What doesn’t work, for whom and why in,” Let’s get realistic: why ‘what works’ will probably not work in evaluative sport research”. A response to Haudenhuyse and Debognies (2021).

This paper provides a short response to the critique of realist evaluation written by Haudenhuyse and Debognies (2021) and published in the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. No doubt experienced realist evaluators will have already made a wry judgement on the perspicacity of their opinions. However, new researchers and evaluation commissioners newly considering a realist approach may be dismayed by what they read. This paper is an antidote to such dismay, providing a more accurate illustration of what realist evaluation is, and what it can do for sports policy and management.