Active Connections Group
Active Connections Group is a UK sports development specialist running a portfolio of owned fitness brands (MedalMad, GlowSports, MedalKids, Ministry of Running) alongside consultancy and training services for NHS trusts, charities, local authorities, and sport-for-development programmes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersGloucester, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Active Connections Group does
Active Connections Group Ltd is a UK-based, founder-led sports development specialist operating since 2011 from Dursley, Gloucestershire. The company runs a hybrid model combining professional services — campaign management, brand development, and web design and hosting — with a portfolio of owned consumer and social-impact sub-brands: MedalMad (virtual running challenges with app), GlowSports (glow-in-the-dark sports equipment and licensing), MedalKids (children's activity packs), Active Start (early years physical activity training), Ministry of Running (running lifestyle apparel), and GirlForce (girls' fitness programme). It serves public, community, and commercial-sector clients across the UK, with named partners and customers including NHS Gloucestershire and NHS Bristol, StreetGames, Comic Relief, Big Lottery (National Lottery Community Fund), Sport England, the Department of Health, and multiple local authorities and schools. The company self-describes as "Not for profit" on its footer while operating commercial revenue streams, indicating a social enterprise structure.
The company's underlying technology is conventional open-source web stack — WordPress, Drupal, PHP, JavaScript/jQuery, and Python — with the MedalMad virtual challenge platform and companion app serving as its primary proprietary technology, supporting activity tracking, evidence submission, social networking, and leaderboards. Pricing is diversified across six streams: monthly business support subscriptions at £300/month, GirlForce training packages at £995+VAT per learner, MedalMad transaction-based challenge entry fees, GlowSports hardware sales and licensing, Ministry of Running e-commerce, and bespoke consultancy engagements. MedalMad's reported paid-social efficiency of approximately £1 of ad spend per £12 of revenue signals strong unit economics on the consumer side, though no audited revenue or ARR figure is disclosed.
Go-to-market is split between sales-led consultancy into NHS trusts, charities, local authorities, and sport-for-development organisations, and direct-to-consumer activity through MedalMad, GlowSports, MedalKids, and Ministry of Running, with Facebook advertising as the primary acquisition channel for MedalMad. Distribution leverages a GlowSports licensee network across the UK for hardware and event delivery, while GirlForce and Active Start are delivered through direct training engagements with schools, children's centres, and research partners including the University of Bristol's NAP SACC programme.
Active Connections Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Active Connections Group
- Legal name
- Active Connections Group Ltd
- Website
- https://activeconnections.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Active Connections Group is a UK sports development specialist running a portfolio of owned fitness brands (MedalMad, GlowSports, MedalKids, Ministry of Running) alongside consultancy and training services for NHS trusts, charities, local authorities, and sport-for-development programmes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Active Connections Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sport Development Consultancy
- NAICS
- Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Outdoor & Active Lifestyle Apparel Retail (CRAAABAL)
Keywords
Where Active Connections Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gloucester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Active Connections Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Business Consultancy Services: Strategic marketing and development consultancy services for sport, health, and wellbeing organisations. Includes brand strategy, creative strategy, digital strategy, and in-house strategy development.
- Business Support Packages: Monthly subscription packages at £300/month providing marketing support, branding support, business governance, online marketing, web design, and hosting services. Minimum 4 hours per month commitment with one face-to-face meeting included.
- MedalMad Virtual Challenges: Online virtual running and challenge community generating revenue through entry fees for monthly challenges. Provides virtual races with bespoke medals delivered upon completion. Also generates revenue through app purchases and in-app engagement.
- GlowSports Products and Licensing: Sale of glow-in-the-dark sports equipment and branded licensing to licensees and providers across the UK. Also includes delivery of large-scale events in partnership with organisations.
- GirlForce Training Packages: Training packages sold to organisations and individuals at £995+VAT per learner, including training, resource pack, branded t-shirts, and equipment pack (lights and GlowFitness/Beatz equipment). In-house training also available at reduced costs.
