What PlayHQ does

PlayHQ is a Melbourne-based, privately held cloud software platform that provides community sport management infrastructure for Australia and New Zealand. The platform enables grassroots clubs, leagues, and associations across six major sports — AFL, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Hockey, and Netball — to manage participant registration, fixture scheduling, real-time scoring, payment collection, and safeguarding compliance through a unified system. It serves a multi-sided user base of individual participants and parents, club and association administrators, coaches, officials, and volunteers, and is anchored by official partnerships with the dominant national governing bodies in each supported sport, including AFL, Cricket Australia, New Zealand Cricket, Football Australia, Netball Australia, Hockey AU, and Hockey New Zealand.

The product is delivered as a suite of integrated surfaces: a core consumer platform at playhq.com, sport-specific consumer mobile apps (Play AFL, FootballHQ, NetballHQ, MyHoops), an administrator portal at admin.playhq.com, a dedicated scorers portal at score.playhq.com, and Teampay, a Stripe-powered payment collection service. Core technical capabilities include automated concussion management with safety stand-down enforcement, background-check verification via Oho (Australian Working with Children Checks) and First Advantage (UK DBS), multi-jurisdiction privacy compliance (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, COPPA, PIPEDA/Quebec Law 25), and an AI-powered text-based support assistant for documentation retrieval. The platform's compliance and payments stack is delivered through integrations with Stripe, Oho, First Advantage, Google Analytics, PostHog, Glory League, and TPF.

PlayHQ monetises primarily through transaction fees on payment collection facilitated via Teampay, with funds transferred to organisational accounts within seven days net of fees. An implied subscription or services revenue layer supports the broader platform and governing-body contracts, though specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is driven by governing-body endorsements rather than direct sales, with consumer acquisition occurring organically through sport-specific portals and mobile applications, and enterprise onboarding occurring via partnerships with state and national sporting associations.

Name

PlayHQ

Legal name

PlayHQ Sports Pty Ltd

Website

https://playhq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

PlayHQ is a Melbourne-based cloud platform that provides registration, scheduling, scoring, payment, and safeguarding compliance infrastructure for grassroots sports clubs and associations across Australia and New Zealand, anchored by official partnerships with major national governing bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Management Software

NAICS

Other Spectator Sports (711219), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Compliance, Governance & Integrity Services (Safeguarding, Anti-Doping, Match Integrity) (MPAKAKAM)

Keywords

• Sports management software
• Community sport platform
• Competition management system
• Athlete registration platform
• Sports payment processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Transaction/Payment Processing Fees: PlayHQ charges transaction fees for facilitating payment collection services for sports organisations. The fee amount is communicated to users from time to time. User payments are transferred to nominated accounts minus the transaction fees within 7 days of clearing.
2. Platform Subscription/Services (implied): While specific pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed, the platform provides various administrative services including competition management, participant registration, and organisation management tools suggesting a subscription or service-based revenue model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

PlayHQ operates a cloud-based sports management platform for grassroots/community sport, enabling discovery of clubs and associations, participant registration, fixture and competition management, results/scoring, concussion and safeguarding compliance, background-check verification, and payment collection. The platform is offered to national and state-level sporting governing bodies (AFL, Cricket Australia, Netball Australia, Football Australia, Hockey AU/NZ, Basketball state associations) and to individual participants via sport-specific web portals and mobile applications. A separate Teampay service powers payment collection across the ecosystem, and an admin portal and scorers portal support organization-level administration and match scoring.

Product overview

PlayHQ is a unified sports management platform for community sport, providing a comprehensive ecosystem of interconnected products. The core PlayHQ platform serves as the primary interface for participants to discover sports, register for clubs and associations, and manage their sporting activities. Supporting the core platform are specialized mobile apps (Play AFL, FootballHQ, NetballHQ, MyHoops) for following specific sports, administrative portals for club and association management, scoring tools, and Teampay for payment collection services. The platform integrates with sporting governing bodies including Cricket Australia, New Zealand Cricket, Basketball Australia and its state affiliates, Football Australia, Hockey AU, Hockey New Zealand, Netball Australia, and the AFL.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FootballHQ: Companion app for following community football
• NetballHQ
• MyHoops
• Play AFL

