Yorkshire-based sports tech firm expands further into USA
Sheffield sports tech specialist Sport:80 has been appointed by two more US sporting governing bodies, bringing its total roster to 55 worldwide.
It is an increase of 18 since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, as sports have pivoted to digital technology to retain contact with members.
The company, which develops cloud-based sport management software for governing bodies to manage their operations and deliver online services to members, has started work with both USA Track & Field and USA Karate.
USA Track & Field, which has approximately 130,000 American members, has adopted the Sport:80 platform to manage members – including state organisations, clubs and individuals.
The platform centralises membership registration, qualifications, background screening, SafeSport (online safeguarding training), and a range of other modules and functions.
Sport:80 is also currently onboarding USA Karate to deliver a platform that will enable the governing body to manage a variety of operations, including membership registration, management of belts and grades, qualifications, event registration, SafeSport, and background screening alongside a range of backend administration functions.
Research has suggested an estimated 18 million Americans participate in karate or some other form of martial art during the course of a year with Karate one of the most popular martial arts in the country.
The governing body has moved to increase its digital presence anticipating a surge in interest in the sport with it featuring in the Olympics for the first time later this year.
Gary Hargraves, CEO of Sport:80, said: “We offer the first tech platform built specifically for national governing bodies of sport, wherever in the world they may be.
“By the time we get to the end of this year we will have onboarded a minimum of 23 national governing bodies since the start of 2020.
“This includes the likes of US Bobsled & Skeleton, US Speedskating, USA Curling, USA Judo, USA Surfing, and USA Taekwondo among others.
“Providing all sports are soon back doing what they do best, and people are allowed to compete and participate again, we will be in a really strong position to grow the business even further.
“We are continuously developing our digital ecosystem which includes our flagship platform, while also introducing new products to enable our clients to capitalize on the power and value of technology.”
