LeagueApps Platform Technology

Press, Product News

We often get asked about the technology that we use to build and run the LeagueApps platform. The questions are usually around the speed, reliability and security of our system. Since sports organizations choose to use LeagueApps as their digital solution, it’s essential that we have a reliable and secure platform. Here is more information on all of the “behind the scenes” elements that keeps our web software platform running smoothly!

Technology Stack
LeagueApps is built using freely available and open source Java based frameworks including Struts2 for web application development, Hibernate for managing database interactions, and Spring to glue it all together.
All data is persisted by MySQL, the world’s most popular relational database management system.

Performance & Scalability
It’s cool to be fast and we continuously try to optimize server speed and loading times. Our Java runtime environment is naturally optimized for performance.

Amazon S3 is the CDN service used by LeagueApps for image/file storage. It is designed to make web-scale computing easier by providing access to the same highly scalable, reliable, secure and fast infrastructure that Amazon uses to run its own global network of web sites. It is also easily scalable.

LeagueApps uses DNS Made Easy to deliver fast, accurate DNS services with sub 30 millisecond response times in the United States.

LeagueApps system architecture is developed for horizontal scalability so our entire platform will remain fast and stable as we grow. Your site should never be affected by usage spikes by any of our other customers.

Data Security
At LeagueApps, we take great pride in ensuring our network is safe and secure for making payments. All web pages with sensitive information that are hosted on the LeagueApps domain are served over https (TLS) supporting 256 bit encryption. Currently https is served on the public site purchase page, the console login page, and any console page communicating with a payment gateway. Credit card numbers are never stored anywhere within the LeagueApps system.

Here is an example of LeagueApps payment page. You can see that the page is verified and secure, as noted by the “https” on the browser.

Data Center Facility and System Administration
The LeagueApps main data center is at the Canvas Dreams data facility in Portland, Oregon. Canvas Dreams offers on-site support and personally monitors all maintenance performed on co-location equipment. Cabinets and caged racks are secured through biometric checkpoints, multiple keylock entry and 24/7 video surveillance. From over two dozen available network upstream carriers, Canvas Dreams upstream carriers include AT&T (our primary connection), MCI, Sprint, and Level3 (backup providers). Enterprise-grade Cisco networking equipment is used for all switches and routers.

An interesting note is that the Canvas Dreams data facility is actually powered by clean wind energy Oh, and just in case of a natural disaster, five 50,000 Watt Diesel backup generators ensure uninterrupted connectivity.

The LeagueApps system administration tasks are performed by Infinitium and led by Tim Yardley. Also located in Portland, Oregon they have unparalleled access to the Canvas Dreams data center to perform and supervise maintenance on hardware equipment and IT infrastructure projects.

Data Backups
LeagueApps websites don’t just have daily back-ups but we have almost real-time redundancy. The production MySQL database is subjected to replication, meaning a “slave” instance is continuously copying data over from the “master” (the real production database). This ensures that all data is backed up if there are ever any issues with the production server.

Email Delivery
LeagueApps uses SendGrid email infrastructure to ensure that email messages sent by our league partners to their members through the LeagueApps platform is delivered successfully (and not caught in junk or spam). SendGrid offers world class deliverability expertise and handles ISP monitoring, DKIM, domain keys, SPF, feedback loops, white-labeling and link customization. SendGrid also offers unique IP addresses so that LeagueApps can maintain complete control of its email reputation. Large web platforms including Four Square, Spotify and Gowalla and Bebo use SenGrid to power their email solution.

This should better explain our system. We’re always open to feedback on our services, share how we made these decisions and discuss new technologies that we may utilize within LeagueApps in the future.

How LeagueApps Can Work for your Youth League

Product News

LeagueApps is a great way to manage a sports league of any age group.  Some of the most common uses of our registration platform are to aid in the registration process for youth sports groups.

The number one question that pops up from our youth leagues concerns email addresses- parents are not always sure which name and email address to use to create their member account.  The answer to that question is that parents can use THEIR name and email address!

