The Journey of SportsArena

In 2023, I embarked on a bold project: building SportsArena, a platform where sports enthusiasts could meet, compete, and win real money. The idea was straightforward: players would buy tickets, play their matches, and submit scores through the app. If a dispute arose, players could upload video evidence, the admins would review the evidence, and decide a winner. The winner would then automatically be paid out 100% of the prize pool. It was a simple concept, but the path to bring it to life was anything but.

While I will use "we" throughout this article to refer to the SportsArena company, its shareholders, and even our customers, I want to be clear that all aspects of this business—design, development, code, marketing, and strategy—have been done by me alone. I’ve had the support of some small amounts of funding, but every major step in building SportsArena has been my personal effort.

The Spark: From Park Matches to Digital Competitions

Reflecting on my younger years, I often remember those summer days playing football with friends at the local park. We’d play for hours, sometimes having competitions for small amounts of money—just enough to make things a little more exciting. Back then, I dreamed about competing on a larger scale, maybe even for real cash against other teams. But there were always two big questions: how could we trust strangers with our money, and how could we even find others willing to play?

At the time, there was no technology to solve this problem, and even if it existed, I didn’t have the knowledge to build it. Fast forward to 2023, and with over a decade of experience building web applications and leveraging modern payment and video technologies, I realized I was finally in a position to make that dream a reality.

Researching the Landscape

Before diving into code, I conducted a deep competitor analysis. I scoured the app market to see if anything like SportsArena already existed. I created a detailed competitor analysis sheet, cataloging platforms that allowed users to compete in sports for money.

The results were telling: there were apps for casual competitions with friends and others that let you meet strangers for friendly games, but none of them combined the thrill of playing against strangers for real cash. This gap in the market gave me the confidence that SportsArena could offer something genuinely new.

From Idea to Wireframes

With a clear understanding of the market, I began sketching out wireframes for a minimum viable product (MVP). At this point, you might ask: why didn’t I validate the idea earlier with potential users?

There were a few key reasons:

1. We were the audience – My friends and I had lived the experience of wanting a platform like this. The concept was already validated by our needs.

2. Maintaining control – I wanted the project to be mine, from concept to launch. It was a personal challenge to see the whole thing through myself.

3. Secrecy – I knew I had something unique, and I wanted to keep it under wraps to avoid tipping off competitors too early.

Branding & Design: Fast and Focused

With the MVP planned, I moved quickly to establish the brand. Using Figma, I developed the SportsArena logo, color palette, and typography in just an afternoon. I focused on creating a brand identity that conveyed competition, excitement, and approachability. The design was intentionally simple, designed to connect with both serious players and casual competitors without delaying the development process.

Development Challenges: Lessons in Resilience

The first eight months of development were filled with challenges. Initially, there was another developer working on the project, but we ran into a major setback early on. The other developer was tasked with implementing the payment system, a crucial part of the platform. However, after three months of waiting, there was no progress. This delay put us significantly behind schedule, forcing me to re-evaluate how to move forward.

Finding a payment provider was another challenge. SportsArena, being a new platform where users could lose money and dispute charges, was considered high-risk. We reached out to multiple payment processors, including a high-risk specialist, but even they were hesitant due to the nature of the platform. To get around the problem, and simply to move forward towards validation (e.g user sign ups + revenue) I decided to integrate Bitcoin payments into our app.

In hindsight, going the cryptocurrency route was risky, but it was a necessity at the time. I integrated Bitcoin payments via CoinPayments, and while this wasn’t a long-term solution, it allowed us to move forward. The entire payment system was built in such a way that we could easily swap out the cryptocurrency processor for a traditional one later on.

Building the Core Features

Despite the delays and setbacks, we made significant progress during those first eight months. We developed key features like a robust dispute mechanism, geolocation for finding local matches, and push notifications via the new web push API. I built the app with Next.js, integrated a database with Supabase, and handled email notifications using Resend. Even though Bitcoin Lightning payments didn’t work out in the long term, the foundational work we laid meant that transitioning to a traditional payment processor later would be straightforward.

The Initial Launch

Finally, after eight months of hard work, we launched SportsArena with football as the first sport and Bitcoin as our payment method. We published a blog post, spread the word to journalists, posted on platforms like Hacker News and Twitter—anywhere we could.

The result? Nothing. Zero sign-ups. No one joined in the first week or even the second. It was a humbling and eye-opening start, but it set the stage for the next phase of our journey—refining, iterating, and finding ways to truly connect with our target audience.

The Pivot

One of the biggest challenges we faced early on at SportsArena was securing a reliable payment provider. Our initial attempt involved launching with Bitcoin payments alongside football matches, and it didn’t take off at all. We had zero sign-ups during this phase. After reflecting on the situation, two key problems stood out:

1. Cryptocurrency was too niche – Most people weren’t ready to use Bitcoin for casual sports matches.

2. Football’s logistical complexity – Organizing a 5-a-side football match required a minimum of 10 players, which proved difficult without a large user base.

Realizing the need for a simpler approach, we decided two things: First, we needed to integrate traditional payment solutions, and second, we needed a more accessible sport to launch with.

The Pivot to Darts

We initially considered basketball, but then darts caught our attention. Its simplicity—1v1 matches—made it ideal for user acquisition. Better still, it could be played online via webcam, meaning users could compete remotely. Unlike football or basketball, which required physical meetups, darts was a much better option for validating our idea.

