Alternatives to Meetup include OpenSports: The Meetup for Sports Groups

If you run a sports /recreation group on meetup, here’s why you need to move to OpenSports

“So..I’m fed up with meetup. I’ve found another platform that solely focuses on pickup sports, is simpler, spams you less, and costs nothing” — Dan, Philadelphia Volleyball, OpenSports Organizer

Why make the switch from Meetup to OpenSports?

We get asked a lot: “Why would we choose you guys and not Meetup?” The truth is that for a lot of groups, as they expand and get bigger, they get frustrated with Meetup. Here’s a few reasons why:

On Meetup, there’s no automatic waitlist for pre-paid games

Meetup doesn’t support waivers

Meetup doesn’t support simple sports specific features like the ability to open up multiple types of spots (i.e., goalie vs regular player), and set-up teams.

OpenSports has a much more sophisticated RSVP, payment, discount, and check-in on site system

Meetup Glitches and what ends up happening is players pay to play, they show up, and the game is overbooked and uneven. In the words of one of the frustrated Directors of a big charity pickup soccer group in NYC that made the switch to OpenSports : “Thats the biggest thing we need Meetup to do — is just help us manage RSVP’s — and it’s glitching.”

OpenSports allows you to create and offer memberships (i.e., a 10-game pass) for your players, and it is automatically managed

It is very unlikely that organizer feedback will influence product decisions at Meetup. We at OpenSports build out platform with our organizers. We promise to work closely with you.

OpenSports has lower transaction fees

OpenSports really is the full package that organizers can rely on, covering the full gamut of features that pickup, drop-in, and open play sports organizers need. If you still have apprehensions about switching platforms, in the words of a very happy customer who made the switch, “the bandaid has to come off eventually”!

What types of organizations are using OpenSports as an alternative to MeetUp?

Throughout North America, the UK, Columbia, France, Australia, and New Zealand, we have hundreds of Sport and Social Clubs and pickup/drop in sports groups. Some have thousands of members, some have fifteen. Common sports that are organized through the platform include: soccer, volleyball, flag football, basketball, badminton, kickball, cornhole, pickleball, hockey, cycling, running, and many more!

Many of these groups have a few things in common. For one thing, they are existing sports and recreation groups that have a thriving community of regulars that come to their events. These are organizers who are so devoted to their groups that they will spend weeks testing and getting to know our web and app platform, before they joyfully and convert with a huge sigh of relief!

Here are 3 big groups that have moved from Meetup to OpenSports:

1. Chicago Fire Recreational Soccer

www.opensports.net/@cfrs

Here’s their upcoming events embedded on their own website: http://fire-pitch.com/pickups/

2. Philadelphia Volleyball

https://opensports.ca/@philadelphiavolleyball

Here’s one of the announcements Dan, the founder of Philadelphia Volleyball, made on Meetup, about switching platforms:

3. Sons of Pitches FC

https://opensports.net/@sonsofpitchesfc

Check out SOPFC’s Pickup soccer page on their website to see how they embed OpenSports events onto their web page.