BordSports
Unlocking hidden courts: Building a community-driven sports platform for players and venues
Web & App Platform
2024 (Present)
BordSports
Co-founder & Product Lead
Setting the Challenge
Traditional booking systems are a barrier, not an enabler, for community sport.
World-class sports venues are often hidden behind clunky booking systems or siloed discovery apps. Players struggle to find and book courts; venues struggle to fill slots and grow their communities.
As co-founders — Sam (built for comfort, not speed) and Johnny (one ACL tear, infinite ambition) — we launched BordSports to make community sport as easy to book as a taxi.
Understanding the Problem
Inefficient booking systems limit participation and hold back facility potential.
We mapped the current experience across both sides:
Players: Fragmented discovery, outdated websites, manual payments, and no social features.
Venues: Limited visibility, inefficient admin, and difficulty turning casual visitors into regulars.
The result? Courts remain empty while demand goes unmet — a structural problem that stifles participation and growth.
Defining the Mission
Building a seamless, social-first platform unlocks hidden court availability and community growth.
Our goal is simple: get more people playing.
For players, that means fast discovery, frictionless booking, and a social-first experience. For venues, it means automated tools to manage bookings, increase visibility, and build loyalty.
Player Experience
Search, filter, book, and socialise — all in one seamless flow.
Players expect more than just a booking tool. BordSports enables them to:
Search by sport, time, amenities (“Tennis with lights at 8pm, sauna after”)
Filter and compare venues quickly
Book and pay instantly
Invite friends or gift a session in one flow
Venue Experience
Automation and visibility drive both efficiency and engagement for venues.
Venues get more than a booking calendar. Our partner tools allow them to:
Manage bookings via a consolidated dashboard
Fill dead slots by listing directly to the marketplace
Secure revenue with deposits and upfront payments
Automate communications and grow repeat participation
Co-Creating With the Community
arly user feedback ensures we’re building a platform people actually want to use.
We believe this platform only succeeds if it’s built with the people who’ll use it. That’s why we’re actively:
Surveying venues to shape management tools
Testing flows with players to refine search, filters, and booking
Building feedback loops directly into the MVP
This ensures the product evolves with its community rather than in isolation.
Lessons I Carried Forward
A community-driven MVP can validate direction while building long-term momentum.
As an ongoing project, BordSports is still evolving. What we’ve learned so far:
Start with community: Early engagement drives trust and momentum.
Balance speed with feedback: Moving fast matters, but staying aligned with real-world needs matters more.
Design for scale from day one: Both players and venues need flexibility, so the system must grow with demand.
Next up: refine the MVP, expand venue partnerships, and roll out to players — validating the model through continuous iteration.
