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How we developed a multifunctional platform that crossed the boundaries of sport and became a key tool for managing organizations in different sectors.
Sportnet.online represents a cutting-edge digital solution designed to streamline and enhance business operations in the sports industry. It’s been developed since 2014 to increase transparency and efficiency in Slovak football. Its comprehensive suite of services empowers organizations and clubs with the tools they need to optimize their operations and achieve greater success. Thanks to its flexibility, it has expanded beyond sport to become a vital tool for managing organizations in diverse industries.
Industry:
Sport
HQ:
Bratislava, Slovakia
Start of cooperation:
2014 - present
Core technologies:
Node.js, React, Mongo Atlas, Redis.io
Expertise:
UI/UX design, Software development, Mobile development, Cloud computing, Payment gateway integration
Slovak Football Association (SFZ) is the highest football body in Slovakia. It started the process of digitizing its operations in 2010, motivated by the need to centralize and standardize internal management and decision-making processes, unify internal communication, and simplify the management of sports bodies and competitions.
This initiative led to an internal Information System of Slovak Football (ISSF) that grants access for members of the SFZ, and a website designed for communication with the public - Futbalnet.sk. However, the process was missing services for online management of organizations and competitions, a system for effectively publishing information on the public website, and many other features. Moreover, the existing solution wasn't able to cope with higher traffic.
All these reasons led the SFZ to approach us in 2014. They identified a redesign and optimization of the Futbalnet.sk website and preparation of its administration interface as key steps that would take them to the next business level. To use this interface for the development of missing management functions, we've placed it on a separate platform - sportnet.online.
Our primary objective was to create a universal platform directly linked to the ISSF, enabling continuous, real-time data exchange. This solution was designed mainly to ensure faster result service and competition or player statistics for Futbalnet.sk. We were fully aware that the platform would serve a broad audience, including competition administrators, football management committees, football match organizers, club management, coaches, referees and P.E. teachers. With their diverse needs in mind, we designed the system to streamline their workflow and enhance overall efficiency.
Intuitive environment for diverse user requirements: To meet the diverse needs of the sportnet.online platform's user base, it was imperative to ensure an intuitive and tailored user experience. Given their frequent interaction with the platform, it was crucial to fine-tune the UX and UI processes in the administration. We wanted to ensure the intuitiveness of working with the system and add the possibility to personalize it to cater to the specific requirements of each user group.
Adaptability to constantly changing requirements: Sportnet.online was created with further expansion and regular addition of new functionalities in mind. Be it based on the requirements of the SFZ or other users of the platform. Solving scalability was just one of our challenges. The architecture needed to allow for future expansion and regular additions of functionalities to keep the platform up-to-date and relevant without disrupting existing features.
Continuous real-time data transfer: The platform is directly connected to the Information System of the Slovak Football Association. Its functionality demanded seamless and continuous real-time exchange of information between these two systems. To achieve that, we had to design a solution that would ensure smooth data transfer, providing up-to-date information to users and maintaining the platform's credibility.
Data and payment security: Data leaks and unauthorized access are a threat that we weren’t willing to take any chances with. Protection of sensitive personal and health information of players and club members was paramount. Extensive data leak prevention measures and unauthorized access controls were implemented to ensure robust data security.
What was the first step in development of the sportnet.online platform? As always, a thorough analysis of all requirements in collaboration with the client, the Slovak Football Association. This facilitated the establishment of a clear roadmap for the platform's development.
In step two, we defined priorities and determined core functionalities. Those formed the backbone of the overall platform architecture and included text creation, media upload, and other essential features. Additional functionalities were prioritized based on user needs, adopting an agile development approach. We then responded to any urgent problems on a per-need basis.
It was this flexible approach that’s allowed us to create a robust, yet user-friendly platform that responds to the dynamic demands of the football community. Sportnet.online provides a comprehensive suite of tools tailored to manage Futbalnet.sk and other SFZ websites and projects. The platform fosters efficient, transparent, and paperless operations, streamlining the management process of any event, club, team or organization.
The extensive customization capabilities, although originally created for the SFZ, have enabled the platform to cater to diverse requirements beyond the scope of the Association. Customers such as the Slovak Swimming Federation, Slovak Taekwondo Association, and various public and private entities have adopted the platform.
