As part of our 10th anniversary celebrations we are looking back at some of our teams' favourite sporting and Sport:80 moments from 2012 to 2022.
As 2012 was the year Sport:80 was incorporated, it was only right that our Founder and CEO, Gary Hargraves, kicked things off.
SPORTING MOMENT
"I think the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are perhaps the most important sporting moment of the past decade. Aside from it being a prime example of our country's sporting and cultural prowess, there are so many parallels we can draw to our own journey. It's hard to pick one moment from the Games but Super Saturday was pretty special."
SPORT:80 MOMENT
"Sport:80 was incorporated towards the end of 2012, to further the development of a prototype of a technological product I'd been developing since 2009. I was professionally involved in the delivery of the biggest test event in the lead up to the 2012 Games for the International Shooting Sport Federation, and it was during the delivery of this project that the prototype proved itself. Today, we refer to it as the Sport:80 Platform. This was the point that marked the start of an incredible coming decade!"
2013
Next up is our Chief Technology Officer, Harry Bunting. Harry joined the company in 2013 and has been pivotal in turning the Sport:80 vision into a reality.
SPORTING MOMENT
“My sporting moment of 2013 has to be Andy Murray winning the men’s singles title at Wimbledon. I remember being glued to the TV on that hot and sunny afternoon. What really stood out was Murray’s will to win. To beat someone as skilled and mentally strong at Novak Djokovic in straight sets was truly inspirational!”
SPORT:80 MOMENT
“2013 was also the year we welcomed our first client. World Boccia, then BISFed, was the first Governing Body to use our technology and we still work with them to this day. This was such an important milestone for the company, and we are eternally grateful that David and the team at World Boccia who bought into our vision. It is a partnership that has taught us so much over the past nine years.”
2014
Our Head of Customer Success, Rich Mallon takes 2014, a year which was brimming with iconic sporting moments and it was also when Rich joined the company. Rich looks at two events which defined 2014 for him.
SPORTING MOMENT
"I remember the buzz around the Tour de Yorkshire Grand Depart being unescapable. The entire county was immersed, making the world's most famous cycling event its own. It was also a great moment to see the Tour de Yorkshire culminate with the final stage in Sheffield. I have fond memories of this iconic event every time I see one of the yellow bikes standing proud on one of its many routes."
SPORT:80 MOMENT
"At the beginning of 2014 we were involved in a memorable event of our own. We had taken on the rights for a World Archery world cup series event, the European Archery Festival. We delivered this event end-to-end, putting technology at it's heart. The event was a resounding success and something we have been keen to revive ever since. Maybe one day it will return!"
2015
Jack Waddingham, our Head of Business Development, has played a key role in the growth of the company, and as our marketing lead it was a huge campaign from 2015 that stuck in his memory.
SPORTING MOMENT
"As a marketer, it’s hard to look past ‘This Girl Can'. I don’t think there has been another sporting movement in the past 10 years that comes close to its impact. It swept the nation from the moment that first TV ad hit our screens with the Missy Elliott ‘Get Ur Freak On’ soundtrack. The mission to reduce the gender gap in sports participation was inspiring and the delivery of the messaging was on point. I recently read that 2.8 million women between the ages of 14-40 have been inspired to be more active because of the campaign. Its success is epitomised by its longevity, and I think it will be around for many more years to come."
SPORT:80 MOMENT
"2015 marked a turning point for Sport:80. It was the year when British Fencing put their faith in us to deliver their membership platform, becoming the first NGB to do so. That show of faith set the wheels in motion for the company and after proving our concept working alongside British Fencing, interest peaked from around the industry. When many played down or rejected our ambitions, British Fencing embraced them, and we will be eternally grateful for that."
2016
Margarida Ribiero is one of our brilliant software engineers and has helped develop the Sport:80 Platform in a major way since she joined the company. She looked back on 2016's biggest moments for us, and for sport.
SPORTING MOMENT
"For me the sporting highlight of 2016 was Simone Biles winning four gold medals at the Rio Olympics, setting a women’s gymnastics record for most gold medals to be won at a single Games by an American. Even people with no interest in gymnastics had become aware of her rise through the ranks, and with her reputation growing as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, seeing her take the world by storm in Brazil truly made you feel like you were watching a legend cement her place in history."
