i9 Sports hero display Mobile hero display for i9 Sports

The Way Youth Sports Registration Should Be

i9 Sports’ modernized and mobile-optimized software is driving their national youth sports leagues into the 2020s

The Overview

i9 Sports® offers youth sports leagues, camps, and clinics to more than 2.5 million participants across the United States. Their award-winning programming for kids 3 and older drives their mission of helping kids succeed in life through sports such as flag football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball and ZIP Lacrosse™.

  • Client

    i9 Sports

  • Industry

    Professional Services

  • Technology

    .NET, App Development, Azure, React, SQL Server

01

The

Challenge

Re-architect i9’s web registration and marketing website from the ground up on a mobile-first platform. Bring improved usability, speed, and ultimately a better experience for their current members. Generate new membership for years to come. All while integrating with i9 Sports’ national-scale back-office systems.

02

The

Solution

Web-based authoring and app-like functionality and responsiveness of a Progressive Web App (PWA) that utilizes i9 Sports’ existing and expansive enterprise systems. Encryption and security best practices to safeguard financial transactions and member information. Cloud infrastructure for quick-burst activity handling.

03

The

Results

A fully responsive site/app and headless WordPress implementation, complex registration process, ecommerce functionality and back-office integration. Extensive and high-fidelity public marketing pages and company blog along with an extensive password-protected member, coach and franchisee portal.

Dig In

App Features

Abstract digital marketing artwork

Feature

Digital Marketing

The i9 Sports go-to-market strategy relies extensively on a capable digital publishing component. i9 Sports marketers needed the ability to create new pages, edit content (including video) on pages, create blog posts, easily adjust page layouts and publish landing pages – all while delivering solid page response and SEO performance. Newsletter signup prompts and interwoven messaging during ordering are also elements of the new i9 Sports digital presence.

Abstract user management artwork

Feature

Online Registration

Youth league sports enrollment begins with providing parents the ability to easily find programs of interest to their children in their area. This includes the conveyance of program details including location, cost and requirements. Only then can the site usher parents into a registration flow that takes in multiple pieces of personal info. The new i9 Sports site handles these jobs with aplomb and a combination of elegant UX, quick response times and clear messaging – via desktop computer, tablet and smartphone.

User interface dashboard design

Feature

Member Portal

i9 Sports provides an information-rich and frequently updated member area for all registered parents. In this secure section of the site parents can obtain updates on upcoming games, weather conditions and even the ability to sign up to bring a snack for each game! Messaging coaches and receiving alerts are also key features of the member area and is frequently used on phones and tablets while en route to the field.

Coach and team playing soccer artwork

Feature

League Management by Coaches & Franchisees

Without the efforts of regional franchise managers and a plethora of coaches across the country, the i9 Sports leagues would not tick along smoothly. In their own portal, coaches and franchise managers can access sports registration records, parent contact information, issue alerts and perform other key sports league functions. This includes entering game scores, track team standings and issuing game awards (which are visible in the Member portal).

Visualize

App Gallery

Snap of the i9 Sports home page
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Desktop snap for the of the i9 Sports registration screen
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Mobile snap of the i9 Sports program search
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i9 Sports blog snap in tablet view
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"MercuryWorks was instrumental in establishing a strategy for our new presence and user-facing system, including the use of a headless CMS and PWA. Their team was very effective in working with i9 Sports’ IT staff to integrate with our services and internal systems. I highly recommend them!"

Michael Warren

Director of IT

Behind The Curtain

Core Technology

React framework

React

The React JavaScript framework provides the UI base for the entire system, providing rapid and smooth data fetching, storage and screen painting.  React provides the smooth and rapid UI interactions for customers and company administrative functions.

Next j s development

Next JS

Provides server-side rendering of WordPress and application content in web views in the manner of high-performance static site generators. Reduces “time to interactivity” for site users and vastly improves search engine optimization performance.

SQL Logo - Careers

SQL Server

Provides a robust data storehouse and query platform to store web content, sport schedules, customer data, ecommerce transactions and other business data. In-cloud SQL Server was used to provide instant scalability and rapid querying.

Microsoft azure

Microsoft Azure

Provides database storage, web app, authentication and web services. Azure provides an ideal solution for back end mobile applications with a multi-data center Platform as a Service (PaaS) cloud solution that requires extremely little oversight.