Best Sports App Development Ideas to Rock the Market

Software solutions are gradually entering the sports industry. While some types of sports apps seem to be quite common and widely adopted, others are still perceived as innovative and extraordinarily new. Nevertheless, the sports software market is actively expanding, and enough space remains for companies and startups that want to wow the audience with their apps. If you’re thinking about launching such a product, we recommend reading this article attentively, because we’re going to share the most promising sports app ideas that will help you to capture the hearts of users.

The sports technology market is expanding massively these days, and analysts are quite optimistic about future growth. In 2022, the sports tech market size reached $15.9 billion, which is already a rather impressive figure. But it is expected that by 2032, the market will be over $79 billion. This means that the projected CAGR for the period from 2022 to 2032 is almost 18%.

When speaking of the sports tech market, it is crucial to bear in mind that apps and software solutions are only one segment or a market that also includes devices, wearables, smart stadium equipment, etc. Nevertheless, a rather significant share of the sports tech industry belongs to sports apps. The sports app market volume is projected to be around $6.5 billion by 2028, compared to just $3.5 billion in 2021.

Among the factors boosting this growth, we have to mention the COVID-19 pandemic (and related restrictions), the adoption of 5G technology across the United States, the tech revolution in emerging economies such as India, as well as increasing demand for payment gateway services in the sports industry all over the globe.

To understand why this market is expanding, have a look at the benefits of sports app development. The exact advantages depend on the type of solution we’re talking about. But in general, various types of sports apps can:

• Facilitate many processes;
• Provide new means of interaction between athletes and coaches, sports clubs and fans, fitness centers and their clients;
• Offer new experiences;
• Provide easy access to the latest sports and team updates;
• Increase the efficiency of training sessions and workouts;
• Optimize operating costs.

The choice of the type of mobile app or web solution you are going to build should depend on a variety of factors, including the target group for your product and the tasks you expect to solve with your software product. Consider the following sports app development ideas, and maybe they’ll inspire you to create your own unique product.

• Fantasy sports app 

The fantasy sports segment changed a lot with the introduction of mobile solutions. Back in the day, local newspapers might organize such games; today people can use a convenient sports mobile app to build their virtual teams of players and track their fantasy points. Modern fantasy sports apps are enriched with powerful statistics and analytics tools that help users make the right decisions.

Examples: CBS Sports Fantasy, NFL Fantasy Football, Yahoo Fantasy Sports.

• Sports betting

With advanced sports app development tools, it is possible to significantly enhance the betting experience and its safety. Today there are a lot of betting models, and if you want to launch an app for a specific region you should analyze the most popular models among users in the chosen countries. Bear in mind the gaming regulations in force in various jurisdictions. You could also launch an app for a centralized bookmaker or something like a betting marketplace.

Examples: BetMGM Sportsbook, Betway, DraftKings Sportsbook

• Video streaming apps

Live sports streaming platforms and apps have been gaining popularity over recent years. Travel restrictions prompted by the coronavirus pandemic had a strong impact on the number of viewers who use them. Popular apps of this type not only allow people to watch important games in real time but also to create schedules of interesting matches, get notifications, record videos, and re-watch them later.

Examples: beIN SPORTS, Oreo TV, AOS TV

• Ticketing apps

Nobody likes standing in a queue in front of a ticket office. But ticketing applications can solve this problem. Thanks to such apps, people can buy tickets for sports events held in any corner of the world. And this can be done at any time of the day, from any location. Via such apps, it’s easy to track the number of occupied seats, get access to detailed information about the event, and even find reviews about venues. A lot of apps offer loyalty programs for users and can provide excellent discounts and other special deals.

Examples: StubHub, SeatGeek, Ticket Sports

• Web applications for sports teams and leagues

While a lot of sports app ideas on our list are targeted at a wide audience, this type of solution is intended for internal use. These software products let coaches and team managers better organize their work with athletes and optimize a lot of processes. Such apps let coaches quickly update all the players, introduce schedules, exchange files, register new team members, etc.

Examples: Teamsideline.com, Engage Sports

• Sports coaching & training apps

Apps of this type can be useful for both professional athletes and sports lovers. They help to organize training processes and schedule coaching sessions in a remote format. Such applications can offer online interaction between coaches and athletes as well as access to a series of video lessons and text guides. Thanks to the technologies that sports app development specialists have today, it is possible to build functionality not only for individual but also group video sessions.

