Why Bloated Tech Stacks Are Holding Sport Back
Sport doesn’t have a technology problem.
It has a technology sprawl problem.
Most sports organisations aren’t short of digital tools – they’re drowning in them. Systems added over years to solve individual challenges now sit side by side, loosely connected by APIs, spreadsheets, manual processes and goodwill.
Some talk to each other.
Some operate in isolation.
Almost all create friction.
And the people who feel it most aren’t the systems owners – they’re members, clubs, volunteers and staff.
The Reality Inside the Average Sports Organisation
It’s not unusual for a National Governing Body to rely on 10 or more customer-facing platforms to run day-to-day operations, covering areas such as:
- Membership and licensing
- League and competition management
- Club administration
- Ticketing and event entry
- Public websites and information hubs
- Email and marketing communications
- Learning and education platforms
- Live streaming and media
- Surveys, forms and data capture
- Reporting, dashboards and business intelligence
- File and data storage
Individually, many of these tools are “best in class”.
Collectively, they are anything but.
When Tools Multiply, Complexity Explodes
The promise of more technology is usually efficiency.
The reality is often the opposite.
Multiple systems mean:
- Repeated data entry and inconsistent records
- Fragmented user journeys and multiple logins
- Manual workarounds to bridge gaps between platforms
- Increased training burden for staff and volunteers
- Higher support costs and vendor management overhead
- Poor visibility across the organisation
Instead of clarity, organisations inherit complexity.
Instead of empowerment, they create dependency on process and people.
The result is a digital burden that quietly slows everything down.
The Hidden Cost of Standing Still
Technology has moved on rapidly in the last few years. Expectations have moved even faster.
Yet many sports organisations remain anchored to legacy stacks – not because they work well, but because change feels risky. Migration is hard. Procurement is painful. “Better the devil you know” becomes the default position.
But doing nothing now carries its own risk.
Members disengage.
Volunteers burn out.
Staff spend more time managing systems than supporting sport.
Data becomes less trustworthy.
Innovation stalls.
In a world that expects seamless, joined-up digital experiences, sport increasingly feels behind the curve.
A Shift From Stacks to Infrastructure
The opportunity isn’t to add another tool.
It’s to simplify the foundation.
Modern digital infrastructure is about reducing duplication, unifying data, and designing experiences around users – not organisational silos. A single, coherent platform can replace large parts of a fragmented stack, reduce operational load, and unlock better insight, automation and engagement.
A true one-login experience doesn’t just feel better for users.
It changes behaviour, improves adoption, and lowers cost across the system.
The Question Worth Asking
If your organisation mapped out every platform it relies on today – along with the real costs, workarounds and manual effort required to keep them running – what would it reveal?
Bloated tech stacks don’t just cost money.
They cost time, momentum, and opportunity.
And for many sports organisations, that cost is far higher than they realise.
If this resonates, save it – or share it with someone responsible for digital, operations or strategy in sport.
