Blue Sombrero

Name

Blue Sombrero

Legal name

Sports Connect

Website

https://sportsconnect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Management Software

akta.pro primary industry

Youth & Amateur Sports Tournaments (MPAGAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Youth sports management
• Sports registration software
• Sports league administration
• Online sports registration
• Sports payment processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform Subscription / Registration Services: Subscription-based platform fees for youth sports organizations to access registration, website building, scheduling, and management tools. Organizations pay for access to the all-in-one platform with features including mobile registration, payment processing, and compliance tools.
2. Payment Processing: Transaction fees on payment processing for registrations, fan wear, and other purchases made through the platform. Integrated secure payment collection with order tracking.
3. Fan Wear / Merchandise: Revenue from integrated online fan wear and merchandise sales, including NIKE apparel with customizable merchandise sold during registration and directly on websites.
4. Fundraising Services: StackRaise by PushSave fundraising platform providing digital fundraising solutions to sports organizations, generating revenue through transaction processing.
5. Coaching Education Content: The Coaching Manual partnership provides access to 3000+ pieces of coaching content, training sessions, and curriculum materials as a supplementary service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Blue Sombrero, operating as Sports Connect, provides an all-in-one cloud-based youth sports management platform that enables sports organizations to run online player and volunteer registration, professional websites, payment processing, team and roster management, scheduling, compliance tracking, and integrated communication tools. The platform is sold primarily to national and state governing bodies and local youth sports leagues across multiple sports including soccer, baseball, softball, football, basketball, volleyball, hockey, and lacrosse.

Product overview

Blue Sombrero operates as Sports Connect, a unified all-in-one youth sports management platform formed from the merger of Blue Sombrero, Affinity Sports, and Stack Sports over 17 years ago. The core Sports Connect platform integrates modules for mobile-first registration, professional website building, payment processing, team/volunteer management, scheduling with conflict detection, integrated communication tools, safety/compliance tracking, and data analytics. The product portfolio includes acquired brands Stack Officials (officials management), Stack Tourney (tournament management), and Stack Raise (fundraising), alongside partner integrations with GameChanger (streaming/scoring), CaptainU (recruiting), The Coaching Manual (coach education), TeamApp (team communication), and TeamInn (travel booking). Sports Connect now operates under PlayMetrics following integration, with the Stack Uniforms product paused. The platform serves multiple sports (soccer, baseball/softball, football, basketball, volleyball, hockey, lacrosse) through sport-specific modules and official partnerships with governing bodies including US Soccer, Little League, USA Football, and US Lacrosse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sports Connect: Online registration and sports management software platform for youth sports organizations including websites, registration, scheduling, and payment processing.
• Stack Officials
• Stack Tourney
• StackRaise
• GameChanger

Products and services

• Sports Connect (Core Platform) All-in-one cloud-based youth sports management platform offering online registration, professional website building, payment processing, team management, scheduling, communication tools, safety and compliance tracking, and data analytics for national/state governing bodies and local youth sports leagues.
• Stack Officials All-in-one officials management solution for scheduling, paying, and managing umpires, referees, and assessors. Includes 1099 support and integrates schedule sync from Sports Connect.
• Stack Tourney Tournament registration, scheduling, bracket management, seeding, team/division/score management, automated communication, and financial tracking for youth sports tournaments.
• StackRaise Digital fundraising solution powered by PushSave offering customizable mobile coupon books with no inventory required, enabling teams to fundraise directly from the Sports Connect platform.
• The Coaching Manual Soccer coaching education platform with 3,000+ pieces of training content, broadcast-quality video, session planning tools, and curriculum from elite soccer coaches, integrated with Sports Connect via Single Sign-On.
• GameChanger Mobile app for streaming games, live scoring, team messaging, and player statistics, with automatic roster sync from Sports Connect and automatic GameChanger team creation when coaches are rostered.
• CaptainU College recruiting platform that helps athletes build profiles, gain exposure, build relationships with college programs, and get recruited.
• Stack Team App Free team app for coaches to manage communication, schedules, events, and media with family and team access.
• TeamInn Online hotel and travel booking service for sports teams, families, coaches, and event coordinators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Registration numbers more than doubled since 2021 after switching to Sports Connect
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

29 partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core, flagship and supporting.

