Stack Sports, the specialist in sports technology, announced the acquisition of Affinity Sports and Blue Sombrero from Dick’s Sporting Goods. In connection with the transaction, the companies have entered into a long-term strategic partnership for retail promotion, live event scoring and team management technologies.
Stack Sports said combining Stack Sports with Affinity Sports and Blue Sombrero under one organization strengthens Stack Sports’ position in the sports software industry, creating the largest customer-base in the sports tech market and the industry’s most comprehensive suite of cloud-based sports administration, registration, communication and payment management solutions. Genstar Capital, Stack’s majority shareholder, supported this transaction with a significant new investment to fuel the growth and innovation of the combined businesses.
Affinity Sports provides specialized software management technology to various youth sports National Governing Bodies and large-scale organizations. Blue Sombrero is a leading provider of websites, registration, and league management tools for youth sports organizations and its customers include a list of the prominent organizations and governing bodies in baseball, soccer, football and more.
“The acquisition of Affinity Sports and Blue Sombrero accelerates our path of transforming the sports experience for all. By combining the assets of these two youth sports technology companies with our existing cloud-based technology assets, we’ve created an industry leader with the most comprehensive software suite for sports organizations worldwide,” said Alex Alt, chief executive officer, Stack Sports. “We now have the largest customer base in the industry that will rely on us to help them run, manage and organize their teams and organizations. This is very exciting for us and for the entire industry. We welcome the Affinity Sports and Blue Sombrero team members to Stack as they will be instrumental in servicing customers and creating a strong future together.”
Stack Sports said the transaction will allow it to focus on technology solutions for youth sports leagues and their affiliates, while Dick’s Sporting Goods can focus its efforts on continuing to serve youth athletes with equipment and apparel. The combination of the technology solutions will now serve more than 25,000 sports organizations, providing scale and best-in-class technology with the continued mission of expanding sports participation, simplifying administration and developing athletes.
“Stack Sports acquisition of Affinity Sports and Blue Sombrero has a positive impact on what we are looking to accomplish at U.S. Soccer,” said Pablo Garcia, director of special projects at the United States Soccer Federation. “Bringing together some of the best technology offerings in the industry reduces friction within the soccer ecosystem by simplifying participation pathways for our members and accelerates our efforts to unlock the underlying data within the game. We look forward to working in close collaboration with the newly combined organizations as they help us accomplish our mission to become the preeminent sport in the United States.”
As part of the transaction, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Stack Sports have also entered into a strategic partnership agreement. Dick’s Sporting Goods is now the official sporting goods retail partner of Stack Sports, and Stack Sports is now the official club and league technology partner of Dick’s Sporting Goods. The two organizations will also collaborate on mobile team management and live scorekeeping via the Dick’s Team Manager and GameChanger technologies.
“Youth sports is a huge business, and it will just keep getting bigger during the next few decades,” added Alt. “We are happy to be the company to lead this industry and to provide useful tools for administrators, coaches, parents, tournament coordinators and team managers. We are also excited to be able to enter into a dynamic retail partnership with industry leader — Dick’s Sporting Goods – providing even more value for our customers.”
“Today marks an exciting new chapter in the Blue Sombrero and Affinity stories as we join the world’s leading youth sports technology provider,” said Tom Arnett, chief executive officer, Blue Sombrero and Affinity Sports. “As part of the Stack Sports team, we look forward to having the opportunity to bring new innovations and additional product offerings to the industry and our existing customers. The coming together of our teams makes sense because we both have the same mission and vision – to support youth sports, provide the industry with unwavering customer support, and develop great technologies. The fact that we will get to continue on this journey while still working side-by-side with Dick’s Sporting Goods makes it even more exciting.”
