South West Investment Fund backs sports tech platform growth

A Wiltshire referee passionate about sport is expanding his online platform to match trained officials with the grassroots and amateur clubs who need them, with the help of a £60,000 loan from the South West Investment Fund.

Olly Ballinger combined decades of experience on the pitch with a talent for software to create YesRef, which is designed to “take the hassle out of finding games and getting paid”.

YesRef acts as a one-stop shop to link clubs and officials to find whichever half of the equation they are seeking locally, as well as managing all the admin of finding, appointing and paying referees.

Since its launch in 2019 demand has grown with 60 per cent of premier league clubs now using YesRef for their junior team matches. And it’s not just football: referees and umpires from more than 30 sports are represented on the platform, from rugby and netball to hockey and basketball - even dance and cheerleading.

Now the support of the South West Investment Fund, via fund manager SWIG Finance, has helped to facilitate YesRef’s first partnership with Australian booking and fixture specialist Spawtz. If successful, Olly hopes to roll YesRef out to Spawtz’s other countries, including Ireland and South Africa.

Olly said: “It’s released the handbrake and enabled us to push forward with plans far quicker than we would have been able to without the funding.”

The British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund covers the entire South West region and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.

Olly has 20 years under his belt of officiating around Wiltshire, with forays into neighbouring counties and countries. “I’ve spent many a wet or frozen evening on the pitch,” he said. “I started at 14, when my youth team folded and my uncle invited me to ref one of his matches." Managing 10 grown men playing five-a-side was a baptism of fire, but “it did me the world of good and I got the bug”.

However, finding matches was not always easy. “There was no central place to find appointments. It was all about spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups, knocking on club doors and contacting referee societies. It was a laborious process,” Olly recalls.

“But the games are there, and you can earn a good fee if you find them. You can referee from the age of 14, and it pays more than a paper round, but finding games is a daunting prospect for many. That’s why I set up YesRef as a solution - a single source of truth for sports officials and organisations.”

Olly secured the backing of the South West Investment Fund after being introduced by a shareholder to SWIG Finance, the appointed fund manager for the smaller loans part of the fund in the South West.

Nicola Parker, Lending & Markets Director for SWIG Finance, said: “Sport is so important for both health and wellbeing, and Olly talks passionately about his business and his plans for development. It’s easy to see how this business will have a positive impact on the sporting community, and I’m very happy SWIG Finance, through the South West Investment Fund, is able to support Olly in this endeavour.”

David Tindall, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank said: “Olly has combined his passion for sport and technical knowhow into a fast-growing and innovative business that is meeting real demand. We’re pleased to support the growth of YesRef as it builds on its success, expands internationally and continues to support the grassroots sporting community.”

The purpose of the South West Investment Fund is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the region. It is increasing the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for South West smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and helping to break down barriers in access to finance.

The fund operates across the whole of the South West region including Bristol, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.