SPORT:80 MOMENT
"The Rio Olympics wasn’t just a landmark for Simone Biles either, as 2016 was a huge year for us at Sport:80. We delivered a bespoke technology platform for Team GB that transformed their kitting-out process, in what we believe was a first in the sporting world. It assisted in the kitting-out of 833 personnel heading to Rio, including the likes of Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Tom Daley, and Bradley Wiggins, and automated the allocation of over 48,000 items of kit, all of which was recorded, managed and distributed by our custom built platform."
2017
Sam Vincent, our Customer Success Manager, has underpinned the continued evolution of our customer success team, developing fantastic relationships with our clients. She looked back on 2017, a significant year for sport, and for Sport:80.
SPORTING MOMENT
"When I think back to 2017, the stand out moment in the world of sport has got to be Anthony Joshua beating Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley to win the IBF, WBA, and IBO heavyweight titles. The bout will be remembered as one of the great nights in British boxing history, the 90,000 strong crowd being the largest for a boxing match in Britain for 78 years. Seeing two giants of the sport go quite literally punch for punch was something I won’t forget for a long time."
SPORT:80 MOMENT
"2017 saw a pivotal moment in our company’s history too, as Sport:80 USA Inc. was established. This marked the beginning of our expansion into the United States as we begun to work with USA Shooting, USA Archery and others. Sport:80 wouldn’t be where it is today without the strategic decision to expand across the Atlantic, as the US market has helped drive the development of our products and it now accounts for a significant proportion of of our overall business."
2018
Our COO, Jonny Turner, has been at Sport:80 for each of the ten years that we are celebrating, but 2018 was a particularly special one for him. He thinks back to a memorable weekend in France, and celebrates a partnership which has helped the company grow enormously.
SPORTING MOMENT
"For me, undoubtedly the sporting highlight of 2018 was the Ryder Cup in Paris. It was amazing to see Europe’s triumph over the USA, made even better by the fact I was able to actually be there! It was a very special weekend, and I was extremely fortunate to be at one of the world’s biggest sporting events, watching some of the best golfers on the planet at such close quarters. Truly something I’ll never forget."
SPORT:80 MOMENT
"A big milestone in Sport:80’s history was when we officially partnered with the Sports and Recreational Alliance (SRA). This agreement has been key building our reputation, and has allowed us to position ourselves to support and help NGBs and partners with our technology. We have been able to support the SRA with events, presentations, research, and more, and as a result have put ourselves forwards not just as experts in our field, but the go-to name in the industry."
2019
Looking back on 2019 is our Customer Success Manager, Martin Hunt. In his role he is responsible for making sure all of our clients get the support they need, and he remembers the start of our work with a key Sport:80 partner as the standout moment of the year.
SPORTING MOMENT
"This year could only be England winning the ICC Cricket World Cup. Not only did we get to see England win, but the fact they did it in such spectacular fashion makes the memory so much more special. The drama of the match being decided by a Super Over, and that phenomenal bit of commentary, puts it down in history as one of the greatest and most gripping moments in the history of the sport. It’s impossible to look past it as the highlight of the sporting year."
SPORT:80 MOMENT
"2019 was also the year that we started working with USA Track and Field, an agreement that signified how well we were doing at Sport:80. As an organisation they have over 130,000 members, so to have a governing body of that size choose to work with us represented the vindication of our reputation and progression. As a company we had been growing impressively, so signing this agreement acted as a momentous milestone for us, and is definitely my Sport:80 moment of the year."
2020
Looking back on 2020 is our Senior UX Designer and Front End Software Engineer, Rob. Sticking out in his memory was the moment a British icon cemented their place as a legend of their sport, and he remembers the way Sport:80 adapted to a virus that shook the world.
