players sport & social group

What players sport & social group does

Players Sport & Social Group is a Chicago-based, privately held adult recreational sports organization that operates organized leagues, tournaments, skills clinics, social events, and corporate team-building programs across more than 15 sports, including basketball, volleyball (indoor, outdoor, and beach), softball, soccer, flag football, kickball, cornhole, bowling, dodgeball, and pickleball. The platform serves over 80,000 annual participants through multiple skill divisions (Recreational, B, BB, A, Open), supporting both team registration with captain-managed rosters and free-agent ("Indy") placement for solo players. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the playerssports.net website and a proprietary iOS/Android mobile application launched in 2022 that handles registration, scheduling, standings, team chat, weather alerts, electronic waivers, and payment collection through a "Team Payer" system.

The underlying technology is a web-based league management platform with the Players Mobile App as its primary consumer interface; no proprietary AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. Revenue is generated primarily through team registration fees ranging from $379 to $1,729 per team depending on sport and season length, individual player fees from $35 to $150, tournament entry fees from $25 to $279, skills clinics at $21–$99 per session, corporate team packages, and a sponsor network of more than 50 bars and venues (Gaslight, Shore Club, Benchmark, Ranalli's, Lottie's, Federales, Butcher's Tap, Augie's, Blue Bayou, Utopian Tailgate, The Dock, Caffè Oliva) that serve as post-game venues and distribution partners. The company also operates Players Sports Center, a first-of-its-kind indoor Chicago venue combining sand, hard court, turf, and a bar under one roof, and holds strategic partnerships with USA Volleyball Great Lakes Region for junior development and the EVP Tour for professional volleyball instruction. Operating geography is limited to the Chicago metropolitan area.

Name

players sport & social group

Legal name

Players Sport & Social Group

Website

https://playerssports.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Players Sport & Social Group is a Chicago-based adult recreational sports organization running leagues, tournaments, skills clinics, and corporate team-building across 15+ sports, serving 80,000+ annual participants via a web platform and proprietary mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Recreational Sports Leagues

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sport-Specific Amateur Leagues & Circuits (Non-Professional) (MPAKACAJ), Amateur Event & Tournament Organizers (Meets, Invitationals, Opens) (MPAKACAL), Amateur & Grassroots Tournament Organizers (MPAKADAH)

Keywords

• Adult recreational sports leagues
• Multi-sport tournament events
• Corporate team building sports
• Volleyball league operations
• Recreational social sports

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. League Registration Fees: Team-based league registrations ranging from $379-$1,729 per team depending on sport and season length. Individual/Indy player fees from $35-$150 per person. Registration deposits typically $100-$120 per team.
2. Tournament Entry Fees: Tournament participation fees ranging from $40-$279 per team and $25-$60 per individual. Includes beach, grass, and specialty tournaments.
3. Skills Clinics: Professional volleyball skills clinics ranging from $21-$99 per individual session or multi-week courses.
4. Corporate Team Packages: Company team-building leagues and events for corporate clients, including dedicated company team pages and team management tools.
5. Bar Sponsor Partnerships: Bar sponsors pay for official league sponsorship, receiving branding, post-game venues, and promotional slots. Includes package deals for teams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Players Sport & Social Group organizes and operates adult recreational sports leagues, tournaments, skills clinics, and social events across 15+ sports in the Chicago metropolitan area. The company provides a proprietary mobile app and web platform for league registration, scheduling, standings, team management, and online fee collection, serving over 80,000 annual participants through team-based and individual (Indy) sign-ups.

Product overview

Players Sport & Social Group operates a multi-sport adult recreational league and tournament platform centered on community sports participation. The core offering consists of sports leagues (basketball, bowling, cornhole, dodgeball, flag football, kickball, pickleball, soccer, softball, indoor/outdoor volleyball) and tournaments, supplemented by social events, corporate team-building packages, skills clinics, and open gym sessions. The company also provides a proprietary Players Mobile App for league management, scheduling, and team communication. The platform serves over 80,000 annual participants across the Chicago metropolitan area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sports Leagues Weekly adult recreational sports leagues across 15+ sports including basketball, bowling, cornhole, dodgeball, flag football, kickball, pickleball, soccer, softball, and volleyball. Leagues run year-round with options for teams, individuals, and small groups at various skill levels (Rec, B, BB, A, Open). Team fees range from $379-$1,729 and individual (Indy) fees from $35-$150 per person.
• Tournaments One-day and multi-day tournament events across all supported sports. Includes signature annual events such as the 18th Annual Big Dig Beach Volleyball Tournament, Luau Volleyball Weekend, Beach Slap Tourney, and various Cornhole and Beach/Grass Series tournaments. Tournament entry fees range from $40-$279 per team and $25-$60 per individual.
• Social Events Bar events, seasonal celebrations, and community gatherings complementing the sports programming to facilitate networking and socializing among participants. These events integrate with the company's 50+ bar sponsor network for post-game and standalone social gatherings.
• Corporate/Team Events Custom team-building events and corporate sports packages designed for company outings, employee engagement programs, and team bonding activities. Includes dedicated company team pages and team management tools. Available via /page/corporate and /page/work-teams.
• Skills Clinics Professional coaching programs for volleyball including Skills & Drills 101/201, Spiking, and Doubles clinics taught in partnership with the EVP Tour at beach locations. Fees range from $21-$99 per individual session or multi-week course.
• Open Gym Sessions