As admin, you can then add custom registration form fields to capture the children’s names and information during registration. (click here to read more about our form fields). Thanks to this customization option you can create form fields specifically targeted for your youth leagues. Below are some common registration form fields that are added by our youth leagues:

1. Player First Name
2. Player Last Name
3. Birth date
4. League Age
5. Pant/Shirt Size (for leagues who provide uniforms)
6. Teammate Requests (more on how to allow teammate requests)

** If the parent has a 2nd child registering for a league, you can add 2 additional form fields:

• 2nd Player – First Name
• 2nd Player – Last Name

Team Communication

In addition to capturing information for your league, another perk is the direct line of communication parents can have with fellow parents and players. Coaches can use our messaging tool to send reminders about practice, parents can message each other to coordinate carpools, and so much more. Plus, our new Team Message Wall (or Team Chatter, as we call it) is a great place for parents to post comments and communicate with one another. Coaches can use the wall to send out a team-wide message, like asking for a head-count before an important game. Click here to learn more about our LeagueApps Wall feature.

Parents/children can use their team pages to see their schedule, check out results, and see their rosters with all of their team members.

If you have any questions about this topic or LeagueApps in general be sure to read out blog, check our help site or contact our marketing manager Michael@sportsvite.com, or on the phone at (646) 660-9410.

5 Ways to promote your Rec Sports Organization on Facebook

Product News

Facebook can be a great tool for rec league organizers. One thing we have noticed is how many rec leagues are utilizing Facebook for their businesses. Here are some ways to promote your leagues and activities and communicate with your members through your organization’s Facebook page.

1) League Announcements
Use your Facebook page to announce a new season, game cancellation, promos, or to help fill out roster spots in any of your leagues.

2) Events
Create “Events” for your tournaments, events, and league outings.

3) Photos and Videos
Upload photos and videos from league games and activities.

4) Communicate with your Players
Connect with players who want to reach out to you. Answer their inquiries, spark dialogue between teams, and make your members feel heard!

5) Shout-outs
Pay a loyal member tribute by wishing them happy birthday or recapping their team’s incredible performance from the other night.

Click here for tips on Facebook marketing and ways to increase your Facebook fan base.

The LeagueApps team is constantly thinking of ways to integrate Facebook into our platform. Stay tuned, and hit us up if you would like to talk Facebook with us!

Import your Existing Member Database To LeagueApps (for Free!)

Product News

Ever wonder how to get your existing list of 1,000+ members AND their email addresses into your LeagueApps account? We’ve got you covered- The LeagueApps team has a member import service that will do it for you!

Often, established organizations that are switching to a new league management platform get bogged down with the task of inputting all of their member information. Another common hurdle leagues face is getting all of their members to create personal accounts on their own. Let’s face it- not every member is responsive, and some people might need that extra push to get started.

The LeagueApps team can help by importing your entire member database in such a way that all members will get new accounts automatically created. LeagueApps will then automatically email your members their new account information so that they can log-in and not waste any time signing up for programs. It’s one less step for you to worry about when setting up your account.

All you have to do is send us a spreadsheet with the following fields for your members:

Required Fields:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Email Address

Additionally, you can also provide your own custom fields that you’d like to be imported into your members’ profiles (i.e. phone number, shirt size etc.).

If this is something you’d like to do, please get in touch at support@leagueapps.com.

In addition to importing your database, we will gladly help with any aspects of your LeagueApps account setup. Our team offers free 20-min sales demos, as well as personalized training sessions where we’ll log-in to your account and help launch your site in real time.

Drop us a line if you’re interested in any of these services!

Introducing the LeagueApps Help Site!

Product News

We’ve launched the LeagueApps Help Site to be another tool for you to take full advantage of the the LeagueApps platform for your organization. The help site has over forty articles, organized by category, that thoroughly document features, settings and options within the LeagueApps platform.  You can access the help site by clicking on on the “help” link in the top right of the admin console.

