Sports Illustrated is well known for their magazine and editorial content. But they should also be known for their involvement in youth sports via Sports Illustrated Play, a software platform that connects youth sports. To expand the vision of SI Play, the company has now bought Tourney Machine and has become the Official Technology Partner for USA Field Hockey.
Launched in 2015, SI Play is focused on connecting the world of youth sports to industry leaders within the sports world. The company works with more than 10 million monthly active users with their digital products and services, as well as National Governing Bodies and youth sports organizations.
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USA Field Hockey is a National Governing Body for the sport of field hockey in the United States. Both USA Field Hockey club administrators and the junior field hockey community will be able to use SI Play’s technology platforms to create a better support system for players, families, coaches and administrators.
“Sports Illustrated Play is a powerful, yet easy-to-use tool that is a one-stop shop for our clubs,” said Adam Andrasko, USA Field Hockey Member Services Director. “We are please to partner with SI Play to better serve our members and provide them access to a reliable, customer-service-based company.”
The technology of SI Play includes streamlined player sign-up, roster management, scheduling and a team-focused web and mobile app for team managers, parents and players. The idea of a centralized platform with information is to enhance the communication between players and coaches.
SI Play eliminates in-person registration and instead offers online registration that is available 24/7. Administrators can customize the registration page with as many questions they would like, ranging from uniform sizes, medical information and custom fees. Users can also receive information about the different teams in the league.
With SI Play each team can create their own website and chedules, stats and scores can be found in one place. Administrators can also send out email or text notifications about any game cancelations.
“We are honored that USA Field Hockey has selected SI Play as its official technology partner,” explained Jeff Karp, SI Play CEO. “Our organizations share a common devotion to elevating the youth sports experience, and together we are going to work closely to create even more ways to celebrate the growing sport of field hockey, its players, their parents, coaches and officials.”
With attempts to add more to their platform, SI Play also purchased Tourney Machine. Tourney Machine was launched in 2013. The company provides an easy way for organizers to schedule and run tournaments.
“We share a common bond with Tourney Machine in our devotion to the communities of people connected through youth sports,” Karp said in a written statement.
Tourney Machine will add tournament management products to SI Play. This will help leagues schedule and run tournaments. If the addition of Tourney Machine works well then leagues in youth sports can ultimately operate more smoothly.
“We are thrilled to become part of the SI Play family. As dads and coaches ourselves, we have a common vision – that technology should be used to improve the experiences of athletes, coaches and families and that these experiences should be shares and cherished with their communities,” Rob and Tom Lynch, co-founders of Tourney Machine, explained in a written statement.