Sports application for soccer field booking

www.plei.app
Industry:
Sports
Location:
United States
Collaboration
2017-Ongoing

Customer

The customer is a startup founder from Miami, Florida, US.

Sebastian Duque is a young entrepreneur and an avid soccer player who decided to build an IT business by helping soccer enthusiasts connect with each other to play pick-up games.

Challenge

The customer commissioned Cyfrania to create two connected solutions intended to serve the specific user needs:

  • A mobile application for soccer players that enables them to find partners, book a soccer field in their neighborhood and arrange pick-up games

    • The app that enables players to join a pick-up game in just a few clicks without the complicated arrangement process it usually takes;
    • Solution that makes sure the game fills up with enough players and takes care of all the organizational tasks.

  • Platform for soccer field providers that allows them to manage field reservations

    • First all-in-one solution that is specifically designed for soccer facilities and covers all aspects of running this business;
    • Solution that helps soccer facilities generate more revenue through filling fields that are going to be unreserved.

The mobile application was supposed to be directly connected to partner soccer facilities in order to provide players with real-time access to their favorite facility's schedules.

Solution

Cyfrania has been working on this project throughout all stages, from the very beginning until now.

We've designed and built the Plei app, which is an Android and iOS mobile application for soccer players, and the Plei System, which is a web-based application for soccer facilities. The Plei app and Plei System share the same backend.

Since the Plei app and Plei System launching in 2017, their functionality has been continuously refined and extended based on real users feedback, and as of April 2023, it includes the following main features

Plei App Main Features

  • Search for nearby soccer facilities and locate them on the map;
  • View soccer fields details and real-time data on their availability;
  • Book a field and invite friends to your reservation. Invited players receive a notification and can accept or reject an invitation;
  • Message other players, either directly or in a group, to see who wants to play. Once a game is set, a game chat is created specifically for your game;
  • Organize players into two teams by dragging and dropping their icons on the different sides of the field;
  • Cancel the field reservation if the team's plans change;
  • Explore open pick-up games suggested by the app according to your preferred locations and timing;
  • View all the game details (such as game instructions, facility address, where to park, where to find the other players, etc.);
  • Join an open pick-up game;
  • Make payments for the field reservation. Players are charged only for their portion of the game and only if the game fills up with enough players;
  • View your upcoming games;
  • Communicate with the tech support team through Intercom messaging or text messages.

Plei System Main Features

  • Manage soccer fields availability;

  • Manage soccer fields reservations:

    • create and manage customizable field rentals;
    • generate invoices;
    • send client receipts through text or email;
    • track open invoices;

  • Accept online payments via the Braintree platform and point-of-sale payments;

  • View the reservation calendar and detailed reservation info;

  • Text with clients using a business line;

  • Access and manage client contact data;

  • Generate reports on the number of reservations, revenue by service, employee hours, cash balance, sales history, etc.

Nowadays, the app is available on the App Store and Google Play Market, while we continue maintaining and supporting it as well as extending its functionality. The features we're working on now are additional automation tools for a management team and an advanced messaging system for soccer facility managers.

Results

Since its launch in 2017, Plei has been able to build a community of 100k+ passionate soccer players and 100+ soccer facilities across 14 U.S. cities (in 11 states).

The company's recurring revenue crossed the $1M mark in 2020, three years after the app launched.

Currently, the business dominates its niche in the U.S. market and continues to grow exponentially. Its owners plan to expand all over the U.S. and grow the company overseas, with the ultimate goal of building a global community where players all over the world are able to play soccer anytime, anywhere they want.

Services Provided

Technologies Used

  • Swift
  • Kotlin
  • Ruby on Rails
  • ReactJS
  • PostgreSQL
  • Firebase / Firestore
  • Stripe Connect
  • Braintree Marketplace
  • Facebook SDK
  • Twilio
  • AWS
  • POS (Stripe Connect payments, Terminal integration, BBPOS WisePOS E)

Read the interview with Sebastian Duque, co-founder & CEO at Plei.

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