Inspired by the challenges of sports administration, sportnet.online offers a comprehensive suite of interconnected services. Upon registration, users gain immediate access, empowering them to develop an optimal system for managing their organization or club. The platform's pricing structure depends on the number of individuals with system access.
Central to sportnet.online is the CRM system, which houses all fundamental information and settings pertaining to legal entities or individuals registered on the platform. Users can manage invoices and assign individuals to their respective clubs or roles within the organization (e.g., coach, delegate, referee). Subsequently, they can continue to interact with the profiles of affiliated individuals, managing medical records or licenses, among other tasks.
Roles enables users to define roles and privileges for individuals with access to the administrative interfaces of specific applications. Inviting new members to the system is also possible. Communication with individual users within the system is facilitated through notifications, with the option of setting up additional email notifications. The read report functionality ensures that the sender's message is marked as delivered and read upon receipt.
Using the Content Management System (CMS), users can create and modify content items (e.g. pages, competitions, events, profiles) for internal communication within their organization or for public consumption on websites.
Organizations can utilize Paygate to integrate their payment gateways with the system, enabling the collection of membership fees or product sales via sportnet.online. Additionally, Paygate allows for the tracking and potential refunding of individual payments to customers.
The platform's authorization system and user authentication mechanisms adhere to OAuth 2.0 standards. Login options include SportNet, SME or ISSF accounts, as well as Facebook, Apple, and Google accounts. Additionally, a so-called magic link can be generated and sent to the user's email address, enabling login without a password. A mechanism for detecting redirects to existing platform domains is implemented, protecting users against phishing attacks.
Unique linking of any content via smart tags, which can be fully managed.
Rapid creation of feeds - lists of content suitable as an RSS channel or a data source for other websites and applications.
Intuitive media management using full-text search and automatic size and format optimization.
Effortless control of publicly available domains with automatic HTTPS certificate generation.
Creating public websites
Creating your own eshop with multiple sales channels
Sharing and publishing calendars
Creating discount codes and coupons
Collecting data using smart forms
Preparation of licensing procedures and learning activities management
Archiving videos
Event ticket sales
Public and member polls
Sports competitions management
The interconnected components of sportnet.online provide a centralized platform for fully managing all aspects of organizations' operations. This eliminates the need for specialized programming knowledge, making it accessible to organizations of all sizes and technical capabilities.
Furthermore, each service within the sportnet.online platform is complemented by smart:widgets. These versatile widgets can be utilized in public-facing areas, such as websites and eshops, as well as in the administration interface (each user's own intro screen with the most used services).
The versatile sportnet.online platform serves as the backbone for efficient operation and management of multiple websites, ensuring effective communication between the SFZ and the public. This includes the RepreZóna mobile app, which is primarily oriented towards football fans. But that's not all there is. Alongside SFZ-managed websites, the platform also empowers dozens of other organizations to create and maintain their own presentation websites or e-shops.
A site dedicated to sports news with an annual traffic of more than ten million users, managed by the editorial team using sportnet.online. The website provides comprehensive information on almost all sports played professionally in Slovakia. Apart from news, visitors can also find a quick overview of results, upcoming broadcasts of matches or podcasts. Futbalnet.sk, a subpage of the website, focuses specifically on amateur football in Slovakia.
An eshop facilitating the purchase of sports-related goods and services, such as clothing, shoes, electronics, nutritional supplements, and even fuel vouchers.
Sports organizations registered on the sportnet.online platform can utilize their own funds or virtual credit from SFZ's financial contributions to make purchases.
A project under the SFZ's series of development projects called Grassroots initiative, "Dajme spolu gól" (Let's score a goal together) aims to make football accessible to all children in Slovakia through interesting clubs at schools and after-school facilities. The project also includes an educational program for adults interested in a coaching license.
This project has garnered significant success, with nearly 400 schools involved, over 8,000 actively sporting children, and more than 400 licensed coaches.
Other notable SFZ development projects include Disney Playmakers and After School with McDonald's Cup.
