Play9 Sports

Name

Play9 Sports

Legal name

Play9 Sports LLC

Website

https://play9sports.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Play9 Sports is a private regional tournament management and sports facility operator in the St. Louis metro area that runs youth baseball, high school baseball, and fastpitch softball tournaments across three premium turf venues and manages two collegiate Prospect League teams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Tournament & Facility Management

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF), Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Youth baseball tournaments
• Fastpitch softball events
• Sports facility rentals
• Tournament management services
• Collegiate sports management

Headquarters

HQ city

O'Fallon, Missouri

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tournament Registration Fees: Teams pay registration fees to participate in youth baseball, high school baseball, and fastpitch softball tournaments. Events include stay-to-play requirements and game guarantees.
2. Facility Rentals: Play9 Park provides field rentals at hourly and 90-minute rates, including optional lighting and portable fence add-ons.
3. Gate Admission Fees: Daily gate entry fees ($15) and weekend passes ($30) charged at tournament venues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Play9 Sports organizes and manages travel baseball and fastpitch softball tournaments for youth (7u-14u), high school, and collegiate age groups at premium turf venues in the St. Louis metropolitan area, including Lions and Legions Parks (Eureka, MO), Play9 Park (St. Peters, MO), and Plummer Family Park (Edwardsville, IL). The company also provides sports management services for collegiate wood bat teams (Normal Cornbelters and O'Fallon Hoots in the Prospect League) and rents out its multi-field facilities for external baseball and fastpitch bookings.

Product overview

Play9 Sports operates a unified tournament management and sports facility platform centered around youth and high school baseball and fastpitch softball events. The core offering consists of PBT STL Tournaments (high school baseball), Youth Baseball Tournaments, and Fastpitch Softball Events—all powered by the company's own venue portfolio including Lions and Legions Parks, Play9 Park, and Plummer Family Park. The company also runs the Prep Baseball Eureka Fall League for youth baseball and has introduced Sandlot Series as a discounted high school baseball sub-brand. Play9 Park serves as a rentable multi-field facility for external team bookings. All tournament products are managed through Tourney Machine for scheduling and results, with USSSA as the governing body partner for fastpitch sanctioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PBT STL: High School Baseball tournament brand operated by Play9 Sports.
• Sandlot Series
• Prep Baseball Eureka Fall League

Products and services

• PBT STL Tournaments (High School Baseball) Elite high school baseball tournament series operated under the Prep Baseball Report STL brand, featuring events at various venues in the St. Louis metropolitan area for high school baseball teams seeking competitive showcase play and recruiting exposure.
• Youth Baseball Tournaments Travel baseball tournaments for youth players (7u-14u), including the Eureka Fall League and tournaments in Eureka, MO and Edwardsville, IL locations, utilizing USSSA rulebook standards, designed for travel baseball clubs and organizations.
• Prep Baseball Eureka Fall League Youth baseball league operated at Legions and Lions Parks in Eureka, MO, providing structured competitive play with league rules and tournament scheduling in partnership with Prep Baseball Report for travel baseball organizations.
• Fastpitch Softball Events Travel fastpitch softball tournaments operated in partnership with USSSA, held across multiple venues including Legions and Lions Parks (Eureka, MO), Play9 Park (St. Peters, MO), and Plummer Family Park (Edwardsville, IL), including seasonal Spring and Fall event lineups with 10u-18u divisions.
• Play9 Park Field Rentals Multi-field sports complex in St. Peters, MO offering field rentals for baseball and fastpitch events, with six fields of varying dimensions and turf surfaces available for hourly or 90-minute rental at $25/hour or $37.50/90 minutes with optional lighting and portable fence add-ons.
• Sandlot Series High school baseball tournament brand offering events at discounted prices with turf venue access, operating as a second brand alongside the main PBT STL tournament series for cost-conscious high school programs.
• Collegiate Wood Bat Team Management Outsourced sports management services for collegiate summer baseball franchises including the Normal Cornbelters and O'Fallon Hoots in the Prospect League, covering operations, league administration, and player development support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 16 events held in 2023 for Gateway Fastpitch

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• USSSAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with USSSA, the largest travel baseball/softball organization nationwide, for fastpitch softball events. Play9 Sports operates USSSA-sanctioned fastpitch tournaments (10u-18u) with events hosted at their venues.
• Normal CornbelterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Play9 Sports provides Sports Management of the Normal Cornbelters, a collegiate baseball team in the Prospect League. Matt Stembridge serves as President of Operations.
• O'Fallon HootscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Play9 Sports provides Sports Management of the O'Fallon Hoots, a collegiate baseball team in the Prospect League.
• Sullivan BankminorOthersFinancial institution partner listed on the 2026 Partners page.
• PocketRadarminorOthersTechnology partner for radar/speed measurement equipment, listed on the 2026 Partners page.
• MPB BaseballminorOthersBaseball equipment partner listed on the 2026 Partners page.
• Eureka Cold Rush Ice CreamminorOthersLocal ice cream sponsor listed on the 2026 Partners page.
• BEI PlumbingminorOthersLocal plumbing sponsor listed on the 2026 Partners page.
• Kernels Collegiate (Cornbelters)minorOthersCollegiate partner affiliated with the Normal Cornbelters baseball team, listed on the 2026 Partners page.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Game Day USA: Midwest-based operator of travel baseball and softball tournaments and showcases. Comparable to Play9 Sports in target customer (travel families in the Midwest), event format, and reliance on facility partnerships.
• USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association): Sanctioning body and tournament organizer for travel baseball and softball across the U.S. Play9 Sports is both a USSSA partner for fastpitch and a tournament operator competing against USSSA-sanctioned events held by other operators in the same geography.
• Prospect League: Summer collegiate baseball league whose member franchises (Normal Cornbelters, O'Fallon Hoots) are managed by Play9 Sports. Comparable in the collegiate team management vertical of Play9 Sports' business.
• Prospect Select Baseball: Midwest-based travel baseball tournament and showcase operator where Play9 Sports' founder Matt Stembridge previously served as Tournament Director. Closely comparable in customer base, geography, and tournament format.
• Prep Baseball Report: Operates high school baseball scouting, showcases, and tournament events including the PBT STL series that Play9 Sports runs under license. Directly comparable in audience (high school baseball players/families) and event model.
• National Pro Fastpitch (athletes & events ecosystem) / Top Gun Softball: Operates travel fastpitch softball tournaments with comparable age divisions (10u-18u) and USSSA-style sanctioning. Directly competes with Play9 Sports for fastpitch team registrations in the Midwest and surrounding regions.

Broad incumbents

• Triple Crown Sports: National operator of youth and adult baseball, softball, and fastpitch tournaments, including major showcase events. Comparable to Play9 Sports on the fastpitch and youth baseball tournament business, but operates at a national scale and across multiple sports.
• Ripken Baseball: Operates youth baseball tournaments, camps, and training experiences across multiple U.S. venues. Comparable in youth baseball event format and instructional/tournament hybrid model, though at a national brand and venue scale.
• Perfect Game USA: Largest U.S. operator of elite youth and amateur baseball showcases and tournaments. Directly comparable to Play9 Sports on the high school and youth baseball tournament side, but with a national footprint, media production, and recruiting showcase infrastructure that far exceeds Play9 Sports' regional Midwest focus.

Others

• Sports Facilities Companies (SFC): Management and consulting firm for sports complexes and tournament venues. Comparable as an adjacent operator to Play9 Sports' venue rental and complex management line, but does not directly compete for travel team registrations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Play9Sports
• Facebookfacebook.com/play9sports
• Instagraminstagram.com/play9_sports
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/play9-sports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Play9 Sports