Play The Game Aps

What Play The Game Aps does

Play the Game ApS is a Danish non-profit knowledge organization founded in 1997 and based in Mariager/Aarhus, Denmark, with 1-10 employees. It produces research, journalism, and policy tools that promote transparency and democratic accountability in sport, serving international sports journalists, academics, national Olympic committees, sports federations, and policymakers. Its core products are the Sports Governance Observer (SGO), a benchmark of 57 principles and 309 indicators used to assess international sports federations, and the National Sports Governance Observer (NSGO), a related framework of 46 principles and 274 indicators applied to national Olympic committees and national federations. It has also built country-specific datasets such as the 'Saudi Arabia's Grip on World Sport' report (December 2024) covering 1,412 positions of influence, and has launched the ClearingSport proposal in 2025 targeting international sport reform.

The organization's business model is non-commercial and grant-funded: all tools, datasets, and reports are provided free of charge, with revenue drawn from the Danish Parliament, the Danish Ministry of Culture, and EU programmes including an Erasmus+ grant of approximately €383,000 (2017) to co-finance the NSGO with KU Leuven, supplemented by partner entrance fees to its biennial Play the Game conference. Distribution is multi-channel: an online research portal, in-depth country reports, a biennial conference held in Denmark, a journalism fund (2026), and a podcast (2026). Key personnel include founder/senior advisor Jens Sejer Andersen and Stanis Elsborg, Head of Play the Game. The organization does not disclose annual revenue and operates without a traditional paying customer base.

Name

Play The Game Aps

Legal name

Play The Game Aps

Website

https://playthegame.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Play the Game ApS is a Danish non-profit founded in 1997 that produces sports governance research, journalism, and benchmarking tools (SGO and NSGO) free of charge for journalists, academics, federations, and policymakers, funded mainly by the Danish state and the EU.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Governance Research

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Compliance, Governance & Integrity Services (Safeguarding, Anti-Doping, Match Integrity) (MPAKAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Digital Audio Broadcasts (Live Radio, Play-by-Play, Podcasts) (MPAKAOAG)

Keywords

• Sports governance benchmarking
• Sports integrity research
• Investigative sports journalism
• Sports policy research
• Governance assessment tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Mariager

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: Primary funding from Danish Parliament and Ministry of Culture, including special governance grants earmarked for promoting good governance in sport. The ClearingSport project was funded by Play the Game's own budget including a special grant from the Danish parliament.
2. EU Erasmus+ Programme: The NSGO project received a 383,000 euro grant from the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The original AGGIS project was supported by a grant from the European Commission under EU Preparatory Actions in the field of sport.
3. Partner Entrance Fees: External partners joining the NSGO project pay a modest entrance fee as contribution to administrative expenses, calculated according to country status in World Bank list (from €100 in low-income countries to €1,500 in high-income countries).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Play The Game Aps is a non-profit sports policy research and journalism organization that develops and operates online governance benchmarking tools (the Sports Governance Observer and National Sports Governance Observer), produces investigative datasets and reports on sports politics and integrity, hosts a biennial international conference, publishes a podcast, and runs a Journalism Fund that grants support to investigative reporters. All outputs—tools, publications, datasets, and reports—are distributed free of charge to journalists, academics, sports federations, and policymakers.

Product overview

Play The Game Aps is a Danish sports journalism and governance research organization operating a portfolio of benchmarking tools, research datasets, publications, and media content. Its core products include the Sports Governance Observer (SGO) and National Sports Governance Observer (NSGO), which are online governance assessment tools for international and national sports organizations respectively. The organization produces investigative datasets such as the Saudi Arabia sports power relations dataset, and publishes reports including the ClearingSport proposal for international sports integrity. Additional offerings include the Play the Game Podcast, a Journalism Fund supporting investigative reporting, and biennial international conferences. The portfolio is unified around sports transparency, accountability, and integrity research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ClearingSport: Project proposing an independent entity to counter crime, corruption, and integrity breaches in sport
• Sports Governance Observer (SGO)
• National Sports Governance Observer (NSGO)
• Play the Game Journalism Fund
• Play the Game Award