International Cycling Race of the V4 countries
Sport and Society conference
Slovak Taekwondo Association
The Learned Law Society portal
While most websites running on sportnet.online pertain to Slovak sports, organizations outside this domain, such as the Learned Law Society and a real estate project, also leverage the platform's capabilities. Through personalization, users can create custom designs and their own content, and utilize unique services like smart:tags, video archives, and calendars. The result is a fast, secure, and visually appealing website fully managed by its administrators.
The steady operation of the platform is primarily ensured due to its well-structured infrastructure and ongoing support. Currently, a team of three developers oversees the platform and the SFZ pages operating on it. Their monthly workload related to maintaining and advancing enhancements to the platform is in the range of up to 200 hours.
The project partially operates on the Google Cloud platform. It has a direct connection to the Mongo Atlas database, which currently stores over 100 GB of data. Consequently, the developers have access to comprehensive monitoring and backups. Optimizing the platform and subsequently scaling the computing resources required for its operation has become significantly easier and more efficient.
Sportnet.online also incorporates the Cloudflare service. It enables the caching of frequently used content on servers positioned closer to the user. This ensures faster rendering of images or videos.
For utmost security, the Futbalnet and Sportnet websites along with the video archive and the media manager services are hosted on separate servers. Each of them possesses its optimal RAM and CPU specifications. Videos and media collectively provide users with approximately 12 TB of space, also allowing for the storage of entire match recordings and images in the highest resolution.
Sportnet.online is accessible to any organization operating within or outside the sports sector. The price of the basic service package ranges from 50 to 1000 euros, depending on the number of individuals with access to the system. Additionally, the available storage space increases proportionally with the number of users.
Start of cooperation
Start of work on the administration interface
Launch of the Media Manager application
Launch of the CMS and the Voting service
Launch of the Education service
Addition of non-public tests to the Education service
Start of moving the platform to the Cloud
Introduction of the PayGate service
The sportnet.online database has approximately 800,000 personal profiles and over 8,000 users. This number exhibits consistent growth year over year, primarily attributed to the continuous expansion of the system with new functionalities. These enhancements not only increase the value proposition for existing users but also possess the potential to attract new ones.
The creation of the sportnet.online platform has significantly enhanced the efficiency of processes pertaining to the management of teams, clubs, competitions, and the SFZ association itself. The solution's uniqueness within the sports domain prompted the German Football Association to request a detailed presentation in July 2023. The purpose of this presentation was to gain inspiration for the association's own digital development endeavors. This interest serves as a testament to the international caliber of our work, underscoring its potential to transcend the borders of Slovakia and reach users globally in the future.
Furthermore, the platform has accelerated the development of other SFZ websites and also presents an additional revenue stream generated through paid subscriptions from users.
Sportnet.online possesses the potential to evolve into a pivotal tool for the management of all sports organizations in Slovakia. By leveraging this platform, it would be feasible to unify communication among sports representatives and collaboratively establish a foundation for a brighter future for Slovak sport.
Although the platform originated from the concept of optimizing the functioning of Slovak sport, its applications have proven to be far more extensive. Numerous clubs and entities from commercial and public sectors that utilize the platform for their management attest to its versatility and effectiveness.
Sportnet.online stands as a testament to the transformative power of a well-conceived idea coupled with sound technical design. By surpassing initial expectations, the platform has delivered exceptional value to its clients.
„Thanks to the services of bart.sk, we've been moving towards a better and more modern future of Slovak sport for more than 10 years. It's amazing to see how quickly the developers can integrate individual services and new requirements and adapt effectively to trends and our requirements. When creating the platform, we made a lot of difficult decisions, such as the interconnection of services, that turned out to be right. We see tremendous added value in this solution and look forward to continuing our collaboration.
The ISSF was a revolution in Slovak football, and the Club Development application that we're currently preparing will be another one. This project will require 5 to 10 years of work and has the ambition to open digital doors to more than 1,500 sports clubs in Slovakia. It will provide them with tools for independent presentation, communication in the club, communication with parents and fans, as well as the organization and creation of websites or mobile applications. The aim of the application is to bring new educational content to other target groups in Slovak sport as well, such as a comprehensive register of sports facilities and other great tools.
We believe that the result will be a more transparent and modern Slovak sport truly available to everyone – from professional athletes, through amateur sports enthusiasts to ordinary fans.“
