We Saw the Chaos in Local Pickleball. So We Built Sporty.
A leader’s story by Mr. Tung, Delivery Executive Manager of GCT Solution
When the Morning Match Never Started on Time
It was a humid Saturday in Hanoi. The sun was just up, the air already buzzing, and the smell of coffee drifted across the courts. I’d come to watch a local Pickleball tournament – nothing huge, just a few dozen players and their friends.
But as the minutes passed, it was clear the first game wasn’t starting anytime soon.
Players stood around scrolling on their phones. The referee bent over a paper bracket, trying to read messy handwriting. One organizer rushed from court to court, mumbling about a last-minute player who dropped out. The scoreboard sat untouched on a bench.
A guest beside me shook their head and said, “This is normal.”
That sentence stayed with me.
I’ve spent my career leading technology projects – building systems that make work smoother, faster, more reliable. And here, on these sunny courts, I saw the same pattern I’d seen in broken business processes: people working hard, but without the tools to make it easy.
Seeing What Others Accepted as ‘Normal’
The more I watched, the more I noticed what the chaos was costing.
Organizers stuck in paperwork instead of enjoying the games. Players confused about where to be. Disputes over scores that killed the mood.
In the tech world, we fix these things with the right platform. So I thought – why not do the same for local sports?
That idea became the seed for Sporty.
Building Something That Didn’t Exist Yet
Saying “let’s build it” was easy. Making it real took time.
First, I had to learn the flow of a Pickleball tournament from the inside out – how brackets shift when someone is late, how a single dispute can stall the day, and how important it is for results to be both instant and trusted.
From a tech perspective, the problem wasn’t that no tools existed – it was that none of them did everything in one place. Clubs had to juggle one app for scheduling, another for scoring, and still keep a spreadsheet on the side.
From the organizer’s perspective, the pain was sharper:
- Hours lost on admin before and during the event
- Players left waiting or confused
- Missed moments to connect, celebrate, and grow the community
Some people told me, “It’s just a hobby sport – they’ll never adopt a system.” But I also met club managers and community leaders who said, “If you can make this easy, we’re in.”
The First Test – And the First Smile
Our first real test wasn’t a big championship. It was a modest club tournament with about 30 players.
We swapped paper sign-ups for online registration. The bracket updated automatically when one team was late. Referees tapped scores into their phones. Players saw results pop up instantly – and some shared them to Facebook before they’d even left the court.
By mid-afternoon, I noticed something unexpected: the organizer was sitting down, smiling, watching a full match without being called away to fix a problem.
He told me later, “This is the first time I’ve actually enjoyed hosting an event.”
That’s when I knew Sporty was about more than technology. It was about giving people back the joy of the game.
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Why We Do This
For me, Sporty’s mission is bigger than “managing tournaments.” It’s about helping communities thrive.
When matches start on time, trust grows. When results are clear, disputes disappear. When sharing is effortless, more people hear about the sport – and want to join.
Our vision is simple: make every event feel professional, fair, and fun, whether it’s twelve players at a neighborhood court or a hundred at a resort.
What Guides Us
We run Sporty on three principles:
- Keep it simple. If it’s not easy, it won’t be used.
- Let the customer be the hero. Organizers and players get the spotlight; we’re the guide.
- Protect the moments that matter. Technology should give you more time to connect, not less.
What Success Looks Like
Sure, we track the numbers – sign-ups, matches run, events hosted. But my favorite results are things you can’t put in a spreadsheet:
- An organizer telling us they saved almost half their prep time
- A player excited to see their match history for the first time
- A guest saying, “That was the smoothest tournament I’ve ever played”
That’s the real win.
An Invitation
We built Sporty because we saw the chaos – and believed it could be better.
If you’ve ever stood courtside with players asking “Where do I go?” or “What’s the score?” you know how fast excitement can turn into frustration.
With Sporty, you can give your players, guests, or employees a seamless tournament experience – and still enjoy the day yourself.
Book a 15-minute demo. See how Sporty takes care of registration, scheduling, scoring, and sharing – so your next event runs on time, on brand, and exactly how you imagined it.