Examples: Coach’s Eye, Hudl, CoachUp

• Sports news & analysis apps

For sports fans, it’s important to get access to all the latest information about their favorite sports activities, teams, and athletes. Nevertheless, it’s exhausting to be checking a whack of sources constantly to be sure you haven’t missed something important. That’s why we’re mentioning this type of app among the best sports app ideas. You can create a web platform or a mobile app that will accumulate the latest news from different sources as well as offer powerful analytics tools. It’s even better if you let users customize their news feeds so as not to miss the updates they’ll find most interesting.

Examples: Sky Sports, ESPN, SofaScore

• eSports apps

Every year, eSports attract more and more players, as they offer all the excitement of competition without the need to go to a real arena. Today it’s possible not only to take part in various eSports tournaments but also to stream games and attract a lot of viewers. Many people watch the games and want the opportunity to share their opinions with others, discuss the results, and donate to players.

Examples: Esports King, ESP Play, Strafe

• AR/VR sports apps

Applications powered by artificial and virtual reality tools can provide live broadcasting as well as eSports experiences. The main idea here is that, thanks to AR and VR, people can fully feel the atmosphere typical of traditional stadiums, without needing to even leave home.

Examples: NBA AR, Fox Sports VR, Vikings VR 

• Sports fitness apps

These applications are intended for a very wide audience and help people organize their lifestyles in a healthier way. Such solutions are often linked to fitness bracelets and smart watches, which can calculate steps, measure heart rate, and monitor the quality of sleep. Moreover, you can create special dieting features for such an application, useful for planning a daily menu and tracking calories burned.

Examples: MyFitnessPal, Nike Training Club, Burn.Fit

Over years of work, our company has managed to gain solid expertise in sports app development, proven with the solutions we’ve built for our clients. Though we have a rich portfolio, in this article, we’d like to mention just a couple of our solutions for the sports industry.

One of them is an official mobile app for Chelsea FC fans. The target audience of the application is football fans who watch the game at the stadium. The main goal of the app is to enhance their experience and impressions.

The developed functionality helps users plan their visit to the stadium. They can get access to details such as lists of team members, scores of previous matches, events, weather forecasts, the latest club news, travel tips, and exclusive offers. They can view a photo gallery and a hospitality guide, including a menu and information about the staff responsible for catering and hosting. After the launch, the app was downloaded by thousands of Chelsea fans, who were very satisfied with the provided features.

Another example is an official mobile app that offers access to detailed golf rules. We built this solution fully from scratch. Today it contains a lot of valuable information that can provide answers to many questions and disputes that may arise during the game.

The app needs to be continuously updated in accordance with changes in golf rules. Today the application is actively used by members of the USGA as well as a huge number of golf academies and clubs.

As a sports app development company, we do our best to monitor all the observable trends in the market, to make sure we build our products in accordance with modern standards and demands.

• AI and ML. These technologies can fully revolutionize the user experience. For example, they can ensure highly personalized content for everyone, increase the accuracy of score predictions, and offer new game tactics.
• AR and VR. AR and VR tools can revolutionize live sports broadcasting and help to simulate a real stadium vibe, even for sports fans who do not have the possibility to attend games.
• IoT and wearables. The Internet of Things and various wearable devices can provide users with access to the most relevant real-time information and quickly react to critical changes in various parameters. In the sports industry, IoT helps to efficiently track the state of health of athletes and the location of users. In the professional sports segment, such solutions boost the safety of athletes and assist in planning training, while for fitness lovers, wearables can be viewed as an excellent tracker of physical activity. On our blog, you can also read more about IoT use cases in the fitness industry.

It’s not exaggerating to say that practically any stably functioning and high-performing sports mobile app or web solution today has an excellent chance of succeeding. The demand for various solutions for this industry is growing, as well as the interest in sports app development services. Software products have already proven their efficiency in solving various types of tasks. They help to facilitate and streamline many processes and increase the quality of the outcome. 

Among the most promising sports app development ideas are those targeted at professional athletes, coaches, sports fans, and fitness lovers. And with continuous smartphone penetration and increasing tech literacy, it is expected that the audience of potential users will only expand.

That’s why, if you want to launch a software product for the sports industry, right now can be an appropriate time to proceed to an active phase of your project realization. And if you are looking for a reliable team to guide you through this journey and provide the required support at all stages, at Cogniteq, we’re always ready to help you.