Products and services

• PlayHQ Platform Unified cloud-based sports management platform enabling participants to discover sports organizations, register for clubs and associations, manage fixtures, view results, and access competition information across AFL, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Hockey, and Netball in Australia and New Zealand.
• Play AFL App Mobile application for following community Australian Rules Football, enabling participants to discover clubs, leagues, and associations and follow their progress via QR-code-based engagement.
• FootballHQ App Mobile application for following community football (soccer) clubs and associations, with QR code scanning to access content for football participants and parents.
• NetballHQ App Mobile application for following community netball clubs and associations, enabling participants to discover and track their local netball organisations via QR code scanning.
• MyHoops App Mobile application for following community basketball clubs and associations, enabling participants and families to discover local organisations and follow competition activity via QR code scanning.
• Admin Portal Administrative portal for club and association administrators to manage participants, registrations, competitions, health and safety protocols (e.g., concussion recording), and organization settings.
• Scorers Portal Dedicated portal for scorers (officials) to record and manage match results, scores, and statistics for sporting competitions on the PlayHQ platform.
• Teampay Payment collection service enabling sporting organisations to collect fees, registrations, and other payments from participants and registrants, powered by Stripe payment processing with funds transferred minus transaction fees within 7 days of clearing.
• Hockey AU / Hockey New Zealand Mobile Apps Mobile applications for following community hockey clubs and associations in Australia and New Zealand, supporting discovery and engagement under the Hockey AU and Hockey New Zealand partnerships.

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party payment provider powering PlayHQ's Payment Collection Services. All payment processing is performed by Stripe, with transactions subject to Stripe's terms and conditions.
• First Advantage (KYP)coreTechnology or IntegrationBackground check verification provider for UK DBS certificate validation, supporting safeguarding compliance for coaches, officials, and volunteers.
• OhocoreTechnology or IntegrationAustralian Working with Children Check verification provider, enabling compliance verification for individuals working with children in sports.
• AFL (Australian Football League)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with national Australian Rules Football governing body. Platform supports AFL clubs, Auskick centres, and associations with dedicated AFL portal and Play AFL mobile application.
• Cricket AustraliaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with national cricket governing body for club and association management, with dedicated Cricket Australia portal.
• New Zealand CricketflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with national cricket governing body of New Zealand for cricket club and association management.
• Netball AustraliaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with national netball governing body. Platform supports 2,556+ clubs and associations with dedicated Netball Australia portal and NetballHQ mobile application.
• Basketball VictoriaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with state basketball governing body covering Victoria, supporting 895+ clubs and associations.
• Basketball ACTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with state basketball governing body for Australian Capital Territory.
• Basketball TasmaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with state basketball governing body covering Tasmania.
• Basketball WAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with state basketball governing body covering Western Australia.
• Hockey AUflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with national hockey governing body for Australian hockey.
• Hockey New ZealandflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with national hockey governing body for New Zealand hockey.
• Football AustraliaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with national football (soccer) governing body, supporting 129+ clubs and associations with FootballHQ mobile application.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GameDay: Australian sports management platform providing competition, registration, and member management tools to sporting clubs and associations across Australia. Operates in the same AU/NZ grassroots sports SaaS category as PlayHQ and represents its closest direct domestic competitor.
• TeamSnap: Leading North American team management platform for youth and amateur sports, offering rosters, scheduling, payments, and communication tools to clubs, leagues, and parents. Highly comparable business model to PlayHQ's sports management SaaS, focused on a larger but similar grassroots sports customer base.
• SportsEngine (NBC Sports Next): Major US-based sports management platform serving youth sports organizations with registration, website, communication, and tournament tools; owned by NBC Sports Next. Comparable in product scope and customer base to PlayHQ's community sports offering.
• LeagueApps: US-based sports league and club management platform providing registration, payments, scheduling, and websites for youth and adult recreational sports organizations. Directly comparable to PlayHQ's competition management and payment collection capabilities.
• Stack Sports: Sports technology platform formed through roll-up of multiple sports software brands (including Affinity Sports, Sports Illustrated Play, and RSportz), providing registration, payment, and league management tools to sports organizations. Comparable as a multi-sport grassroots sports SaaS provider.
• Jersey Watch: US-based sports league and team management platform focused on simplifying league websites, registration, and communication for amateur sports organizations. Comparable to PlayHQ in targeting grassroots sports administrators with self-serve management tools.
• Demosphere: US-based sports organization management platform providing registration, communication, and website solutions to amateur and youth sports clubs and leagues. Comparable offering to PlayHQ's admin portal and registration functionality.

Broad incumbents

• Active Network / Community Brands: Large, established US-based software provider for activities, recreation, and sports management, now part of Community Brands. Wider portfolio than PlayHQ but overlapping functionality in registration, payment, and member management for sports and recreation organisations.

Emerging players

• Dribl: Australian sports management platform focused on basketball and other community sports, providing competition and club management tools. Comparable to PlayHQ as a domestic AU competitor targeting overlapping grassroots sport segments.
• SignUpGenius: US-based online sign-up, registration, and payment platform used by sports teams, schools, and community groups. Comparable to PlayHQ in registration and payment facilitation for grassroots sports, though with a broader non-sports customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PlayHQ