We aimed to drag sports recruitment into the modern era. To do that, we zeroed in on five stubborn problems: centralising talent discovery, aligning player strengths with club needs, breaking down geographical barriers, keeping user data safe, and making the app accessible to everyone, even technophobes.
Four roadblocks kept the system stuck in the past:
Clubs recycled the same talent pools, missing diamonds in the rough.
Resumes rarely told the full story, leading to costly hiring mistakes.
Coaches rarely ventured beyond their local area, leaving many athletes invisible.
Public job posts risked awkward locker-room dynamics or premature leaks.
Game On wasn’t built to tweak the system, it was built to replace it.
No more digging through spreadsheets or WhatsApp groups. The app brings everyone into one space, letting athletes showcase skills through videos, stats, and achievements. For clubs, it’s like having a live talent directory updated in real time.
The app’s secret sauce? Algorithms that read between the lines. By analysing everything from a player’s sprint times to a club’s playstyle preferences, it highlights matches that actually make sense. Think of it as a dating app, but for sports careers.
Geography shouldn’t dictate opportunity. With GPS-powered filters, clubs in Perth can spotlight local rugby talent, while a rising star in Alice Springs gets noticed by nearby leagues. It’s not revolutionary—it’s just common sense, finally put into practice.
Discretion matters. Athletes decide who sees their profile (no awkward “job search” alerts), and clubs quietly bookmark candidates without tipping their hand.
We skipped the flashy gimmicks. The interface works like your favorite social app—simple menus, big buttons, zero jargon. Even your tech-wary coach could master it by lunchtime.
This wasn’t a solo sprint. Athletes, coaches, and recruiters shaped every feature through these steps.
We spent weeks in locker rooms and boardrooms, hearing frustrations firsthand. One coach admitted, “I’ve hired players based on a gut feeling—and regretted it by halftime.” Stories like these drove our roadmap.
Early prototypes highlighted several missed opportunities. After multiple refinements, we landed on a Flutter-built design that felt reliable. Behind the scenes, a Node.js backend handles heavy lifting without slowing things down.
The reactions of beta testers from the sports community were positive. We tweaked search filters, beefed up security, and stress-tested the platform until it could handle summer and winter sport sign-up traffic spikes.
Some of the key results we achieved include the following.
For Game On, we utilized Flutter for a smooth, responsive frontend and Node.js for efficient backend handling of real-time interactions. MySQL ensured scalable data management, while AWS provided reliable deployment and infrastructure. In-app purchases were integrated for seamless monetization, and Google Maps API enhanced location-based features. Additionally, Figma played a key role in crafting a visually appealing and user-friendly UI/UX design.