2024
R-GOL invests in sportbm to expand in Sports Technology Market
R-GOL, a leading multi-brand distributor of football merchandise in CEE, backed by Innova Capital, has finalised the acquisition of a majority stake in sportbm, a Polish developer of software for the management of clubs and sports academies. This acquisition presents new opportunities for R-GOL to expand in the fast-growing sports technology market and diversify its business model with regular subscription revenues.
sportbm has over 8 years of experience in the Polish market, offering intuitive tools for managing sports academies and clubs across 30 disciplines. The company specialises in building IT systems for sports federations and is developing its own SaaS platform for entities training children and youth. As a trusted technology partner of sports organisations, sportbm expands its products in-house with its own team of developers, providing platform users with the highest quality of service and ongoing support. Constantly striving to advance the functions available in the offered system, the company already provides customers with tools to manage and automate most processes, including the administration of collected data, the activities organisation, multi-channel communication, billing, or planning the training process.
R-GOL plans to roll out the sportbm platform across all its markets, including Western Europe, where it recently acquired Unisport, a leading online retailer of football equipment. Together, the companies aim to create an innovation hub to support digital product development for the football ecosystem, enhancing the digitalization of sports clubs and academies in the region. The collaboration will address players’ needs comprehensively, combining R-GOL’s football products with sportbm’s platform features, such as online business cards, document circulation, and insurance services. In the future, the companies plan to expand their service portfolio to include medical care, mental training, nutrition, and supplementation, in collaboration with external partners. R-GOL is also considering further consolidation of club software providers in Europe to strengthen its position in the sport-tech market.
"We created the sportbm platform as a response to the relatively low level of digitalisation across the sports area. R-GOL has been our partner for many years and we have always admired the boldness with which they have developed their business with great appreciation. Joining forces and creating a common ecosystem for players and sports clubs is not only the next step in our growth. It also signifies new directions and opportunities for expansion, as well as marks the start of something completely unique in the European market. We are delighted to become part of the R-GOL team and to develop such a unique business model together," says Wojciech Murawski, co-founder of sportbm and an Autopay board member.
Łukasz Cyran, managing director at Innova Capital, adds: "The last twelve months have shown us that R-GOL is a team that combines passion for football with great ambition and business professionalism, a fact that is best demonstrated by this year's second acquisition. Joining forces with sportbm will allow the Group to expand into the attractive area of SaaS software for sports clubs and academies opening up an additional channel to reach key stakeholders in the football ecosystem – players, parents, or coaches. We look forward to seeing the results of this promising cooperation”.
With more than 20 years of experience in the market, R-GOL currently operates in 14 Central and Eastern European countries, being a leader among specialised distributors of football products. In June, the company acquired Unisport, a premier social media-enabled online retailer of football merchandise in Western Europe, significantly expanding its reach and growth opportunities. Through strategic acquisitions and innovative digital strategies, R-GOL aims to create a comprehensive ecosystem for football enthusiasts, players, and clubs, strengthening its position in the European market and aspiring to become the world's leading specialist in football.
About R-GOL
R-GOL is the leading multi-brand distributor of football merchandise in CEE. The company currently operates in 14 countries in Europe. In addition to its core e-commerce channel, R-GOL also runs a network of 14 physical showrooms and works directly with over 1,000 football clubs, comprehensively meeting their needs.
About sportbm
sportbm is a platform for managing clubs and sports academies, supporting relevant processes through modules dedicated to interactive calendar, communication, team, coach and player management, training and payment component. Platform users can also take advantage of special partner offers, which provide the opportunity to purchase sports equipment or insurance products. The platform is currently used by more than 500 sports clubs and academies from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Spain and the UK.
