Measuring attendance: issues and implications for estimating the impact of free-to-view sports events

A feature of many non-elite sports events, especially those conducted in public places is that they are free-to-view. The article focuses on the methodological issue of estimating spectator attendance at free-to-view events and the consequences of this for impact evaluation. Using empirical data from three case studies, the article outlines various approaches to measuring attendance and discusses the key issues and implications for evaluating free-to-view sports events in the future.