Played
Played is a UK-based SaaS platform that provides booking, payment and activity discovery software for community sports providers, governing bodies and local authorities. Its tiered offering combines a self-service Classic Mode, a subscription booking platform and custom Activity Finder solutions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Played does
Played Limited is a UK-based software company founded in 2017 and headquartered in London that operates a cloud-based discovery and booking platform for community sports and physical activity programmes. The product targets two distinct buyer groups: (i) activity providers (governing bodies, clubs, coaches, leisure facilities, schools) who need to list sessions, courses and camps, manage registrations, collect payments and automate communications; and (ii) activity promoters and commissioners (national governing bodies, local sports partnerships, councils) who require branded activity finders to drive participation across multiple providers. The platform is built on Microsoft Azure (UK South), uses Stripe for payments including Apple Pay and Google Pay, integrates with OpenActive for open-data syndication, and offers generative AI-powered activity description templates.
Revenue is generated through a tiered model: a Classic Mode with a £0 license fee and a 3% platform fee plus Stripe processing (1.4% + 25p), a Booking Platform tier at £299/month, and custom-priced Enterprise licensing and Activity Finder engagements. The company pursues a hybrid go-to-market combining sales-led enterprise conversion (Calendly demo booking) with product-led self-service onboarding for individual coaches and small operators, supported by referral partnerships with national governing bodies. Customer logos include England Golf, Badminton England, The R&A, London Sport, Active Birmingham, and Lewisham CommUNITY Space. The company received Techstars accelerator participation in 2022 (approximately $120,000 disclosed) and operates with a very small team (1–10 employees).
Played firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Played
- Legal name
- Played Limited
- Website
- https://played.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Played is a UK-based SaaS platform that provides booking, payment and activity discovery software for community sports providers, governing bodies and local authorities. Its tiered offering combines a self-service Classic Mode, a subscription booking platform and custom Activity Finder solutions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Played industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sports and Activity Booking Software
- NAICS
- Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Party Games, Activities & Interactive Entertainment (HSACACAJ)
Keywords
Where Played is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Played business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Booking Platform Subscription: Monthly subscription for booking platform access including programme booking website, admin dashboard, unlimited bookings and users, promotion across network, and advanced support. Starting at £299 per month for activity providers.
- Enterprise Licensing: Annual subscription model with negotiable license and transaction fees based on requirements. Includes enhanced support and custom configurations for large-scale activity finders.
- Classic Mode Transaction Fees: Zero license fee model charging 3% platform fee on payments processed through the platform, plus Stripe processing fee of 1.4% + 25p per transaction. Designed for individual coaches and small operators.
- Activity Finder Enterprise: Custom-priced branded activity finder solutions for activity promoters, including OpenActive data sources, custom data sources, search functionality, and analytics dashboard.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Booking Platform - £299/month |
| Subscription | Annual | Activity Finder - Custom Pricing |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Classic Mode - Free license fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise - Custom Pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Played product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Played provides a cloud-based discovery, booking and activity management platform for sports and activity providers. Providers list sessions, courses and camps, take bookings, process payments via Stripe, and manage calendars, registers and automated communications. For activity promoters and participation campaigns, Played offers a branded Activity Finder that aggregates provider activities with OpenActive data syndication and analytics.
Product overview
Played is a sports and activity discovery and booking platform that operates as a unified product with multiple service tiers. The core offering consists of the Played Booking Platform for activity providers to list, manage and take bookings for their sessions, courses and camps, available in Classic Mode (transaction-fee based) and Enterprise tiers (£299/month). For activity promoters and participation campaigns, Played offers an Activity Finder product that aggregates activities from multiple providers in one branded interface with OpenActive integration, analytics and custom data sources. Key features include mobile-friendly booking pages, payment processing via Stripe/Apple Pay/Google Pay, calendar management, smart registers with automated notifications, custom data collection forms, A.I.-powered activity descriptions, team management controls, activity templates, programme mode for grouping activities, and OpenActive network promotion. The platform is built on Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure and integrates with Stripe for payments, Google Analytics for tracking, and Meta for social sharing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Played Booking Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- 209% participation growth for England Golf's Girls Golf Rocks programme
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Played
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Played technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability2 records
Feature10 records
Played partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- OpenActivecoreOpenActive is a strategic technology integration that enables automatic publishing of activity data as open data under Creative Commons Attribution Licence. This provides free promotion across OpenActive's network of activity finders, helping providers reach more participants.
- StripecoreStripe processes all payments including card transactions, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Provides Connect functionality for providers to receive payments directly to their Stripe accounts. Processing fees of 1.4% + 25p apply.
- Microsoft AzurecoreMicrosoft Azure Cloud Platform hosts all Played infrastructure. Data stored in UK South data centers. Microsoft also provides email and file storage services.
- SendgridcoreSendgrid powers all email communications including booking alerts, cancellations, confirmations, and post-activity notifications.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Played competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Played compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Played financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Played leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Played funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Played M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Played
What does Played do?
Played provides a cloud-based discovery, booking and activity management platform for sports and activity providers. Providers list sessions, courses and camps, take bookings, process payments via Stripe, and manage calendars, registers and automated communications. For activity promoters and participation campaigns, Played offers a branded Activity Finder that aggregates provider activities with OpenActive data syndication and analytics.
Is Played a public or private company?
Played is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Played founded?
Played was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Played based?
Played is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Played make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Booking Platform Subscription is the primary driver. The others are enterprise Licensing, classic Mode Transaction Fees and activity Finder Enterprise.
Does Played have an API?
No public API is recorded for Played.
What industry is Played in?
Played's product category is Sports and Activity Booking Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACACAJ, Party Games, Activities & Interactive Entertainment. Its NAICS code is 71394 and its SIC code is 7900.