Two hockey lovers from Ottawa have developed an app that allows players to post when pick-up games take place and what positions the team needs to fill.
Two Ottawa entrepreneurs hope their new app will help athletes get off the couch and go be active. Andre Munroe, a Centretown resident, and his business partner, Ottawa entrepreneur Nicholas Van Zant, have created a web application called fullroster.ca that aims to connect recreational hockey players in cities across the world.
Described by Munroe as “the Kijiji of recreational hockey,” the application was released in January. It works as a matchmaking device that connects teams who don’t have a full roster with players who are looking for a pickup hockey game.
“The best way to describe it is that it’s a platform where players are able to find other players and teams very easily,” says Van Zant. “It’s a simple way for you to use technology for you to quickly connect with someone and go play some sports and get out there and be active.”
“I think the app is awesome,” says Richard Downing, a recreational hockey player and University of Ottawa student. “There are so many people out there who want to play pickup hockey and can’t commit to playing in a league. I’m going to check it out and see if I can get more playing time myself.”
Since its release, the application has received hits from five continents and more than 400 cities around the world, says Van Zant. “Technically, anywhere in the world where Google Maps has maps, we’re able to be used,” he says. The duo also used the social media site Reddit to drive even more traffic to the site.
Van Zant first thought of the idea last summer while at a cottage with friends. There are always issues with teams being put together at the last minute, says Van Zant.
“So it was sort of finding a way to streamline that process and make it a lot less of a headache,” he says.
Munroe liked the idea and felt that he could also bring something to the table. Van Zant, who has a self-described “entrepreneurial spirit,” connected with Munroe, who practices law in Centretown, and the two began work on Full Roster. Van Zant attended entrepreneurial workshops and connected with like-minded people, while Munroe worked on acquiring partners.
Full Roster has since partnered with the Canadian Adult Recreational Hockey Association and Rockstar Energy Drinks. The hockey association has agreed to market the application to their membership base, says Munroe, and Rockstar to get some exposure in the hockey market.
“They’re supportive at a grassroots level, and they’ll be there to help us out as we get going,” says Munroe. “Most people that we introduce the idea to love it, they think it’s brilliant, so simple and it’s just never been done.”
For now, the Full Roster team is trying to grow the application as quickly as possible and expand their user base.
Full Roster’s short-term goal is to prove that the application works in Ottawa, but the duo also wants to expand the website to include more sports.
“Long-term we want this to be a multi-sport platform (right now it applies to hockey only) and used internationally. As the interest grows, we can justify expanding. We can take the steps necessary to reaching that goal, and if we’re lucky it’s the type of app that anyone who’s interested in playing sports would like to have on their phone,” says Munroe.
Van Zant says he also wants to give back to the sporting community.
“If things do start to pick up and if we start to monetize it in some way, shape or form, we plan on being charitable, so a portion of our quarterly net profits will be going to charity,” he says.
Technology is allowing people to connect with each other rapidly and without hassle, but technological advances create an environment where people are sedentary and stuck to their computers, says Munroe.
“What we want to do is flip that trend on its head and use the ability to easily connect people to create a network that will foster and increase participation in recreational sport.”
Essentially, the application promotes physical activity, adds Van Zant. “We just want to make it easier for people to get off the couch and go play a sport. That’s it.”