Quantifiable outcome

• 80,000+ annual participants across leagues, tournaments and events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• USA Volleyball Great Lakes RegioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partnership for Midwest Juniors Beach Series beach volleyball tournaments. Top teams qualify for Midwest Juniors Beach Championships. The partnership provides junior players with competitive tournament opportunities.
• EVP TourcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with professional volleyball tour for skills clinics taught by Volleyball Professionals. Coach Bob and Coach Ross teach the majority of beach volleyball skills sessions.
• Rae Strong FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partner for Big Dig Beach Party and Luau Weekend events. The foundation aids families of micro-preemies with financial, emotional and informational support.
• SPF PickleballcoreTechnology or IntegrationIndoor pickleball facility in Lincoln Park with 9 courts and full bar. Hosts cornhole and pickleball leagues. Partnership provides venue for indoor leagues.
• Players Sports CentercoreTechnology or IntegrationFirst-of-its-kind indoor playground for Chicago bringing sand, hard court, turf and bar under one roof. Hosts PARTY BAGS cornhole leagues and other indoor sports.
• GaslightcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial bar sponsor for volleyball leagues including Gaslight Volleyball League at North Avenue Beach. Promotes league to bar patrons.
• Shore Club at North Avenue BeachcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor for Shore Club Volleyball League. Full bar on site at North Avenue Beach for post-game hangs.
• BenchmarkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor for Benchmark Volleyball League and Benchmark Kickball League. Promotes leagues to patrons.
• Ranalli'scoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor for Ranalli's Football League, Ranalli's Softball League. Near North Avenue Fields for post-game social.
• Lottie's PubcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor for Lottie's Kickball League at Churchill/Burr/Pritzker locations.
• Federales Logan SquarecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor for Federales Soccer League at Brentano School in Logan Square.
• Butcher's TapminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBar sponsor in Wrigleyville offering adult softball, volleyball, kickball, basketball team sponsorship.
• Augie'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor for Augie's Softball League at Wrightwood & Hamlin Parks.
• Blue BayouminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor for Blue Bayou Volleyball League at Hamilton School & Lakeview YMCA in Wrigleyville.
• Utopian TailgatecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor for Utopian Tailgate Volleyball League at North Avenue Beach. Near beach venue for post-game gatherings.
• The Dock at Montrose BeachcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial sponsor for The Dock Volleyball League and cornhole leagues at Montrose Beach. Full service venue near beach.
• Caffè OlivaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner at Ohio Street Beach for volleyball leagues. Teams encouraged to grab food & drinks on site before, during and after games.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• LeagueApps: SaaS league-management platform powering many adult and youth sports organizers (registration, scheduling, payments, mobile apps). Ecosystem participant rather than competitor; relevant because its technology likely shapes the baseline expectations Players' mobile app must meet.
• Tough Mudder: Event-based obstacle and endurance sports operator with a national event series, festival-style social atmosphere, and sponsor partnerships. Adjacent rather than directly competitive; shares the recurring-event + sponsor + community GTM pattern.

Direct peers

• Chicago Sport and Social Club: Long-standing Chicago adult social sports league operator offering leagues, tournaments and social events across multiple sports in the same Chicago metro market. Most directly comparable competitor given shared geography, sport mix and captain/Indy registration model.
• WAKA (World Adult Kickball Association): Adult kickball and social-sports league operator with a national footprint and post-game bar social format. Closely aligned with Players' recreational-league + bar-sponsor + Indy/free-agent model, though narrower in sport mix.
• Underdog Sports League: Adult recreational sports league operator offering bar-hosted leagues and tournaments across multiple sports. Closely matches Players' bar-sponsor-anchored social sports flywheel and Indy free-agent placement.
• ZogSports: National adult social sports league operator running leagues and events across multiple US cities (volleyball, kickball, dodgeball, basketball, etc.). Directly comparable multi-sport adult amateur model with similar bar/social post-game hook and tournament flywheel.
• VOLO Sports: Digital-first adult social and amateur sports league platform with mobile app registration, multi-sport leagues and tournaments. Comparable technology-and-community GTM and similar captain/fee management features.
• NYSSC (New York Social Sports Club): New York-based adult social sports league operator offering multi-sport leagues, tournaments and social events. Same captain/Indy registration, multi-skill-division and post-game bar-sponsor structure as Players, just in a different metro.

Broad incumbents

• Life Time Group Holdings: Large publicly-traded fitness, sports and recreation operator with owned venues, leagues and events (e.g., pickleball, social sports). Useful benchmark for venue economics and how a scaled operator approaches adult recreational programming.
• I9 Sports: National youth and amateur sports league franchise operator across multiple sports. Similar league-organization and franchise model but skews younger; useful benchmark for scale, franchise economics, and multi-sport league operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/playerschicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/playerssportsgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 players sport & social group