SPORTING MOMENT
“As a big Formula 1 fan, I couldn’t possibly pick anything other than Lewis Hamilton winning his seventh World Drivers' Championship, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record. It looked for so long like that record was going to stand forever, so to see it matched by a British driver, and in a race as dramatic as that rainy Turkish Grand Prix, will always be one of my favourite sporting memories.”
SPORT:80 MOMENT
“Of course 2020 was the year that we saw the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. While I definitely wouldn’t use the word ‘highlight’, the way the company dealt with the issues that COVID brought really stands out as an impressive feat. Despite the sporting industry being hit hard by the pandemic, naturally effecting our clients, Sport:80 managed to avoid furloughing any staff, and actually managed to expand the team while growing revenues by 16%. I think that’s a real testament to the business.”
2021
Emma Witherford joined us as a member of the Customer Success team in 2021, and has been integral in supporting our clients to help them make the most out of the Sport:80 Platform, particularly through technology audits. For Emma, it was her namesake’s monumental win that represented 2021's greatest sporting moment, and for the company, an agreement with a significant NGB across the pond.
SPORTING MOMENT
"Emma Raducanu’s US Open triumph definitely stands out as my sporting highlight of the year. To watch her fly through the qualifying stages and then go on to win the tournament so emphatically, and at such a young age too, was incredibly inspiring. It was a truly unbelievable achievement to overcome the odds and take home the trophy, and is one that I’ll remember for a long time."
SPORT:80 MOMENT
"It was a great moment when we were able to officially launch USA Water Polo’s Platform, our partnership with them representing a significant step for the business. The sport itself was new to us, but more importantly it was an opportunity for our team to develop a solution that was specific to a team sport. It meant we were able to demonstrate how adaptable our technology is and how, as a business, we can tailor our developments to suit each client’s needs. This is something everyone at Sport:80 is immensely proud of."
2022
Customer Success Executive, Bradley, joined the company as a full-time member of staff in 2022, after undertaking work placement and part-time roles with us previously. For him, it was a famous footballing triumph that stood out as the sporting moment of the year, and it wasn't the only major trophy win that stood out to him either, as he also remembers a landmark moment for Sport:80...
SPORTING MOMENT
"Although 2022 has been a great year for sport all round, there's no doubt that the Lionesses' historic UEFA Women's Euros win was my favourite. It was a groundbreaking moment, not just for women's football, but for the whole nation, as England secured their first major trophy since 1966. It was of course made even sweeter by the fact that the final was at Wembley, and against our old rivals Germany, and the scenes after the whistle as the nation's heroes rejoiced to the tune of 'Sweet Caroline' is something I won't be forgetting any time soon."
SPORT:80 MOMENT
"I'll keep to the trophy-winning theme here! The company has really had a fantastic year and there have been lots of amazing moments, but the one that stands above the rest is us winning a Queen's Award for Enterprise, in the category of International Trade. It was an extremely rewarding moment when we heard the news that we would be receiving the award, and a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Sport:80. Since winning, we have been to a reception at Buckingham Palace, met the Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, and had a big celebration party hosted by our CEO, Gary, all of which have made the experience of winning the award even more special, and we look forward to flying the Queen's Award flag for years to come."
A PHENOMENAL DECADE
"There have been many challenges over the past decade and overcoming these hurdles to achieve year-on-year growth is something that we are immensely proud of. However, our 10th year has been particularly special, and stands out as perhaps our best year yet for several reasons.
"Along with achieving our long-standing goal of winning a Queen's Award for Enterprise, which you can see us being presented with in the photo featured here, we have also surpassed the $100m mark in gross transactions processed through the Sport:80 Platform, released transformational new solutions including our data visualisation dashboards, added seven new members of staff to our team, and now have more than 65 clients across the US, UK, and Ireland.
"With 2022 coming to a close, we have no intention of slowing down, and we have some ambitious targets for next year and beyond.
"The last 10 years have produced some incredible moments in the sporting world, and for us at Sport:80, and we're going to do everything we can to ensure the coming decade is as exciting and rewarding as the last.
"Finally, I want to wish everybody that has been involved in the Sport:80 journey so far a very happy Christmas, and my best wishes for 2023."
Gary Hargraves, CEO at Sport:80