Sprocket Sports Announces the Release of Version 5.0 of Its Youth Sports Club Software Platform

CHICAGO, December 11, 2024 - Sprocket Sports announced today the release of Version 5.0 of its comprehensive software platform for youth sports clubs. Now in its fifth year, the Sprocket platform offers a breadth and depth of functionality unmatched in the market. Version 5.0 offers many new modules and tools developed over the past year, including:

• Quick Promote: this new tool highlights the advantage of Sprocket’s native Content Management System and Mobile App, all developed by Sprocket’s in-house tech team. When setting up a new Registration within Sprocket, club administrators now have the option to promote it easily and quickly via multiple channels - by email, on the club Website, and on the Mobile App – all from the Sprocket central control hub. The Quick Promote feature provides a highly efficient and streamlined “one stop setup” process for administrators.

• Sign Ups: Sprocket’s new Sign Ups module provides clubs with an easy way to offer and schedule private training sessions and meetings with staff. Sign Up sessions are included as appointments in personal Calendars for players, parents and coaches, and payments for paid sessions are processed through Sprocket, highlighting additional benefits of Sprocket’s all-in-one platform.

• Volunteer Tracking: as clubs seek to solicit more volunteer help from their families and build club community, Sprocket’s Volunteer Tracking module allows clubs to promote volunteer opportunities, track volunteer hours, and send reminders to ensure that volunteers show up for their sessions.

• New Technology Partner Integrations: Sprocket has added numerous new integration partners, including Stripe for Payments, USSCI for Registration Fee insurance, USA Lacrosse, and multiple entities for Scheduling, including Avario and FinnlySport. Sprocket looks forward to expanding this list of technology integrations in the future in the ongoing quest to optimize the member experience.

Numerous enhancements and upgrades were added to existing modules over the past year, including:

• Mobile App: countless enhancements were made to refresh the overall design and User Experience, and to add valuable features for parents, players, and staff – including the streamlining of communications and calendars at both thea team and club level. Sprocket’s Mobile App is heavily used by clubs and their members throughout the year, with the average club seeing its members use the App approximately two times every day while in season. Sprocket allows clubs to leverage this high level of member activity by featuring club sponsors in multiple placements on the Mobile App, a unique feature which enables clubs to increase sponsorship revenue.

• Dashboard: numerous new Dashboard “panels” were added, including Year-over-Year Program comparisons, User Activity (including Mobile App activity), and Payments/Disbursements, among others. These additions add to Sprocket’s industry-leading library of strategic Dashboard panels which allow youth sports organizations to quickly and easily view and understand their business at a strategic top level and then “drill down” into detailed data.

• Website/Content Management System: Sprocket added bold new Website designs, new “widgets” (e.g., “scoreboard”, volunteer opportunities, sponsors), more navigation options and more streamlined setup functionality – all of which enable youth sports clubs to differentiate and elevate their brand within a crowded market. Sprocket makes it easy for clubs not only to launch a modern, nicely designed Website, but also to update and maintain it on an ongoing basis.

• Communications: with a goal of “meeting people where they are”- whether on their phones or on their desktops - Sprocket consolidated its email and messaging tools so that club leaders, administrators and coaches can send out communications via email and/or chat from one central communications hub to the desktop or to the Mobile App. Sprocket also added an AI tool to assist club leaders and administrators in their communications.

• Player Progress 2.0: offering numerous upgrades from our initial version, including the incorporation of Player Measurables where players can be evaluated on multiple criteria using qualitative feedback or quantitative ratings. Given the high volume of user activity on the App by coaches, parents and players, substantial effort was invested in optimizing the user experience of Player Progress on mobile devices.

• Staff Onboarding and Credentialing: Staff Credentialing 2.0 modernizes and streamlines the user experience to track and ensure that Coaches and Volunteers complete their required onboarding paperwork and certifications easily and on time.

• Scheduling: Sprocket has invested substantial time and resources over the past year improving the setup process for scheduling fields, facilities, teams and other club events. Numerous enhancements have been made to streamline and optimize the user experience for administrators, coaches and directors. Sprocket also now supports the ability to bring in schedules from third parties to ensure synchronization with external league schedules and/or facility schedules.

• League Management: Sprocket has continued to advance its League Management module in multiple areas, including Rostering, Scheduling and Scores/Standings. Sprocket also added the ability to support Adult Leagues.

“Now in our fifth year of the Sprocket platform, we are excited to offer a number of incremental improvements in Version 5.0, guided by client feedback,” noted Brett Baker, Sprocket’s Chief Technology Officer. “As we continue to bring on clients in different sports, we are delivering new modules and features based on ideas from one sport that can be shared with others. For example, our volleyball clients have pushed us to develop our Sign Ups module, and we’ve quickly seen how other sports clubs benefit from this as well. We believe that Sprocket’s strong technology platform has already emerged as the nation’s best for youth sports clubs, but we look forward to continuing to build on that leadership position for years to come – taking feedback from our clients and making additional enhancements.”

Dan Ryan, Chief Product Officer, added, “We had a big year enhancing the Sprocket platform. Not only did we add several valuable new features, but we also spent a lot of time conducting focus groups, listening to our clients, and responding to their suggestions for making the system and our App easier for administrators and coaches to use. We subsequently made a number of incremental improvements based on that feedback. Looking forward, we will continue to add new features to the App while also simplifying the user experience.”

Rich Gallun, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are excited about our progress at Sprocket over the past five years, but are even more excited about the next five. We look forward to continuing to simplify and enhance the user experience and to add new modules based on what matters the most to our clients. We will stay ahead of the competition with numerous innovations as well, for example, our unique Dashboard panels which enable clubs to see and understand the most important metrics for the success of the club. Sprocket has already established itself as a leading next generation, all-in-one platform, and we see the future as a “long game” of iterative development in partnership with our clients.”