GameDay Scores Big Wins for AFL Clubs with BigCommerce

Background

Since 2001, GameDay (formerly SportsTG) has been setting the standard in sports administration technology, delivering solutions to grassroots leagues and elite clubs alike. Headquartered in Australia, the company offers competition and membership management, event coordination, website development, and e-commerce services. Over two decades its homegrown e-commerce platform powered dozens of organizations across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Europe and Asia Pacific—culminating in a partnership with every club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Challenge

Rapid client growth revealed cracks in GameDay’s in-house solution. As more AFL clubs came on board, the aging technology struggled under peak loads and complex merchandising needs. Director of Digital Anthony Richardson admitted that the existing system was unreliable and couldn’t keep pace with new promotional or high-traffic demands. To maintain strong ties with the league and position itself as a trusted e-commerce provider, GameDay needed a modern, scalable platform fast.

Solution

After evaluating Shopify, Magento, and a rebuild of its own, GameDay chose BigCommerce for its SaaS-based model, global reach, and rapid scalability. The team integrated BigCommerce’s API-driven storefronts into its sports management suite, demonstrating to AFL clubs how enhanced promotion tools, coupons, vouchers and abandoned cart recovery would generate lift. Within weeks, GameDay had completed pilot stores and converted all 18 professional clubs to the new platform.

Results

The impact was immediate: a 39% year-over-year increase in gross sales, a 78% boost in peak user visits, and a 100% rise in total orders. Notably, when Richmond Football Club won the 2020 premiership, 10,000 concurrent users flooded the site—and BigCommerce kept it running while processing $500,000 in sales in one hour. Several clubs launched new stores in under three weeks, slashing time-to-market and delighting fans.

Integrations & Upsells

GameDay layered additional apps and integrations—like Ticketmaster for live membership verification, a real-time jersey customizer, and Easy Upsell—to drive incremental revenue. One of the top-performing features, abandoned cart saver, recovered over $354,000 in sales, while Facebook Shop extended merchandise reach directly on social feeds. Bulk coupon uploads via API enabled clubs to issue tens of thousands of vouchers instantly for promotions.

Looking Ahead

Buoyed by AFL success, GameDay plans to expand into community and youth sports, launching multi-sport online retail stores that give back to grassroots programs. By leveraging BigCommerce’s toolkit, the company aims to offer turnkey e-commerce for teams of all levels—further cementing its position as a leader in sports technology and digital merchandising.