Our goal is for the Help Site to be the first place you check to better understand a LeagueApps feature or setting.  We’ll integrate links to Help Site articles within the admin console so that you know if that topic is covered in the Help Site.

The LeagueApps Help Site will continue to evolve and become even more useful.  We’ll enhance current articles and add new articles based on both your feedback and new product releases.  Please let us know if there is a specific article or reference document that you feel we should add to the site and we’ll do just that.

We’re still committed to providing a high level of direct customer service through the feedback form and the LeagueApps direct 800 number (1-800-257-3681).   Also, Asaf is always around to help and you should contact him directly.

We’ll be at Tech Cocktail’s DC Summer Mixer Today!

Product News

We’ll be showcasing LeagueApps from 6:30 to 9:00 at today’s Tech Cocktail DC Summer Mixer.

Some Important UI Improvements

Product News

We’re always making updates to the LeagueApps product based on feedback from our league partners. We intend to continuously improve the product and service, making it increasingly more effective at solving your problems.

There is one such update we’ll be making the week of May 30, which will include a number of improvements to the User Interface (UI) of public-facing sites. We wanted to give our existing partners the heads up so they are aware of these planned UI enhancements.

Overview

Things are going to look a LOT better! Nonetheless, there are a few things you should be aware of:

• (1) The user flow for registration will NOT be changed. So, no need to worry about your members being confused.
• (2) The layout of many pages will be much improved. See below for more information and previews.
• (3) Small issues and bugs will be addressed by the updated pages.
• (4) The theme editor and design customization tools will be greatly enhanced, giving league partners even more control over site design.

Preview New Page Layouts

We wanted to share some screenshots to give you an idea of how a few key page layouts are changing:

Registration Listings

Registration listings will soon look like this:

This new layout displays the key information in a more organized fashion, making it easier for registrants to decide which program to choose. Things like the program title, registration status, key dates, prices, schedule days, etc are all neatly presented for each program in the listing.

Program Homepage

Here is a preview of the new program home page (used by leagues, events, and tournaments):

Similar to the above preview of the registration listings, the new program homepage displays information in a much more organized fashion. The key details of the program are neatly structured at the top for quick glancing, while the custom description is still given the largest content area of the page. Also, the new logo and Facebook like features are positioned in the right column.

You’ll also notice that a summary list of existing participants is displayed in the right column. This feature is optional, and can be enabled/disabled for each program as desired.

Registration Listings Widget

The registration listings widget (used by many partners) will now support two different formats, in order to be flexible about how program information is presented. Our goal here is to allow league partners to have more control over how they promote and share their programs. Here is a summary of each format:

• Verbose Format: This format will use a new expanded layout that matches the layout shown above in the registration listings preview.
• Simple Format: This format will match the existing layout that is currently in use. This format is also the default version used. In other words, your existing registration listing widget will not change unless you make and approve the change yourself.

That’s about it. If you have any questions about this, or would like to walk through all the design changes before they go live, please let us know!

Five Reasons Why Our UI Lead Position ROCKS!

Product News

We’re hiring. In fact, we’re hiring for one of the most important positions in the company – the UI Lead.

This position is an amazing opportunity for the right person. What ambitious designer wouldn’t want to drive design and UI for an awesome startup!?

Here are five reasons why this position rocks:

If you’re a passionate UI Designer/Developer, check out our job posting here: We’re Hiring a Lead UI Designer/Developer

Schedule Generator Team Matchups

Product News

We pushed out a tweak to the Schedule Generator which ensures that team matchups are balanced properly. There was a glitch causing some “repeat” games to be added, in which the same two teams were playing each other too often.

Feel free to send any other feedback about the Schedule Generator.

More Registration Tools Giving You More Control

Product News

Here’s another quick release. Just a few things to help you better manage your league registrations.

Stay tuned for another release coming up very soon – think more payment gateway options!