Company:MyLocalPitch
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Type of site | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Key people | CEO Jamie Foale CFO Sandford Loudon |
| Industry | Sport |
| Website | mylocalpitch.com |
MyLocalPitch is an internet booking engine that enables people to book grassroots sports facilities online.[1] The company is headquartered in the United Kingdom with offices in Holborn, London. The service is free to users and is currently available in London, Manchester and Dublin.
History
MyLocalPitch was founded in January 2014 [2] by Jamie Foale and Sandford Loudon after struggling to find and book sports pitches for their 11-a-side football team.[3] The site started by listing London based sports venues before expanding into Dublin in March 2015.
In November 2015 the MyLocalPitch iPhone App was released to market[4] to enable users to book and search for venues on the move using geolocation.[5]
MyLocalPitch initiated its 'Outstanding London Sports Venue Award'[6] in 2015 to recognise outstanding sports facilities for services provided and their role in the community. March's award was claimed by Westway Sport and Fitness[7] and April's went to Playfootball Romford.[8]
In April MyLocalPitch received a 2016 Sports Technology Awards nomination for the Best Technology to Promote Participation category.[9]
As an extension of Sport England's new strategy to increase sports participation, MyLocalPitch has introduced bespoke borough pages to further speed up the booking process. A few examples can be seen for Clapham,[10] Islington,[11] Hackney[12] and St Albans.[13]
In April 2017 MyLocalPitch launched its second iOS app[14] with new features including an interactive map, secure payments and a live bookings calendar.[15] The same month saw the MyLocalPitch service became available in Greater Manchester[16] with partnerships with Salford Community Leisure[17] and Greater Sport. In May 2018 MyLocalPitch started working with Brighton Aldridge Community Academy to bring the service to Brighton.
As 2017 drew to a close MyLocalPitch signed as London FA's official Bookings Partner[18] and for the Middlesex FA[19] to grow participation numbers. The partnership will provide a simple means for London FA’s members to search and book football facilities in London either online or through the app.[20]
Daily Mirror features MyLocalPitch's app as number one in its 'Best iPhone apps 2018'.[21] An Android app launched in August 2018 and has featured in TechWorld[22] and AndroidPit[23].
At the start of 2018 MyLocalPitch became the first London-based SportsTech business to raise more than £1 million[24] and Graeme Le Saux joined the board of directors.[25]
In July, the Football Foundation, the largest sports charity in the UK, has teamed up with MyLocalPitch to roll out its innovative booking portal for community football venues[26].
The partnership[27] seeks to revolutionise the way grassroots players access football facilities by delivering cutting edge technology to venues.
Popularity
The site has received coverage in the UK media, especially with the Venue Awards which have appeared in London’s Evening Standard,[28] Sport and Recreation[29] and London Sport.[30] The Irish Sun recently covered the Dublin launch of the instant booking app.[31]
References
- ↑ "Sporty AirBnB app gets FTSE approval". CityAM.com. 2 September 2015. http://cityam.com/223424/sporty-airbnb-app-gets-ftse-approval-ahead-launch-date.
- ↑ "Tech Pitch: MyLocalPitch". Startups.co.uk. 13 June 2017. http://startups.co.uk/tech-pitch-mylocalpitch/.
- ↑ "Friends set up business to make life easier for amateur sports enthusiasts". Getwestlondon.co.uk. 14 May 2015. http://getwestlondon.co.uk/news/business/friends-set-up-business-make-9256813/.
- ↑ "MyLocalPitch launches App". TNTMagazine.com. 2 September 2015. http://tntmagazine.com/entertainment/mylocalpitch-app-launch/.
- ↑ "Impulsive sports booking". MyLocalPitch.com. 20 January 2016. http://blog.mylocalpitch.com/mylocalpitch-app-impulsive-sport-at-its-best/.
- ↑ "Award for Market Road Pitches in Islington". Islingtongazette.co.uk. 6 November 2015. http://islingtongazette.co.uk/news/award_for_market_road_pitches_in_islington_1_4300449.
- ↑ "Award for Westway-Sports-and-Fitness-March-Outstanding-London-Sports-Venue-Award". Londonsport.org. 13 April 2016. https://londonsport.org/news/westway-sports-and-fitness-march-outstanding-london-sports-venue-award/.
- ↑ "PlayFootball-Romford-get-MyLocalPitch-Outstanding-London-Sports-Venue-award". Romfordrecorder.co.uk. 11 May 2016. http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/sport/football/playfootball_romford_get_mylocalpitch_outstanding_london_sports_venue_award_1_4531364/.
- ↑ "2016-Sports-Technology-Awards-Shortlist". Sportstechnologyawards.com. 15 April 2016. http://www.sportstechnologyawards.com/shortlist/.
