Australia Embraces PLAI…

A wave of dynamic sports clubs from Australia have joined the PLAI family this summer!  

We are delighted to welcome aboard a number of outstanding Australian sports clubs who have recently chosen PLAI as their sports team management provider.

“Sport brings people together just about everywhere, but there are few countries where sport runs through the DNA quite so explicitly as it does across Australia.” shared Scott McKechnie, CEO of PLAI.

He continued, “We are so deeply humbled that these incredible clubs have entrusted PLAI to provide the additional support they need this year. With many hundreds of years of experience between them, the fact that they have explored and decided on PLAI as the right fit for their needs validates an incredible amount of hard work that has brought us to this place, where we can help so many.”

We are excited to commence these partnerships, with the aim of playing a part in the continued success of some of the country’s most historic and fastest growing sports teams. Here’s a glimpse of the newest members of the PLAI family!

Our Newest Members

Eastern United FC

Since 2013, Eastern United FC has been at the heart of junior football in South Australia. Based in Athelstone, Adelaide, they have built their club on community involvement. The club prides itself on finding and discovering young, talented football stars within their own neighbourhood. They are passionate in nurturing the next generation of football talent by providing them with a professional, elite pathway. The club aim is to develop its players by utilising and enhancing their individual skillsets to help maximise their potential.

The Eastern United Football Club fields teams from the Mini Roos all the way through to the senior level. Their senior teams are competing at a high level within the prestigious Football SA competition. The club prides itself on the respect and inclusivity of its members, volunteers and players. They are very proud of these values. It forms the basis of their philosophy of building the club through community involvement. They are a rapidly growing club with well over 200 players and are looking to continue to grow their football program into the future.

Melbourne Cricket Club 

Established in 1838, the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) is among Australia’s most prestigious and historic sports organisations. In 1859, it was responsible for creating the original rules for Australian Rules Football, marking a significant contribution to the sport.

The cricket club competes in the Victorian Premier cricket competition in Melbourne and has a long history of success within it. It boasts elite junior boys and girl’s teams, as well as several men’s and women’s teams in various grades. At the same time, the club hosts and runs its own competitive high-level competition, which includes participation from other clubs involved in the Premier league.

The MCC has been at the forefront of hosting significant sporting milestones. This includes the first English cricket team’s tour in 1862, the first-ever Test match in 1877, and the inaugural one-day international cricket match in 1971. Beyond these historic achievements, the MCC fosters a dynamic and inclusive community, embracing participants from 12 different sports including baseball, bowls, croquet, football, golf, hockey, lacrosse, netball, real tennis, target shooting, squash, and tennis. While the Club engages in a wide array of sports, its core focus continues to be on the effective management and forward-looking development of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, an iconic symbol of Australian sporting heritage.

Para Hills Cricket Club

Established in 1964, the Para Hills Cricket Club is a family friendly community situated in the northern suburbs of Adelaide. It is the largest club within the City of Salisbury and fields several junior teams, along with several men’s and women’s teams. They also have a team heavily involved in the Inclusive League. The club is affiliated with the North Eastern Junior Cricket Association and the Adelaide Turf Cricket Association.

In 2023 it was honoured with the SACA community club of the year award. They achieved this recognition through its commitment to making cricket accessible to everyone. They are known for inclusivity and embracing diversity within their club. They celebrate everyone that is part of the club. This is whether they are volunteers, or they are a part of the playing group. This is a major part of why Para Hills Cricket Club is a vibrant club which others look up to within their association.

ATCO Cricket Club

The ATCO Cricket Club was established in 1972 through ATCO, a local construction company. It was started by employees of the company, but the club wasn’t expected to last too long once the players left the area. It is now 60 years later, and it is still well established within the Para Hills community. After some lean years in recent times, a committed group of parents and volunteers got together to talk about the future of the club. They decided to grow their club to ensure its survival. As a result, it is now a club of choice where kids want to play cricket. In turn, this brought along more and more committed parents who wanted to become involved with their kids and cricket.

They are part of the Para Districts Cricket Association and are growing their player base every year. The club welcomes all players of all abilities. They are also keen to foster the growth of their junior teams with a focus to include more girls and women to participate in the coming seasons. Apart from cricket, the club has other social activities to bring people into their community. As an example, they have a lively table tennis competition aimed at bringing families together as part of the club agenda. Their goal is to promote a sense of unity and friendship for their members. It is this ethos by their committee that will continue to assist the growth of their club.

East Torrens Cricket Club

East Torrens was established in 1897/98 and boasts a rich history of achievements in the South Australia Cricket Associations (SACA) Premier cricket competition. This includes an impressive total of 17 A Grade premierships, along with 11 B Grade premierships, 2 C Grade premierships, 2 D Grade premierships, and two victories in the West End Cup (also known as the Gillette Cup).

Additionally, East Torrens has several junior teams that have been active since the late 1980s, winning premierships across all junior levels, including 3 Under 16 premierships and 4 Under 14 premierships.

They are a club who are committed to its rich history and traditions. It is this history that has shaped its identity to foster a strong sense of community among its members. The committee and their coaches have a clear goal to continuously provide a pathway to success through all age groups and grades. Everyone has a part to play in the future of the club. It is this collective process that is in the forefront of how they want to continue to grow as a cricket club. East Torrens Cricket Club has a long-standing reputation for identifying and nurturing young, talented cricketers. They have had numerous players who have been part of the Redbacks junior squads over the years.

However, their measure of success is defined by their obligation to provide opportunities for kids of all ages to come and play cricket. This is how they will continue to be a leader within the SACA.

Revolutionising Sports Club Management in Australia…

Here at PLAI, our aim for these new partnerships and for all of our users is to revolutionise their sports team management by streamlining team communications, maximising team revenue, minimising cash slippage and simplifying team administration, through the utilisation of our user-friendly mobile app to centralise everything a team needs into one place.

Our award-winning app achieves this through a variety of useful team management tools such as chat features, player attendance tracking, facility booking functionality, digital payment gateways, sponsorship opportunities and much more!

By ensuring efficient and effective sports team management, we aim to play a part in the continued growth and success of these great clubs, both on and off the playing field.

Join the Movement!

If you’re interested in simplifying the running of your club this year, why not book a short and informal demo with a member of our team today and discover the power of PLAI firsthand.