MELBOURNE, Australia – PlayHQ (the “Company”) today announced its plans to join ASG, a portfolio company of Alpine Investors that buys and builds vertical SaaS companies. PlayHQ’s world-leading software unites sporting governing bodies, clubs, leagues, volunteers, parents, and participants on a single application for registrations, competitions, payments, scoring, and game-day experiences. PlayHQ and ASG have entered into a binding, definitive agreement to proceed with the acquisition, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals.
PlayHQ’s story began in 2018, when founders Sam Walch, Ben Beath, and Cade Witnish built a solution in partnership with Basketball Victoria, which had been unable to find a platform that served the needs of governing bodies while providing great UX for participants and administrators. Today, PlayHQ’s technology has become the digital backbone of community sport in Australia and serves nine sports, including cricket, netball, AFL, football, hockey and rugby. Four of the top five national governing bodies for team sports, including the AFL, Cricket Australia, Netball Australia and Basketball Australia, now rely on PlayHQ. PlayHQ has also added national governing bodies in New Zealand, UK and Canada. It has processed more than 11 million registrations and fixtured more than 3.1 million games.
ASG’s engagement will help PlayHQ enhance its experience for current customers while continuing to expand into new countries and sports. “PlayHQ is exactly the kind of company we get excited about: modern, well-built software with the architecture to scale, led by a team with deep expertise and a clear vision around how automation can reduce volunteer burden, engage participants and grow participation,” said Steve Reardon, CEO of ASG. “The partners and customers who have supported PlayHQ from the beginning speak volumes about its strength and potential. We work with businesses we believe we can help grow, and PlayHQ is ready to broaden its impact into new sports, new geographies, and new levels of scale while delivering the exceptional service Australia’s sporting community knows them for.”
The Company will continue to be led by CEO Tim MacKinnon and the current leadership team. “ASG will help PlayHQ to achieve its mission to unleash the life-changing impact of community sport by growing participation and engagement across the world” said MacKinnon. “Working with ASG gives us the support and expertise to scale our impact globally, while staying true to what has made PlayHQ special from the beginning. It’s never just been about software. We’re transforming how millions of people experience community sport, making it easier, faster, safer, more accessible and affordable for everyone, particularly the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who want a simple and consistent process that reduces their administration time.”
Chairman James Sutherland added, “PlayHQ’s first chapter was focused on building a product that served the needs of Australian administrators, volunteers and participants. Now, as an established market leader, this next chapter with ASG gives the team the opportunity to continue scaling globally, innovating, and delivering a digital experience that community sport will rely on for the next decade and beyond.”
Drake Star served as financial advisor and Gilbert + Tobin acted as legal counsel to PlayHQ. Johnson Winter Slattery and Goodwin Procter LLP served as legal counsel to ASG.
About PlayHQ
PlayHQ is a sports technology company transforming the way community sport is managed and experienced. The cloud-based platform simplifies registration, payments, competition management, live scoring, results, websites, apps and participant engagement for millions of players, parents, coaches, volunteers, and administrators. For more information, visit get.playhq.com
About ASG
ASG, backed by Alpine Investors, is a unique and fast-growing software business that buys and builds market-leading vertical SaaS companies. ASG believes deeply in the power of people and data to grow great organizations, and that sharing knowledge, expertise, and resources across its community of businesses drives exponential growth. Founders of leading SaaS companies continue to trust ASG to grow their businesses and build even stronger legacies for the future. For more information, visit www.alpinesg.com.
About Alpine Investors
Alpine Investors is a people-driven private equity firm that is committed to building enduring companies by working with, learning from, and developing exceptional people. For more information, visit www.alpineinvestors.com.
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