. It produces periodic national sports habits surveys, annual athlete well-being surveys for Team Danmark, facility assessments for municipalities, sports economics research, and operates the Idan Forum membership network alongside the international Play the Game initiative on sports governance.

Product overview

The Sports Analysis Institute (Idrættens Analyseinstitut) operates as a research and analysis organization rather than a technology product company. The institute offers a portfolio of research services including periodic national surveys on Danish sports habits (Danskernes motions- og sportsvaner), annual athlete wellbeing and satisfaction surveys for Team Danmark, and evaluations of elite sports programs. Supporting infrastructure includes the Facilitetsdatabasen (Facility Database) for municipalities, the Idan Forum membership network for knowledge sharing, and the scientific article publication series. The institute also encompasses Videncenter for Folkeoplysning (Vifo) focusing on community education research and the Play the Game initiative hosting international sports governance conferences. These offerings are research publications and consultancy services rather than software products with technical integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Videncenter for Folkeoplysning (Vifo): Knowledge center for adult education and popular education
• Play the Game
• Idan Forum

Products and services

• Danskernes motions- og sportsvaner (Danish Sports and Exercise Habits Survey) A comprehensive national survey tracking Danish sports and exercise habits since 2007, examining physical activity levels, sports participation patterns, and trends in organized and unorganized sports. Co-funded by major Danish sports organizations.
• Team Danmark Trivselsundersøgelse (Team Danmark Wellbeing Survey) Annual survey measuring the wellbeing and satisfaction of approximately 1,200 Team Danmark elite athletes, including training environment, mental health, and support services.
• Team Danmark Atletundersøgelse (Team Danmark Athlete Survey) Annual survey examining athlete satisfaction with Team Danmark's sports expertise services, technology, facilities, and job/education support.
• Facilitetsdatabasen (Facility Database) A database providing information and statistics about sports facilities across Denmark, used by municipalities and organizations for facility planning purposes.
• Idan Forum A membership-based network established in 2015 that facilitates knowledge sharing and networking across sports sector actors including event organizations, municipalities, sports organizations, and facilities.
• Evaluering af Team Danmarks forskningsnetværk (Evaluation of Team Danmark Research Networks) Evaluation of six research networks (DEEPn, Elitesportsmiljøer, Træningsmodeller, Prokit, SportsTEK, Tidlig diagnostik) that collaborated with Team Danmark since 2019 to develop and optimize Danish elite sports.
• Play the Game An initiative promoting democracy, openness, and freedom of expression in international sports, hosting the international Play the Game conference where journalists, sports leaders, and stakeholders discuss challenges in international sports governance.
• Videncenter for Folkeoplysning (Vifo) A knowledge center focused on adult education and popular enlightenment, collecting and disseminating knowledge in cooperation with Idan on community education and folk high school topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual athlete well-being surveys covering approximately 1,200 Team Danmark athletes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Six Research Networks (DEEPn, Elitesportsmiljøer, Træningsmodeller, Prokit, SportsTEK, Tidlig diagnostik)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Research networks comprising researchers from various Danish universities collaborating with Team Danmark and special sports federations.
• Team DanmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecurring client for athlete well-being surveys and research network evaluation. Idan conducts annual well-being surveys among approximately 1,200 Team Danmark athletes and evaluates elite sports research programs.
• Anti Doping DanmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on EliteSupport function for reporting unacceptable behavior in elite sports. ADD receives and investigates reports from athletes.
• DIF, DGI, Lokale og Anlægsfonden, Dansk FirmaidrætcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funders of national Danish sports habits surveys (with each contributing 160,000-300,000 kr per survey round).
• SDU (Syddansk Universitet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Team Danmark research network evaluation and sports economics studies (ph.d. projects, sports event valuation research).
• Videncenter for Folkeoplysning (Vifo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the same institute structure, focused on adult education and popular enlightenment knowledge center. Shares staff and leadership with Idan.
• Play the GamecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the same institute structure, initiative promoting democracy and transparency in international sport. Hosts international conference.
• Danish MunicipalitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommission Idan for facility studies, sports habit surveys, and evaluations. Examples include Odense, Frederikshavn, Helsingør, Hjørring, Rødovre, and Sønderborg municipalities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Nielsen Sports (Repucom): Commercial sports-market research and sponsorship analytics firm that benchmarks fan economics, media value, and sponsorship rights. Comparable to Idan's sports-economics and event-valuation work, though operating as a paid commercial provider rather than a publicly funded policy institute.

Broad incumbents

• Sport Canada: Canadian federal sport policy unit that funds the Canadian Sport Policy and conducts national participation research. Comparable to Idan as a national-government sport policy research provider, though operating at a larger federal scale and across both official languages.
• Australian Sports Commission: Australian government agency that leads national sport policy and funding, including AusPlay participation research and the High Performance sport pathway. Comparable to Idan's combined role in participation surveys and elite-sport program evaluation, though at a larger federal scale.
• Sport England: UK government body investing in sport and physical activity, with an in-house research and evaluation function that publishes national participation surveys (Active Lives). Comparable to Idan as a publicly funded national sports-policy research provider, though larger and with both policy and grant-distribution roles.

Direct peers

• Bundesinstitut für Sportwissenschaft (BISp): Germany's federal institute for sport science, supporting sport policy through research, elite-sport program evaluation, and participation studies. A direct European peer to Idan as a publicly funded sports-research institute with a national-policy mandate.
• UK Sport: UK's high-performance sport agency, which funds and evaluates elite sport programs and is a natural counterpart to Idan's evaluation work for Team Danmark. Both organizations sit at the intersection of government funding, elite sport, and research-based performance evaluation.
• Sport Scotland: Scotland's national sport agency, which funds sport participation and produces research on sports habits and facility usage. Directly comparable to Idan's remit of surveying population sports habits and advising government on facility planning.
• Riksidrottsförbundet (Swedish Sports Confederation): Sweden's national sports federation, which commissions national sports habits surveys and provides research and policy analysis for Swedish sport. Closest Nordic peer to Idan given similar mandate, language area, and survey-based approach to participation measurement.

Regional players

• NIF (Norges idrettsforbund): Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports, the umbrella body for Norwegian sport that conducts national participation research and advises government. Closely comparable Nordic peer with a similar public-policy research role, serving the neighboring Norwegian market.
• Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA): South African government department responsible for sport policy and recreation research. Comparable to Idan as a public-sector sports-policy research body, but serving a different national market and operating in a different geographic and policy context.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IdraettensAnalyseinstitut
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/danish-institute-for-sports-studies
• Xx.com/idan_dk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Sports Analysis Institute