Accumulators

'Accumulators' is the name given to providers that offer multiple online services on the one platform. For instance, they may offer facilities similar to websites, social media type messaging and online statistics. Some examples of accumulators are:

• Team App: this has many features. On their website they describe TeamApp as "a platform that allows teams and social groups to improve communication by creating their very own smartphone App".

• Pitchero: a platform that also provides many different services. The Pitchero website explains: "It's your team management system, the way you communicate with your players and how you keep everyone up to date with your latest news". Pitchero has a free, basic service and then a scaled fee platform for the provision of extra services.

Clubs who use accumulator services mainly do so to advertise news and social events, although some clubs use it for team selection. Other clubs use other features as well.

Some clubs have begun to use accumulator services, but then discontinued their use. The main reason they give for this is that, like many other Internet related services, it relies on the majority of members actually downloading and using the 'app' associated with the service. Some clubs commented that they already interacted with their members, supporters and sponsors via social media and so did not need another means to do this. Another reason given by clubs for not using accumulators was the cost of some accumulator services.

It seems that if a sporting club wants a single platform to carry out the majority of their activities, are prepared to pay the fee that the accumulator providers may charge and are able to convince the majority of their proposed users to sign up to use it, then an accumulator service might be worth considering.