- Ministry of Running Clothing: Lifestyle running and fitness clothing line launched in 2018, sold directly to consumers through e-commerce.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Business Support Package at £300/month |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | GirlForce Package at £995+VAT per learner |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | MedalMad Virtual Challenge Entry Fees |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Active Connections Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Active Connections Group is a UK sports development specialist that creates, develops and manages programmes across the public, community and commercial sectors. It operates a portfolio of owned consumer brands (MedalMad, GlowSports, MedalKids, Ministry of Running, GirlForce, Active Start) and sells marketing, branding, web design and business support services to organisations in sport, health and wellbeing. Revenue is generated through consultancy fees, monthly subscription packages, virtual challenge entry fees, branded product sales, equipment licensing, and training packages.
Product overview
Active Connections Group is a sports development specialist offering a portfolio of proprietary brands alongside professional services. Their owned brands include MedalMad (virtual running challenge platform with app), GlowSports (glow in the dark fitness brand), MedalKids (children's activity packs), Active Start (early years training programme), Ministry of Running (clothing line), and GirlForce (young women's fitness programme). Services include campaign management, brand development, web design/hosting, and business support packages. The company operates across public, community, and commercial sectors, using profits to fund social programmes while supporting other organisations with marketing and branding consultancy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MedalMad: Online virtual running races community providing monthly challenges with bespoke medals where runners complete challenges anywhere and anytime and receive medals upon completion.
- GlowSports
- MedalKids
- Ministry of Running
- Active Start
- GirlForce
Products and services
- Campaign Management Strategic marketing consultancy for organisations in sport, health and wellbeing, covering brand strategy, creative strategy, digital strategy and in-house strategy development.
- Brand Development Branding services that help organisations build brand identities from conception to rollout, communicating them internally and externally.
- Web Design and Hosting Web development services including e-commerce builds, CMS development (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal), PHP and JavaScript development, and hosted solutions.
- Business Support Packages Monthly subscription package priced at £300/month providing marketing, branding, governance, online marketing, web design and hosting with a minimum 4 hours per month commitment.
- MedalMad Virtual Challenges Online virtual running and challenge community offering monthly challenges with bespoke medals, an app for tracking and evidence submission, leaderboards and charity-linked races.
- GlowSports UK's leading glow-in-the-dark sport and fitness brand offering portable glow products across basketball, netball, touch tennis, badminton, squash, volleyball and dodgeball, plus GlowFitness range, with a licensing model.
- MedalKids Themed children's activity packs sold to families and in bulk to schools, designed to encourage physical activity and exploration with rewards.
- Active Start Early years physical activity training programme with workshops, an online learning portal with videos and resources, and practitioner support for nurseries, Children's Centres and EYFS settings.
- Ministry of Running Running lifestyle clothing line launched in 2018, designed and shaped by the MedalMad community, sold direct to consumers online.
- GirlForce Training Packages Training package at £995+VAT per learner for organisations and individuals, including training, resource pack, branded t-shirts and equipment pack to deliver glow-in-the-dark fitness sessions for young women aged 11-18.
Quantifiable outcome
- Largest virtual challenge community in UK, top 4 globally (MedalMad)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Active Connections Group
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Active Connections Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Active Connections Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Think ActiveminorPartnership with Think Active for sport and physical activity development projects. Think Active appears as a client/partner in the clients section of the Active Connections website.
- Hampshire Safeguarding Children BoardminorPartnership with Hampshire Safeguarding Children Board for child safeguarding and physical activity initiatives. Listed as a client partner on the Active Connections website.
- Icon ProgrammeminorPartnership with Icon Programme for youth sports and physical activity initiatives. Listed as a client partner on the Active Connections website.
- NHS GloucestershirecoreWorking with NHS Gloucestershire on sport for development projects. Active Connections is delighted to work with NHS Trusts across the UK on various health and wellbeing initiatives.
