Digital sports network snaps up tech rival

Pitchero, the Leeds-based provider of digital grassroots sports technology, has acquired sports tech rivals Teamer, Club Website and Fixtures Live.

The acquisition grows Pitchero’s active club membership to over 22,000, which includes 160,000 teams and unites over two million active members – players, parents, coaches and club officials across grassroots and semi-professional sport.

The newly combined Pitchero Group now has a presence in Ireland, the home of Teamer, and Australia.  

Founded in 2008 by CEO Mark Fletcher and CTO Jon Milsom, Pitchero unites grassroots clubs and participants through technology, making it easier for people to coordinate teams and manage clubs online.

Earlier this year, Pitchero launched a new flagship platform designed for sports federations called ‘Pitchero Together’ which is currently being trialled by the FA of Finland, the Scottish FA, the Welsh FA and England Hockey.

Teamer, also founded in 2008, focusses on team management via a mobile application. It acquired Club Website in 2015 aiming to combine the team management app with football club websites as a direct competitor to Pitchero.

Mark Fletcher said: “This acquisition is about consolidating the UK’s most popular grassroots sports technology providers for the benefit of grassroots sport. It begins to bring the UK in line with the US and the rest of Europe where consolidation has benefitted stakeholders.

“It is an exciting time for grassroots sports and we are proud to be at the forefront of development, communication and activation and we have big plans for both Pitchero and Teamer.”

Pitchero and Teamer will continue under their current names, with consolidation at management and development level.

Jon Milsom, Pitchero CTO, added: “Users of both Teamer and Pitchero will be unaffected by the acquisition, but over time players, coaches, parents, sponsors and advertisers will begin to see additional benefits of being part of the UK’s biggest grassroots sports network.”