PlayBook Private Coach

What PlayBook Private Coach does

PlayBook Private Coach, operated by Life Athletica Pty Ltd (ACN 609 970 961), is a two-sided online marketplace that connects athletes with verified sports coaches across Australia. The platform supports three session formats: Private Coaching (one-on-one or small group, in-person), Squads & Clinics (structured group training), and Online Mentoring (live interactive video). Athletes search by sport, location, and skill; view coach profiles with bios, qualifications, pricing ($50–$350 per session observed), and reviews; and book and pay directly through the platform. The supply side emphasizes access to elite professional athletes — including Wallabies, Australian Diamonds, AFL-listed, and NRL players — alongside credentialed coaches across 33+ sports and 3,521+ locations.

The underlying technology is a web-based marketplace with integrated Stripe payment processing (pre-authorization at booking, 4-day hold, automatic release minus a 15% + GST service fee), a Coach Verification System (mobile, Working with Children Check, document verification), in-platform private messaging monitored for compliance, and social-login identity verification via Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Video content is hosted via Wistia. There is no public API, SDK, or developer-facing integration surface.

Revenue is generated primarily through a 15% + GST platform commission on each completed coaching session and a 1.75% + 30¢ transaction fee on gift card sales. Pricing is fully coach-set with no platform-level subscription. Customer segments are individual athletes of all ages (primary), parents booking on behalf of children, and sports teams/clubs seeking group sessions. The company is bootstrapped (no external funding disclosed), headquartered in Brisbane, and operates exclusively within Australia.

Name

PlayBook Private Coach

Legal name

Life Athletica Pty Ltd (ACN 609 970 961)

Website

https://playbook.coach

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PlayBook Private Coach is an Australian online marketplace connecting athletes of all ages with verified sports coaches for in-person private sessions, group clinics, and online mentoring across 33+ sports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Coaching Marketplace

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Sport-Specific Private Coaching & Instruction (1:1, Small Group) (MPAKAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performance Analysis & Video Coaching (HSADAEAG), Online/Remote Personal Training & Programming (HSADAAAM), Small-Group Personal Training (Semi-Private) (HSADAAAN)

Keywords

• Sports coaching marketplace
• Private coaching platform
• Athlete mentor booking
• Online coaching directory
• Sports training platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform Commission: PlayBook charges coaches a 15% plus GST service fee on the coaching fee for each completed session. Payment is captured via pre-authorization at booking and released to coaches after session completion, minus the commission.
2. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold to customers with a transaction fee of 1.75% plus 30 cents per transaction. Gift cards can be used across multiple sessions until balance is exhausted.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PlayBook Private Coach operates an online marketplace platform connecting athletes of all ages and abilities with verified sports coaches across Australia. The platform offers three session types — Private Coaching (one-on-one or small group in-person), Squads & Clinics (structured group training), and Online Mentoring (live interactive video sessions) — across 33+ sports and 3,521+ locations, with booking, payment processing, and coach verification built into the experience.

Product overview

PlayBook Coach is a multi-sided online marketplace platform that connects athletes seeking sports coaching with verified professional coaches across Australia. The core product portfolio consists of three session types—Private Coaching (one-on-one or small group in-person sessions), Squads & Clinics (structured group training), and Online Mentoring (live interactive video sessions)—all booked and paid for through the platform. Additional offerings include PlayBook Gift Cards (digital gift certificates in customizable denominations) and the PlayBook Blog (editorial content with athlete interviews and coaching insights). The platform spans 33+ sports, 3,521+ locations, and 164+ skills, serving athletes of all ages and abilities. The company operates as Life Athletica Pty Ltd trading as PlayBook Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Coaching One-on-one or small group personalized coaching sessions between a coach and individual athlete, booked through the platform and conducted in-person at specified locations across Australia.
• Squads & Clinics Structured group coaching sessions where multiple athletes attend training led by a coach, focused on specific skills or techniques for particular sports.
• Online Mentoring Live interactive remote coaching sessions conducted via video, allowing athletes to connect with coaches virtually for mentorship, skill development, and knowledge transfer.
• PlayBook Gift Cards Digital gift cards in customizable monetary values that recipients can redeem for any coaching session on the platform, valid for 3 years from date of issue. Subject to a 1.75% plus 30 cent Stripe transaction fee.

Quantifiable outcome

• Builds confidence through personalized coaching attention
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe serves as the payment provider for processing all transactions on the PlayBook platform. Athletes pay via Stripe, coaches receive payouts through Stripe Connect, and gift card transactions incur Stripe fees (1.75% + 30 cents). Users agree to Stripe's privacy policy and terms of service when registering.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CoachUp: US-based private sports coaching marketplace that connects athletes with vetted local coaches across many sports. Closest direct comparable: same two-sided marketplace model, paid session flow, and verified-coach positioning — just operating in the US rather than Australia.
• Wyzant: Online marketplace connecting learners with private tutors and instructors using a similar search/book/pay flow. Same two-sided marketplace mechanics, although primarily academic — useful structural and product benchmark for PlayBook's marketplace design.
• Superprof: Global marketplace for private tutors and coaches (including sports) active in Australia. Directly comparable marketplace model, take-rate economics, and self-serve booking experience; broader scope (academic + sports + hobbies) but overlapping sport-coaching use case.
• Preply: Global online tutor/coach marketplace with verified profiles, in-platform scheduling, and commission-based monetization. Comparable business model mechanics and online-first session modality, useful benchmark for online mentoring and international expansion patterns.

Broad incumbents

• ClassPass: Multi-category fitness and wellness class marketplace with credit-based booking across studios and instructors. Broader incumbent in the same activity-booking marketplace category; overlaps with PlayBook on squad/clinic and small-group formats but services a wider fitness/wellness audience.
• Gympass: Corporate wellness platform giving employees access to gyms, studios, and fitness apps globally. Comparable marketplace/inventory model for activity-based services but sold through employers rather than directly to consumers; serves as a strategic partnership/distribution reference point.
• Mindbody: Established SaaS/marketplace platform powering bookings for fitness studios, gyms, and wellness businesses. Comparable on booking, payment, and scheduling infrastructure for activity-based services, but at the B2B level rather than direct athlete-to-coach marketplace.

Others

• NAB Coach / Australian Sports Commission (community sport programs): Australian national/peak bodies that coordinate community sport participation pathways and fund coach development. Not a commercial peer but a structural ecosystem participant whose funding decisions and pathways shape supply/demand of grassroots coaching that PlayBook intermediates.

Emerging players

• Olympik: Sports coaching app focused on connecting athletes with coaches, including structured training programs. Emerging player with meaningful overlap in marketplace dynamics and athlete-coach matching — partial category overlap, smaller scale than PlayBook.
• Sessions (sessions.com): Athlete-focused digital coaching marketplace/platform for booking remote training and mentorship. Adjacent peer in the online mentoring + paid-coaching marketplace segment; emerging competitor targeting performance-oriented athletes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmhXCMGmMfL9q-SRzmoJfRQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/playbook.coach
• TikToktiktok.com/@playbook.coach
• Xx.com/playbook_coach
• Facebookfacebook.com/playbookcoach-1692143591074933
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/playbook-australia

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 PlayBook Private Coach