Website: www.playcoed.com
Interview with: Mike Downey
How many founders does Play Coed have and what are their names?
Mike Downey, Geoff McFarlane, and Mark Lynn of Jet Companies
What are the founders’ backgrounds and qualifications?
Mike Downey worked for five years in sales and business development for i-MediaWorld and TransUnion. In 2000 he founded Denver Sport and Social Club and developed PlayCoed.com as a social networking utility, quickly allowing the business to grow to 15,000 members in four years. In 2006 Mike sold Denver Sport and Social Club, focusing the company’s efforts exclusively on working with sports leagues and organizers across the nation to provide online registration and social utilities.
Geoff McFarlane played lacrosse at Syracuse and has a finance degree from the University of Denver. His mentors include Scott McFarlane of Avalara.com and Will McFarlane founder of Clarion Hotels.
Mark Lynn has an extensive background in private equity financing and business development.
What does your website do?
PlayCoed.com allows recreational participants and league organizers to quickly manage their teams, schedules, registration, payments, and communication amongst. In addition, players and participants connect with other players and teams.
When did you launch?
Alpha version launched in 2005
Beta version launched in 2006
Public version launched in 2007
Has it been easy or difficult to build your community?
We have been fortunate enough to have many years experience in organizing sports and working directly with players and team captains. That has translated into a strong connection with leagues on a national basis. Of course, nothing comes without hard work and a lot of hours listening to the needs of various organizers and participants and adapting our technology and offering to them.
What types of marketing have you done?
PlayCoed has done minimal SEM, and has focused mainly on organic marketing, relationships with league organizers, and we write helpful articles on our blog at http://playsportsleagues.com
Do you have any revenue streams besides advertisement? Who is your ad provider?
In addition to advertising, PlayCoed charges league organizers a nominal 3% surcharge on all credit card transactions. We work directly with national and local marketing directors and / or agencies. Minimal Google advertisements also appear on the site.
Funding: Self funded, Angel Investment, or Venture Capital?
PlayCoed has self funded the growth of the company through many hours of sweat equity, minimal capital calls from shareholders, and a small round of Angel Investment to the tune of $50,000. We have been fortunate to only invest $150,000 of our own capital.
Are you currently looking for funding?
We are currently evaluating partnerships and private equity, however it is not an immediate need for the business to grow.
What is your favorite feature on your site?
Our favorite feature is the ability for team captains to recruit “free agents” within their sport, division. Often times a team captain can find a star player who has recently moved to the area and is looking to get back into their favorite sport.
What type(s) of technology do you use?
Php, AJAX, javascript, MySQL, DHTML, and Aurigm.
Any bold predictions for sports and technology in the future?
We feel three years from now there will be one major player in recreational sports social networking , controlling over 75% of the niche marketplace, accounting for over one million participants worldwide and. There are many functions and features on the horizon that will help these players manage their recreational sports such as player membership cards, RFID technology, text messaging, and discounts on sporting goods and other sports specific products and merchandise.
STN’s Take:
Play Coed provides many great things to recreation organizers. Here is the list:
- Intuitive Administrative Menus
- Management Modules & Tools
- Post Events, Leagues, Tournaments, Trips, Classes, and more
- Accept online registration
- Automate Schedule Generation
- Post waivers and allow participants to agree to waiver online
- Post scores and statistics
- Cancellation notices & weather updates
- Financial accounting, budgeting, and /reporting tools
- Accept Online Payments
- Recruit, assign, and pay independent contractors / officials
I have a large amount of experience in this space. What Play Coed is providing to Sport and Social Club organizers is amazing, especially since they are only charging a nominal 3% transaction fee. In regards to participants, the Play Coed website is a great resource to find recreational leagues in your area especially if you are new to a community.
