Playfinder Explained
Playfinder, formerly MyLocalPitch, is an online marketplace that allows people to book grassroots sports facilities.[1] The company is headquartered in the United Kingdom with offices in Fitzrovia, London. The service is free to users and is currently available in London, Manchester, Brighton, Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow and Dublin.
History
MyLocalPitch was founded in January 2014[2] by Jamie Foale and Sandford Loudon after struggling to find and book sports pitches for their 11-a-side football team.[3] The site started by listing London based sports venues before expanding into Dublin in March 2015.
In November 2015, the MyLocalPitch iPhone App was released to market,[4] allowing users to book and search for venues using geolocation.[5]
MyLocalPitch initiated its 'Outstanding London Sports Venue Award'[6] in 2015 to recognise outstanding sports facilities for services provided and their role in the community. March's award was claimed by Westway Sport and Fitness[7] and April's went to Playfootball Romford.[8]
As an extension of Sport England's new strategy to increase sports participation, MyLocalPitch has introduced bespoke borough pages to further speed up the booking process. A few examples can be seen for Islington,[9] Hackney[10] and St Albans.[11]
In April 2017 MyLocalPitch launched its second iOS app[12] with new features including an interactive map, secure payments and a live bookings calendar.[13] As 2017 drew to a close, MyLocalPitch signed as London FA's official Bookings Partner[14] and for the Middlesex FA[15] to grow participation numbers.[16]
At the start of 2018 MyLocalPitch became the first London-based SportsTech business to raise more than £1 million[17] and Graeme Le Saux joined the board of directors.[18] In July, the Football Foundation, the largest sports charity in the UK, implemented MyLocalPitch's booking portal for community football venues.[19] An Android app was launched in August 2018.[20] [21]
MyLocalPitch rebranded as Playfinder in the summer of 2019.[22]
Reception
The Daily Mirror listed MyLocalPitch as the best iOS app of 2018.[23]
Company Expansion
Playfinder raised £733,550[24] to reach 112 per cent[25] of its crowdfunding target and take its overall funding to more than £3.5 million following an earlier private equity raise of £2.85m.
Notes and References
- News: Sporty AirBnB app gets FTSE approval. 2 September 2015. CityAM.com .
- News: Tech Pitch: MyLocalPitch. 13 June 2017. Startups.co.uk .
- News: Friends set up business to make life easier for amateur sports enthusiasts. 14 May 2015. Getwestlondon.co.uk. 24 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160109044118/http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/business/friends-set-up-business-make-9256813. 9 January 2016. dead.
- News: MyLocalPitch launches App. 2 September 2015. TNTMagazine.com .
- News: Impulsive sports booking. 20 January 2016. MyLocalPitch.com .
- News: Award for Market Road Pitches in Islington. 6 November 2015. Islingtongazette.co.uk .
- News: Award for Westway-Sports-and-Fitness-March-Outstanding-London-Sports-Venue-Award. 13 April 2016. Londonsport.org .
- News: PlayFootball-Romford-get-MyLocalPitch-Outstanding-London-Sports-Venue-award. 11 May 2016. Romfordrecorder.co.uk .
- News: MyLocalPitch app aims to streamline process of booking sports venues. 1 June 2016. Islington Gazette .
- News: MyLocalPitch app aims to streamline process of booking sports venues. 1 June 2016. Hackney Gazette .
- News: New website launched to make accessing sport in St Albans and Harpenden easier. 2 October 2016. The Herts Advertiser .
- News: MyLocalPitch grassroots platform expands north. 4 April 2017. SportIndustry.biz .
- News: Start-up of the week: MyLocalPitch. 8 May 2017. siliconrepublic.com .
- News: MyLocalPitch signs as London FA's official Bookings Partner. 4 December 2017. LondonFA.com .
- News: MyLocalPitch signs as Middlesex FA's official Bookings Partner. 1 March 2018. MiddlesexFA.com .
- News: London FA partners with MyLocalPitch. 6 December 2017. sportindustry.biz .
- News: FORMER CHELSEA STAR GRAEME LE SAUX JOINS NEW TEAM. 23 March 2018. businesscloud.co.uk .
- News: GRAEME LE SAUX JOINS MYLOCALPITCH FOLLOWING £1M INVESTMENT. 23 March 2018. BQlive.co.uk .
- News: Football Foundation teams up with MyLocalPitch. 2 August 2018. islingtongazette.co.uk .
- News: MyLocalPitch: the startup using tech to open up sports access. 20 August 2018. TechWorld.com .
- News: The best 5 new apps worth your time this week. 14 October 2018. AndroidPit.com .
- Web site: 2019-12-10. The Energy Box boosted by Playfinder July Outstanding Facility Award. Playfinder. Will. Chrimes. 20 August 2019.
- News: Best iPhone apps 2018. 22 March 2018. Mirror.co.uk .
- News: PLAYFINDER FUNDING TOPS £3.5M AFTER CROWDFUND. 19 December 2019. Businesscloud.co.uk .
- News: UK Sports Club Platform Playfinder Completes Crowdcube Round With More Than £730,000 in Funding Secured. 18 December 2019. Crowdfundinsider.co.uk .
