For Nick Hugh, football has never just been a game. It’s been a community, a passion, and, at times, a frustration.
Like many who’ve been involved in local sport, he’s seen first-hand how the weight of administration can crush the spirit of volunteers who keep clubs running.
That personal connection drove him to create SportsBlock, a platform that gives time back to the people who make community sport possible.
Introducing SportsBlock
The spark for SportsBlock came after a night of tough futsal training session – a form of football played indoors on a smaller court with smaller teams.
Nick’s teammate floated an idea of a platform that could take care of everything their club struggles with. Nick knew immediately they were onto something.
Sports clubs range from small community outfits with 100 members to large ones managing thousands. Behind the scenes, volunteers juggle registrations, scheduling, payments, communication, and reporting.
For many, it becomes overwhelming, leading to burnout and, too often, people stepping away from the roles that keep clubs alive.
The SportsBlock solution
Launched in 2020, SportsBlock began as a scheduling tool. But it quickly grew into a full suite of products that now support over 50,000 users across multiple sporting codes.
Today, its flagship product MyClub brings together everything a sports club needs to operate:
- Online registrations and payments.
- Automated fixture and training scheduling.
- Communication tools for players, parents, and coaches via email, SMS, and push notifications.
- AI-assisted email drafting, document storage, and form creation.
- Financial management, compliance, and reporting.
All of this sits on a single dashboard, accessible to committee members, managers, coaches, parents, and players.
It means clubs no longer have to bounce between spreadsheets, email chains, and third-party apps – saving countless hours each week.
As Vinny Leite, Head Coach of Solomon Islands National Futsal Team puts it, "using SportsBlock gives you your time back – and anything that gives you time is priceless"
This, in turn, leads to healthier and more vibrant sports communities.
Seizing the opportunity
_“Sports technology is a relatively new sector and there's a lot of people who are chasing solutions that are going to make a massive difference in people's lives,” _said Nicholas.
“There’s a big focus on understanding how to make sports organisations more efficient or productive, or from an athlete's perspective, how to maximise the output they can have. It’s a very exciting time to be innovating.”
The founder journey
Nick emphasises the importance of being part of a community like Stone and Chalk where innovation is encouraged and like-minded individuals work together to solve problems.
“It can be a bit of a lonely journey sometimes as a founder, and you can certainly get tunnel vision and keep your head down because you’re trying to fix different issues or address problems."
"It's really important to pop your head up and Stone & Chalk encourages you to do this - whether it be through conversations with other founders or advisors, or by attending an event. The team makes sure you resurface to look at the big picture.”
Getting out of his comfort zone
“To be honest, when we visited Stone & Chalk for the first time, I was reluctant to come here. I thought we were comfortable doing what we were doing. But the whole point of being here is not about comfort. It's about going outside my comfort zone."
“I liked the fact that Stone & Chalk was open 24/7. The team encourages you to be here as much as possible to work on your business and the problem you're trying to solve. Being surrounded by other founders who share the same mindset and goals as me also ensures I maintain a broad perspective and stay focused.”
Stone and Chalk isn't for everyone, but it is for people who are pushing the limits
SportsBlock's journey in the sports tech industry demonstrates the transformative power of innovation in addressing real-world problems.
If you’d like to join Stone & Chalk’s community of game changers and big-picture thinkers, visit our website to learn more.