Another advantage was its structured scoring. Players input their scores after each round, allowing us to generate detailed match reports, precisely what we envisioned using tools like ChatGPT. Other sports like football or basketball would have required far more complex AI to analyze video footage, something time-consuming without first validating our core idea.

Darts seemed like the ideal fit.

Building the Platform for Darts

The pivot required adapting our existing football scoring system to handle darts’ specific needs. In football, it was simple—teams submitted final scores. But darts required additional features, such as:

• Video calling – For real-time remote matches.

• Payments – Moving away from Bitcoin to traditional payment methods.

• A new scoring system – Focused on round-based inputs rather than just final scores.

Discoveries through User Testing

During the development, we implemented a detailed scoring system where players entered their individual throws (e.g., T20, T20, T20) rather than just the total round score (e.g., 180). While this offered more control and precise tracking, user feedback revealed that it wasn’t as user-friendly as we hoped—especially for fast-paced games.

In response, we revamped the scoring system to allow players to submit total round scores while adding quick-access buttons for common scores like 140, 180, and 100. This update streamlined the process, improving the user experience without sacrificing accuracy.

Positive Feedback from Testing

As we opened up the platform for testing, feedback from players was overwhelmingly encouraging. Even though the system had its early issues, many users expressed excitement about the direction we were heading in. Several players remarked that “This is exactly what the online darts community needed” and praised us for offering a fresh and polished alternative to existing platforms. They appreciated that we were doing something different and new, particularly with features like video replays and AI-generated post-match analysis.

Promotion During the Pivot

After our Bitcoin/football failure, we knew we needed to validate our pivot to darts by building a community around it. We turned to Twitter to begin engaging with dart players, but initially, we had no followers and little interaction. However, by closely watching other online darts platforms and interacting with players who shared their match results, we gradually built a presence.

We reached out directly to players, congratulated them on their wins, and asked for feedback on our concept. The response was overwhelmingly positive. While there were already online darts platforms, they lacked the polish we were aiming for. Our inclusion of features like video replays, paid tournaments, and AI-generated post-match analysis excited players and gave us the validation we needed to keep pushing forward.

Implementing Tournaments and Preparing for Launch

After successfully testing 1v1 dart matches, we shifted our attention to implementing tournaments. We knew that tournaments would take the player experience to the next level, offering larger prize pools and creating a competitive community atmosphere.

Around the same time, we secured approval for open banking payments, which provided us with a traditional payment solution. After months of searching, this was the final piece of the puzzle. With both payment systems and the platform ready, we felt confident that we could offer a fun, competitive, and smooth experience for our players.

The Game-Changing Feature: Video Replays

While other platforms allowed users to win money (albeit small amounts as the platforms themselves take a huge cut), they weren’t offering anything truly innovative. To stand out, we introduced video replays. These replays not only captured the video calls during matches but also overlaid key match stats—like scores, current round, and who was throwing at the time—directly onto the video. Players could even see how much money was on the line, adding a layer of excitement to the match.

These replays are still in beta as I had to focus on launch, but once they're finished, they will be a powerful marketing tool. Already they're showing potential users how SportsArena is different from other platforms. We weren’t just offering online darts matches—we were offering an engaging, data-driven, and competitive experience - with the chance to win real money.

A Successful Pivot to Darts

Y Combinator famously states, "A good growth rate during YC is 5-7% a week. If you can hit 10% a week, you’re doing exceptionally well."

Eight months after pivoting to focus on darts, SportsArena has grown its player base to 91 users, achieving a remarkable 13.95% weekly growth rate—far surpassing expectations. This is particularly rewarding given the challenges we faced during our earlier focus on football. What makes this growth even more exciting is that it’s been entirely organic; we haven’t spent a single penny on advertising.

We’ve also seen the first signs of revenue, with several players depositing £5 or more to compete.

While it’s still early days, SportsArena is clearly finding its niche, and I’m confident the future holds even greater success.

Looking Ahead: My Next Steps

After dedicating the past 16 months to this project, I’m thrilled to see it starting to gain traction. However, I’ve also invested much of my savings into making this a reality, and now it’s time for my next adventure.

I’m looking for a new role, ideally in a dynamic office environment where I can collaborate with a team. I bring a multidisciplinary skill set that can deliver immediate value to startups or established companies—especially with today’s rapid advancements in artificial intelligence. This is an incredible time to be a jack-of-all-trades, and I’m excited to contribute my experience to something new.

Here are some of the projects I’m currently working on that may interest you:

• Video Replays & AI Analysis: I’m finalizing advanced AI-driven video replay features for dart matches that use phone cameras to analyze gameplay and keep score in real time.

• 3D Modeling for Web & Video: Exploring 3D modeling to enhance our web presence and create immersive video content.

• Storydriven gameplay and progression: How to incorporate a narrative-driven experience for the players, in an always updated online world powered by their match data and usage of the application

Looking Forward

As SportsArena continues to grow, I’m excited about the potential of what’s next—not just for the app, but for my own journey. I’m ready to take on new challenges and contribute to a team where I can make a real impact. Whether it’s building cutting-edge technology or driving innovation in a fast-paced environment, I’m eager to apply my skills and continue growing in a meaningful way.

Let’s Connect

If you’re looking for someone who thrives at the intersection of tech, AI, and creativity, I’d love to chat. Let’s explore how I can bring value to your team.