- ↑ "Sports Clubs & Centres in Clapham". TotallyClapham. 14 February 2017. http://www.totallyclapham.co.uk/other-sports/.
- ↑ "MyLocalPitch app aims to streamline process of booking sports venues". Islington Gazette. 1 June 2016. http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/mylocalpitch_app_aims_to_streamline_process_of_booking_sports_venues_1_4558043.
- ↑ "MyLocalPitch app aims to streamline process of booking sports venues". Hackney Gazette. 1 June 2016. http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/mylocalpitch_app_aims_to_streamline_process_of_booking_sports_venues_1_4558089.
- ↑ "New website launched to make accessing sport in St Albans and Harpenden easier". The Herts Advertiser. 2 October 2016. http://www.hertsad.co.uk/sport/new_website_launched_to_make_accessing_sport_in_st_albans_and_harpenden_easier_1_4715969.
- ↑ "MyLocalPitch grassroots platform expands north". SportIndustry.biz. 4 April 2017. https://www.sportindustry.biz/cutting-edge-sport.
- ↑ "Start-up of the week: MyLocalPitch". siliconrepublic.com. 8 May 2017. https://www.siliconrepublic.com/start-ups/mylocalpitch-startup-week.
- ↑ "There's A New Manchester App That Lets You Book Sports Sessions On The Go". lovinmanchester.com. 4 May 2016. https://lovinmanchester.com/news/manchester/theres-a-new-manchester-app-that-lets-you-book-sports-sessions-on-the-go.
- ↑ "MyLocalPitch launches grassroots sports search and booking service for Greater Manchester". salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk. 9 May 2016. http://www.salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk/latest-news/mlp.
- ↑ "MyLocalPitch signs as London FA's official Bookings Partner". LondonFA.com. 4 December 2017. http://www.londonfa.com/news/2017/dec/mylocalpitch-signs-as-london-fas-official-bookings-partner.
- ↑ "MyLocalPitch signs as Middlesex FA's official Bookings Partner". MiddlesexFA.com. 1 March 2018. https://www.middlesexfa.com/news/2018/mar/01/mylocalpitch-teams-up-with-middlesex-fa-to-become-its-official-bookings-partner.
- ↑ "London FA partners with MyLocalPitch". sportindustry.biz. 6 December 2017. https://www.sportindustry.biz/news/london-fa-partners-mylocalpitch.
- ↑ "Best iPhone apps 2018". Mirror.co.uk. 22 March 2018. https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/best-ios-apps-2018-iphone-12224827.
- ↑ "MyLocalPitch: the startup using tech to open up sports access". TechWorld.com. 20 August 2018. https://www.techworld.com/startups/mylocalpitch-startup-using-tech-open-up-sports-access-3682599/.
- ↑ "The best 5 new apps worth your time this week". AndroidPit.com. 14 October 2018. https://www.androidpit.com/apps-of-the-week-14-10-2018.
- ↑ "FORMER CHELSEA STAR GRAEME LE SAUX JOINS NEW TEAM". businesscloud.co.uk. 23 March 2018. http://www.businesscloud.co.uk/news/chelseas-graeme-le-saux-joins-mylocalpitch.
- ↑ "GRAEME LE SAUX JOINS MYLOCALPITCH FOLLOWING £1M INVESTMENT". BQlive.co.uk. 23 March 2018. http://www.bqlive.co.uk/london-the-south/2018/03/22/news/graeme-le-saux-joins-mylocalpitch-following-1m-investment-31340/.
- ↑ "Football Foundation teams up with MyLocalPitch". islingtongazette.co.uk. 2 August 2018. http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/sport/football/football-foundation-teams-up-with-mylocakpitch-1-5635948.
- ↑ "FOOTBALL FOUNDATION SELECTS MYLOCALPITCH TO KICK OFF ITS DIGITAL COMMUNITY FOOTBALL SOLUTION". LondonFA.com. 2 August 2018. http://www.londonfa.com/news/2018/aug/02/football-foundation-selects-mylocalpitch-to-kick-off-its-digital-community-football-solution.
- ↑ "Market Road ATPs". Evening Standard. 3 November 2015. http://standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-backed-islington-sports-complex-named-outstanding-london-sports-venue-a3105526.html.
- ↑ "London grassroots sport booking platform, crowns outstanding sports venue winner". Sport and Recreation Alliance. 5 November 2015. http://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/news/industry/london-grassroots-sport-booking-platform-crow.
- ↑ "West London venue scores winner with award". LondonSport. 14 December 2015. http://londonsport.org/news/west-london-venue-scores-winner-mylocalpitch-award/.
- ↑ "ON THE BALL New sports app to make booking sports facilities for amateur sports players much easier". Thesun.ie. 10 May 2017. https://www.thesun.ie/news/978704/new-sports-app-to-make-booking-sports-facilities-for-amateur-sports-players-much-easier/.
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