October 24, 2022

In November 2021, it was confirmed that the Fixtures Live platform would be decommissioned at the end of the 2021/22 season. The EIHA were the sole remaining user of the platform at a significant annual cost.

Upon receiving the intent to decommission the platform, the current Board of Directors worked to find a suitable, sustainable, and cost-effective solution to manage the sport. Potential replacements and a shortlist were identified in Q1 2022, with Spordle selected as the preferred provider in April 2022.

The competition management system is an integral part of the EIHA’s infrastructure. The scoping, design and migration of information from Fixtures Live to Spordle required substantial work to meet the EIHA’s immediate and long-term needs in an ever-changing digital environment.

Elements within Fixtures Live were bespoke to the EIHA and an off the shelf product did not exist. Spordle best met the EIHA’s requirements to safeguard the association but it has not been as simple as an ‘off the shelf’ solution to implement.

Contractual arrangements between the EIHA and Spordle were agreed in the summer and comprehensive testing of the platform has been taking place since September. This will be expanded to all sections of EIHA to ensure smooth operation of the system at all levels.

Spordle is designed to help organisations communicate better whilst improving their overall efficiency. The platform offers multiple solutions, from gameday management, to scheduling and membership affiliation, and will be a complete solution for the EIHA and its clubs.

Full training for all users and a full implementation is expected by the end of this calendar year.

The EIHA wholeheartedly understands the frustration within the community regarding the launch of the product. The rollout has been delayed longer than was hoped and we thank Spordle for their ongoing support to ensure a fully functioning system for EIHA members.