Significant investment is currently being made into the country’s sports facilities, with £155m for community football pitches announced in the autumn budget, £22m for upgrading public tennis courts announced in September and the RFU building 28 all-weather pitches.

But, with just seven per cent of venue operators believing they have a suitable digital strategy in place, Playfinder says this funding will be wasted if public access to sports facilities is restricted.

The sports tech business allows players to find and book somewhere to play sport through its website and mobile apps, increasing the utilisation of sports facilities. The funding, led by Armajaro Holdings and new chairman, David Roberts, will enable Playfinder to expand its online bookings marketplace and develop new booking technology, making it easier for venues to fill spare capacity by advertising available slots to the local community.

Playfinder says it is increasing bookings by over 40 per cent at venues it works with and has seen 110 per cent increase in bookings from players compared to pre-pandemic levels.

“We believe now is the time for the amateur sports market to take the leap towards adopting digital solutions. The additional funding will enable us to accelerate our growth and further the development of our offering in a bid to increase adoption, accessibility and inclusivity for everyone,” said Jamie Foale, CEO of Playfinder.