Products and services

• Sports Governance Observer (SGO) Online benchmarking tool that scores international sports federations on four governance dimensions (Transparency, democratic processes, internal accountability and control, and societal responsibility) using 57 principles and 309 yes/no indicators, designed for self-assessment and stakeholder reporting by sport leaders.
• National Sports Governance Observer (NSGO) Online benchmarking tool for national sports organizations scoring performance on 46 principles and 274 indicators of good governance across Transparency, Democracy, Internal accountability and control, and Societal responsibility; applied in 25+ countries through a partner network with country-tiered entrance fees.
• ClearingSport Research project and policy proposal presenting a concept note and booklet for an independent international entity to counter crime, corruption, doping, and integrity breaches in sport, developed with industry experts and former MEP Viola von Cramon.
• Dataset on Sports Power Relations in Saudi Arabia Freely downloadable dataset mapping Saudi Arabia's sports political strategy, including 795 positions in 156 Saudi entities and 300+ Saudi sponsorships in sport, compiled through research between August and October 2023.
• Saudi Arabia's Grip on World Sport Report and Dataset Comprehensive investigative report and accompanying dataset mapping 1,412 key positions across 209 Saudi entities and 910 sponsorships in sports globally, providing insights into Saudi Arabia's sports strategy and network for journalists and researchers.
• When the silence of sport was broken 337-page anniversary book marking 25+ years of Play the Game, providing a journalistic account of key debates and developments in international sports politics from the 1990s onwards, covering doping, corruption, match-fixing, abuse, and governance issues.
• Play the Game Podcast Podcast series covering integrity issues and darker sides of international sport, featuring expert discussions and interviews on topics such as FIFA governance, sports corruption, and athlete rights.
• Play the Game Journalism Fund Grant program supporting investigative journalism that holds sport to account, providing funding for journalists pursuing sports integrity and governance investigations.
• Play the Game Conference Biennial international conference bringing together journalists, academics, sports officials, and policymakers to discuss sports governance, integrity, and politics; held in various locations including Denmark, USA, and Norway.

Quantifiable outcome

• NSGO applied to national sports federations in 25+ countries
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KU LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Academic partnership with Dr. Arnout Geeraert from KU Leuven who developed and refined the SGO and NSGO benchmarking tools. Geeraert authored the first Sports Governance Observer study (2015) and subsequent reports, analyzing governance in international and national sports federations. The partnership continued post-EU funding.
• Council of EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdditional supporter of the NSGO project alongside EU and Danish government funding.
• NSGO National Partners (25+ countries)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal partners from Cyprus, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Brazil, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Georgia, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Lithuania, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Ukraine, and USA participate in applying the NSGO tool to their national sports federations.
• ClearingSport Expert AdvisorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProminent industry experts who provided inputs on establishing an agency against sports corruption and crime in the 2023 ClearingSport report. Includes figures like US Anti-Doping director Travis Tygart and Belgian federal prosecutor Frédéric Van Leeuw.
• Former MEP Viola von CramonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned report supporting the ClearingSport initiative, accessible at www.stopcorruptioninsports.eu.
• Danish Institute for Sports StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-operator of Play the Game organization, involved in research projects including Sports Governance Observer and anniversary book publication.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bellingcat: Open-source investigative journalism collective specializing in data-driven accountability reporting — a methodology peer for Play the Game's dataset-driven investigations on Saudi sports influence.
• Centre for Sport and Human Rights: Multi-stakeholder initiative promoting human rights and good governance in sport — overlapping mandate on sport governance reform and convening journalists, policymakers, and federations.
• Transparency International: Global anti-corruption NGO with an active sport program investigating governance failures and match-fixing — directly comparable in mission and methodology of exposing corruption through research and advocacy.
• OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project): Investigative journalism network producing cross-border exposés on corruption — directly comparable to Play the Game's investigative data work and journalism fund model.
• SIGA (Sports Integrity Global Alliance): Global alliance advancing integrity standards across sport governance, betting, and corruption — closely parallel to Play the Game's benchmarking and policy advocacy work, with a comparable non-profit/convening model.

Broad incumbents

• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA): Established international body coordinating anti-doping policy — sits in an adjacent integrity space and frequently interacts with Play the Game's research on doping and integrity issues.
• ICSS (International Centre for Sport Security): International organization addressing sport safety, security, and integrity — a larger, more institutionalized peer operating in adjacent terrain (sport crime, integrity, mega-events).

Others

• GIJN (Global Investigative Journalism Network): Global network supporting investigative journalism capacity-building, training, and grants — comparable in mission to Play the Game's Journalism Fund and conference convening role.
• AIPS (International Sports Press Association): Global association representing sports journalists — parallel to Play the Game's Journalism Fund and podcast as a stakeholder network supporting investigative sports reporting worldwide.
• iNADO (Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations): Umbrella group representing national anti-doping agencies — an adjacent integrity-sector peer with overlapping funder relationships (governments, sport ministries) and policy influence in sport integrity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/playthegame_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/playthegame.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/play-the-game

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Play The Game Aps