Alternatives to Meetup include OpenSports: The Meetup for Sports Groups
If you run a sports /recreation group on meetup, here’s why you need to move to OpenSports
“So..I’m fed up with meetup. I’ve found another platform that solely focuses on pickup sports, is simpler, spams you less, and costs nothing” — Dan, Philadelphia Volleyball, OpenSports Organizer
Why make the switch from Meetup to OpenSports?
We get asked a lot: “Why would we choose you guys and not Meetup?” The truth is that for a lot of groups, as they expand and get bigger, they get frustrated with Meetup. Here’s a few reasons why:
- On Meetup, there’s no automatic waitlist for pre-paid games
- Meetup doesn’t support waivers
- Meetup doesn’t support simple sports specific features like the ability to open up multiple types of spots (i.e., goalie vs regular player), and set-up teams.
- OpenSports has a much more sophisticated RSVP, payment, discount, and check-in on site system
- Meetup Glitches and what ends up happening is players pay to play, they show up, and the game is overbooked and uneven. In the words of one of the frustrated Directors of a big charity pickup soccer group in NYC that made the switch to OpenSports : “Thats the biggest thing we need Meetup to do — is just help us manage RSVP’s — and it’s glitching.”
- OpenSports allows you to create and offer memberships (i.e., a 10-game pass) for your players, and it is automatically managed
- It is very unlikely that organizer feedback will influence product decisions at Meetup. We at OpenSports build out platform with our organizers. We promise to work closely with you.
- OpenSports has lower transaction fees
OpenSports really is the full package that organizers can rely on, covering the full gamut of features that pickup, drop-in, and open play sports organizers need. If you still have apprehensions about switching platforms, in the words of a very happy customer who made the switch, “the bandaid has to come off eventually”!
What types of organizations are using OpenSports as an alternative to MeetUp?
Throughout North America, the UK, Columbia, France, Australia, and New Zealand, we have hundreds of Sport and Social Clubs and pickup/drop in sports groups. Some have thousands of members, some have fifteen. Common sports that are organized through the platform include: soccer, volleyball, flag football, basketball, badminton, kickball, cornhole, pickleball, hockey, cycling, running, and many more!
Many of these groups have a few things in common. For one thing, they are existing sports and recreation groups that have a thriving community of regulars that come to their events. These are organizers who are so devoted to their groups that they will spend weeks testing and getting to know our web and app platform, before they joyfully and convert with a huge sigh of relief!
Here are the 3 big groups that have moved from Meetup to OpenSports:
1. Chicago Fire Recreational Soccer
Here’s their upcoming events embedded on their own website: http://fire-pitch.com/pickups/
2. Philadelphia Volleyball
https://opensports.ca/@philadelphiavolleyball
Here’s one of the announcements Dan, the founder of Philadelphia Volleyball, made on Meetup, about switching platforms:
3. Sons of Pitches FC
https://opensports.net/@sonsofpitchesfc
Check out SOPFC’s Pickup soccer page on their website to see how they embed OpenSports events onto their web page.
💚🙏Testimonials: An Outpour of Love
“So glad we switched!”
We are a group of badminton players who were struggling to manage a rapidly growing club since we were using a popular but generic social meeting app which couldn’t provide us with sports-specific features. Since switching over to OpenSports, management has become so easy, members are happy with the fairness and automation that’s built in, and collecting payments has become a breeze. Kudos to the team for creating a very well thought out app and being so responsive and considerate with our feedback! Looking forward to all the awesome new features lined up for this year! — Sports Club group manager. — Organizer, Pittsburgh
“Great team and execution!”
There have been many sports related applications designed to bring people together, but OpenSports is one of the few that actually nails the execution and that is largely attributed to the feedback that the development team takes from its users. I have submitted several usability requests in the past which have actually been added. This is not something I can say for any other app I’ve used, sports or not. Highly recommended! — Andrew, Philadelphia
“Changed our whole sports club operations”
Changed our whole sports club operations. Fewer No-Shows, handled memberships and payments all in 1 place. A wonderful messaging system as well. — Jeremiah Thomas, Doylestown Pickleball
⏩How to facilitate the Transition from Meetup to OpenSports
To create a group on OpenSports, just click Create a Group on web. Here’s our helpful three step guide with specific examples from how other groups made the move.
⚽️🏐🏀Built by sports organizers
This web and app platform completely transforms the pickup sports Management, Registration, and Communication process, while allowing you to build an engaged, happy, and active sports community.
Here are some of the best cases for using OpenSports Groups:
- You want an easy, electronic tool to send invites, get a head count and collect RSVP’s, collect payment, collect electronic waivers, and have an automatic waitlist to control your attendees list for you
- You want to bring together your regulars with new players, to welcome new faces to your community
- You want to open Custom Teams/Custom Spots/Custom Positions — Some organizers set aside a certain amount of gender specific or position specific spots (i.e., 1 goalie, 5 defence, 1 forward), which is very easy.
- You want to create memberships and discounts
🤔If you’re hesitating, we understand…
As the organizer, the stress falls on you to move your group of players onto another platform, and you may be sad to no longer have a community of 1000+ players in your current meetup group — even if many of those members are inactive. It is okay to tell your current community that you are trying something different. OpenSports will transform the way you organize games and connect with players.
By coming to OpenSports, you will have a more active, connected sports community with engaged players who are ready to play when you are. You will save so much time not having to use multiple platforms to find players and communicate with players and keep track of registrations.
What’s more, and this is important, you get to work with a company thats far more active in the sports community and be an important member of our team by building the platform with us. We are a small but dedicated, passionate and brilliant team and we listen to your feedback almost to a fault! We work with our community of organizers to build the features you have been dreaming of.
Thank you so much for reading and happy sport-ing!!! Send me a message if you want to learn more about creating a group at alicia@opensports.net
Alicia ✌️😊