- StreetGamescoreOngoing partnership with StreetGames, a national charity focused on doorstep sport. Delivered large-scale GlowSports events in partnership with StreetGames. GirlForce won an award at StreetGames Awards 2018.
- CSPNminorCSPN (County Sports Partnership Network) partnered with Active Connections for delivery of large-scale GlowSports events.
- Clare Mount Specialist Sports CollegeminorClare Mount Specialist Sports College became a new partner delivering GlowSports as part of their sport and physical activity offering to students.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Active Connections Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Strava: Global running and cycling activity platform with social and challenge features; overlaps with MedalMad's tracking, leaderboard and community functionality but at significantly larger scale and with a broader multi-sport footprint.
- parkrun: UK-headquartered free, weekly 5km running community; comparable to MedalMad in target audience (mass-participation runners) but operates at vastly larger scale as an established incumbent in the participatory running space.
- Youth Sport Trust: National UK charity delivering school-based sport and physical activity programmes; comparable to Active Connections' Active Start and school-facing GlowSports work but operates at significantly larger institutional scale.
- Decathlon: Global sporting goods retailer with broad UK presence; overlaps with GlowSports (equipment) and Ministry of Running (apparel) at the retail level, but as a mass-market incumbent rather than a specialist sport-development competitor.
Direct peers
- Sport 4 Life UK: UK charity using sport to improve life chances of disadvantaged young people aged 11-25; directly comparable to Active Connections' GirlForce programme in both target demographic and sport-for-development mission.
- Sported: UK sport-for-development charity supporting community sport groups; comparable mission and funding base to Active Connections' GirlForce, Active Start and Game Plan programmes.
- Access Sport: UK charity working to give young people access to sport, particularly in underserved communities; operates in the same sport-for-development space and competes for similar lottery, charity and local-authority funding as Active Connections.
- Race At Your Pace: UK provider of virtual running challenges with medals; competes head-to-head with MedalMad in the same niche of paid, flexible-distance virtual races with bespoke medals.
- StreetGames: National UK charity using sport for social change among disadvantaged young people; a direct Active Connections partner (GlowSports events, GirlForce) and the most comparable sport-for-development peer in the same niche.
- The Running Bug: UK online running community and virtual challenge organiser; addresses the same MedalMad customer segment of recreational runners seeking flexible challenges and tangible rewards.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Active Connections Group social profiles
Digital presenceActive Connections Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Active Connections Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Active Connections Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Active Connections Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Active Connections Group 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 Active Connections Group
What does Active Connections Group do?
Active Connections Group is a UK sports development specialist that creates, develops and manages programmes across the public, community and commercial sectors. It operates a portfolio of owned consumer brands (MedalMad, GlowSports, MedalKids, Ministry of Running, GirlForce, Active Start) and sells marketing, branding, web design and business support services to organisations in sport, health and wellbeing. Revenue is generated through consultancy fees, monthly subscription packages, virtual challenge entry fees, branded product sales, equipment licensing, and training packages.
Is Active Connections Group a public or private company?
Active Connections Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Active Connections Group founded?
Active Connections Group was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Active Connections Group based?
Active Connections Group is headquartered in Gloucester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Active Connections Group make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Business Consultancy Services are the primary driver. The others are business Support Packages, medalMad Virtual Challenges, glowSports Products and Licensing, girlForce Training Packages and ministry of Running Clothing.
Who are Active Connections Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Strava, parkrun, Youth Sport Trust and Decathlon. Direct peers are Sport 4 Life UK, Sported, Access Sport, Race At Your Pace, StreetGames and The Running Bug.
Does Active Connections Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Active Connections Group.
What industry is Active Connections Group in?
Active Connections Group's product category is Sport Development Consultancy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAKAK, Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support), with a secondary code of CRAAABAL, Outdoor & Active Lifestyle Apparel Retail. Its NAICS code is 71394 and its SIC code is 8600.