SportsVisio Secures $3.2M Funding Round

This is Buying Sandlot — the only newsletter that focuses solely on the business of youth sports.

We have a jam-packed send today: Tech investment and acquisition news, an update on an intriguing facilities project, C-suite hires and a lot of bad behavior.

Let’s get to it!

SportsVisio — which provides artificial intelligence technology that tracks stats, compiles boxscores and cuts highlights from submitted game video — has completed a $3.2M funding round.

The firm’s total capital raise is now $9M.

The investors include:

The funds will go toward sales and marketing growth initiatives. The investment round coincides with the launch of new offerings alongside its basketball platform

How it works: Clients film their games and then submit the video to SportsVisio. The AI then tracks the ball and each player and produces full stat reports and highlights.

As long as the game tape captures the full field of play and basic identifying markers — teams wearing the same uniform, accurate player numbers — are present, the tech goes to work, reducing the time clients spent doing manual stats and editing tape.

The service compiles all traditional box score stats. The Coach Mode will deliver more advanced stats like plus-minus and will even track player minutes; the NBA’s advanced stats are serving as a guidepost.

SportsVisio has 16K users in 16 countries. While data is the main offering, it is doing more video-focused business. The firm recently handled highlights for the Vertical Hoops AAU tournament in Connecticut. Platforms for additional sports are also planned. SportsVisio has already done research tracking baseball and tennis.

A big youth sports facility project in rural Oklahoma is progressing.

We took an in-depth look at plans for a potentially $60M, 120-acre indoor-outdoor complex in Lawton back in April — now named the PlayLawton Sportsplex and PlayLawton Athletics Fields.

The Lawton Youth Sports Authority recently approved a deal to lease 40 of the 120 acres from the Lawton Public Schools. The authority owns 40 acres and the city controls the other 40.

No updates on how the projected would be funded. The $60M figure thrown out earlier this year was a projection; only a $3M grant was secured as of April. Officials seemed to leave the door open for the project to be pared down if necessary.

As Kyle wrote previously: Lawton would aim to become a magnet for tournaments and sports tourism. It has some geographic upside — 90 minutes from Oklahoma City and three hours from Dallas and Tulsa — and there are a bunch of hotels in the area. A casino, too. But that cost projection …

LeagueApps has bought soccer-focused Mod11, which provides services for Elite Academy League, MLS Next and the USL.

Mod11 founder Ryan Miller will lead the youth sports management software company’s soccer innovation efforts with the World Cup right around the corner.

Data is a big theme of the Sports Business Journal report on the deal.

Rob Price is the new boss of the i9 Sports parent company, which also owns US Sports Camps, School of Rock and Streamline Brands. YEB is also the official provider of Nike Sports Camps.

Price was most recently YEB’s president and was previously CEO of School of Rock. Outgoing CEO Justin Hoeveler will become US Sports Camps President and Chief Growth Officer for YEB; he will also maintain a board seat.

More from the press release:

The Dick’s Sporting Goods-owned youth sports app has named Briana Larkin its Chief People Officer.

Larkin will oversee GameChanger’s talent acquisition, people and workplace functions. She previously spent eight years at ABInBev in various leadership roles.

Also of note from the announcement of Larkin’s hire:

San Diego County, California: Several youth sports leagues have experienced storage facilities break-ins. One softball organization suffered over $3K in losses after being broken into twice in a week. Snack bars and equipment rooms are being targeted; thieves are also making off with food, drinks and furniture. It is unclear if the crimes are connected.

Cohoes, New York: Thieves broke into a youth baseball club facility last weekend and stole an undisclosed amount of cash. The organization provides free summer baseball for ages 12-18 every summer. Cops said the break-in qualifies for felony charges.

BSE Global — the parent company of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty — will open a multi-court youth basketball training facility near Barclays Center later this year.

The Brooklyn Basketball Training Center will be almost 19K-square-feet and offer after-school and weekend training, camps, daily clinics, advanced training, all-girls programs and other activations. It will also have academic spaces and an area for parents.

The Program, a 12.5K square-foot basketball facility backed by Roc Nation, Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird and others, will also open this fall in Brooklyn. The new facilities come on the heels of the Aviator Center closing earlier this year.

We have two stories today from the Great White North.

London, Ontario: A referee was allegedly punched in the face and a scorekeeper was assaulted at a youth girls basketball tournament that was also a fundraiser for a shelter that assists abused women.

A man who spent a U15 game on a team bench reportedly confronted the official after the contest. The referee was later taken to the hospital. The scorekeeper was struck when they tried to intervene in the altercation. The alleged assailant left the scene before police arrived; an investigation is underway.

Kamloops, British Columbia: A lawyer is accused of stealing over $500K from a client before murdering the man. A forensic accountant testified during the trial that the lawyer used some of the money to cover youth sports registration fees.

LLI is seeking a purchasing director that "leads the full scope of procurement operations—strategy, sourcing, vendor relations, and team leadership. You’ll play a vital role in streamlining processes, managing vendor partnerships, and ensuring financial stewardship across all purchasing activities. This role is ideal for a proven procurement professional who thrives in a purpose-driven environment and enjoys balancing big-picture strategy with tactical execution."

The full job posting can be found on LinkedIn.

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Good game.