• Florida Coaches CoalitionstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2025Strategic partnership with the Florida Coaches Coalition, the principal advocate and leadership organization for coaches in Florida.
• New Mexico Youth Soccer AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2025Renewed longstanding partnership with NMYSA to drive soccer forward in New Mexico through registration and member management technology.
• The Miracle LeaguestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2024Strategic partnership to revolutionize inclusive sports, providing technology solutions for organizations serving athletes with disabilities.
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2024Multi-year partnership renewal with FCA Sports to grow participation through faith-based youth sports programming.
• USA LacrossecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2024Multi-year partnership renewal with USA Lacrosse, the governing body for lacrosse in the United States, providing official registration and member management services.
• Dixie Softball, Inc.strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Multi-year partnership extension with Dixie Softball, Inc., a governing body for the sport of softball in the United States.
• Iowa SoccercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 November 2023Three-year partnership with Iowa Soccer, a leading soccer governing body, providing registration and member management services.
• New Jersey Youth Soccer AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2023Partnership renewal with NJYSA, the governing body for soccer in New Jersey, to drive the youth soccer experience forward.
• Minnesota Youth Soccer AssociationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 September 2023Five-year partnership renewal with MYSA, one of the largest youth soccer associations, providing comprehensive technology services.
• Massachusetts Youth Soccer AssociationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2023Extended long-standing partnership with Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association, providing official member management system with SafeSport compliance.
• Catholic Youth Organization, New York (CYO NY)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 August 2023New partnership with CYO NY to provide registration and management technology for Catholic youth sports organizations.
• US Youth SoccerflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of US Youth Soccer with integrations to the USSF National Data Center. Provides registration, website, and member management services for youth soccer organizations affiliated with US Youth Soccer.
• U.S. SoccerflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of U.S. Soccer powering the National Data Center. U.S. Soccer Connect initiative represents the largest commitment of technology and sport resources to any project in American sports history.
• Little League Baseball and SoftballflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial local league technology provider of Little League Baseball and Softball. Provides automatic season registration setup, real-time sync to Little League Data Center, and exclusive Little League website designs.
• USA FootballcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of USA Football with user-friendly tools to bring youth football leagues online with registration, compliance, and roster management.
• Pop Warner Little ScholarscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial technology platform of Pop Warner providing contactless registration, secure payments, integrated compliance, and one-click submission to the national system.
• PONY Baseball and SoftballcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial association technology provider of PONY Baseball and Softball with custom website design, auto-sync with PONY Data Center, and game scheduling.
• Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of AAU providing solutions to manage everything from registration to tournaments for youth basketball and other sports.
• AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive league technology provider of AYSO Soccer with online registration, auto team assignment, easy AYSO player card access, and exclusive AYSO website design.
• SAY SoccercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive association technology provider of SAY Soccer with mobile-first registration, safety compliance, code-free website management, and SAY Soccer Data Integration.
• The Coaching ManualcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership providing access to 3000+ pieces of world-class coaching content from elite soccer coaches including David Moyes, Steve McClaren, and others. Integrated with Sports Connect platform.
• Aspen Institute (National ACL Injury Coalition)strategicGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting the National ACL Injury Coalition and #ACLpledge campaign to reduce ACL injuries in youth athletes through awareness and neuromuscular training promotion.
• U.S. Center for SafeSportstrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for abuse prevention education and training content. Platform supports SafeSport requirements and compliance tracking for youth sports organizations.
• GameChanger (MLB Advanced Media)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with GameChanger for live streaming, game scoring, team messaging, and roster synchronization. Automatic GameChanger team creation when coaches are rostered in Sports Connect.
• PushSave (StackRaise)coreTechnology or IntegrationExclusive partnership providing StackRaise by PushSave digital fundraising platform with customizable mobile coupon books and no inventory requirements for sports organizations.
• TeamAppsupportingTechnology or IntegrationMobile app solutions for coaches and teams to stay connected throughout the season with communication, schedules, and team management.
• CaptainUsupportingTechnology or IntegrationHelping connect athletes with collegiate teams through online profiles, easy communication tools, and recruiting support for high school athletes.
• gc.com (GameChanger)coreTechnology or IntegrationMobile app for streaming games, live scoring, team messaging, and roster management supporting baseball and softball programs.
• MomentecstrategicTechnology or IntegrationTrusted fulfillment partner established to serve teams and organizations for 2026 season and beyond as Sports Connect pauses Stack Uniforms operations following the 2025 season.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Stack Sports (parent): Parent company of Sports Connect, offering a broader portfolio of sports technology brands (including GameChanger, CaptainU, TeamApp). Provides the corporate platform, funding, and cross-brand integration that shapes Sports Connect's strategic direction.

Direct peers

• Demosphere: Long-standing youth sports management platform providing registration, websites, and communication tools to clubs, leagues, and national governing bodies. Direct peer competing for the same governing-body and local-league customers.
• PlayMetrics: Youth sports management platform offering registration, scheduling, payments, and communication tools for clubs and leagues. Now part of the same Stack Sports family and the platform to which Sports Connect is being consolidated, including the planned Little League migration for 2027.
• LeagueApps: Sports league and class management platform serving youth and adult recreational sports organizations with registration, scheduling, payments, and member management. Directly comparable SaaS offering to Sports Connect for club and league customers.
• SportsEngine: Leading youth sports management platform owned by NBC Sports, providing registration, websites, scheduling, and payment tools for clubs, leagues, and governing bodies. Direct competitor to Sports Connect for governing-body partnerships and league customers.
• TeamSnap: Widely used team and league management app for youth and amateur sports, offering rostering, scheduling, communication, and payment features. Competes with Sports Connect for local clubs, leagues, and parent/coach engagement.
• Jersey Watch: Team website and registration platform focused on youth sports organizations, offering websites, online registration, and fan wear stores. Direct peer competing for local league websites and registration workflows.

Emerging players

• Bonzi: Sports league and team management platform with registration, scheduling, and communication features. Emerging player in the youth sports management space targeting similar club and league customers.
• Crossbar: Amateur and youth sports management platform providing registration, scheduling, and team management tools. Emerging competitor addressing a similar club and league customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Active Network / Community Pass: Large-scale recreation and sports management software provider used by municipalities, parks, and youth sports organizations for registration and program management. Broader incumbent with overlapping registration and payment capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GoSportsConnect
• Facebookfacebook.com/SportsConnectByStack
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sportsconnectbystack

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 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 Blue Sombrero