Looking for a ClubSpark Alternative?
connectMyClub is built for running, triathlon, athletics, and cycling clubs — with features ClubSpark simply doesn't have.
ClubSpark was originally built for court-booking sports like tennis and handles membership admin well. But endurance clubs need more than an admin back-office — they need a platform members open every day: live location sharing during training, Garmin and Apple Watch apps, Strava integration, parkrun barcodes, a Training Wallet that handles per-session fees automatically, and much more. That's what connectMyClub was built for — by club members, for club members.
connectMyClub vs ClubSpark
A feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | connectMyClub | ClubSpark |
|---|---|---|
| Endurance sport features | ||
| Training groups within a session — members sign up to a specific group, not just the session. Access restricted by membership category, gender, or age | ||
| Tap-in attendance register with training history and attendance trends | ||
| Per-group capacity limits, waiting lists, and configurable tap-out cutoff window | ||
| LiveMap — real-time location sharing during training | ||
| Garmin watch app | ||
| Apple Watch app | ||
| GPX route library with in-app maps | ||
| One-tap Garmin route sync | ||
| Strava, Garmin, Wahoo & Suunto race result integration | ||
| parkrun barcode & venue finder | ||
| Pace calculator | ||
| Safety & welfare | ||
| Training accident & incident reports (with what3words & weather data) | ||
| ActiveSafe — anonymous harassment reporting | ||
| Club administration | ||
| Training Wallet — pre-funded wallet with automatic session fee deduction | ||
| Disclaimers with UK Athletics, British Triathlon & British Cycling codes of conduct built in | ||
| Native member app (iOS & Android) — ClubSpark's app is a court-booking tool, not a member engagement app | ||
| Flat per-member pricing — ClubSpark takes a percentage of every membership payment; connectMyClub charges a simple annual fee per member | ||
| Group messaging (in-app) | ||
| Core features — available on both platforms | ||
| Online membership registration & renewals | ||
| Event scheduling | ||
| Payment collection | ||
| Club website | ||
| Email communications to members | ||
| Digital membership card | ||
| Junior safeguarding controls (connectMyClub: independent switches covering direct messages, DM list visibility, group chats, the message board, announcements, club emails, the member directory, and a DBS-check gate — all default to on; ClubSpark: basic access controls) | ||
| Guardian-linked Accounts | ||
Competitor information is based on publicly available feature listings and is correct to the best of our knowledge.
What makes connectMyClub different
The features endurance clubs actually need — and why they matter
Safety built in to every session
Endurance clubs train on roads, trails, and tracks. connectMyClub has the safety features that genuinely matter when something goes wrong.
- LiveMap — members share their live location during training. Group leaders see exactly where everyone is in real time — invaluable on long runs, trail sessions, or rep workouts spread across a large area.
- ICE & Medical Details — group leaders access a member's emergency contact and medical notes at the press of a button, and call directly from the app.
- Accident & Incident Reports — submit a full report from the scene, including photos, precise what3words location, and automatically retrieved weather data — everything needed for insurance.
- ActiveSafe — members can anonymously report incidents of harassment experienced whilst training in public spaces. Reports are shared with local clubs to raise community awareness.
ActiveSafe
Built around the kit endurance athletes actually use
Runners, triathletes, cyclists, and athletics club members live on Garmin, Strava, and parkrun. connectMyClub works alongside all of them — ClubSpark doesn't.
- Garmin & Apple Watch apps — native companion apps give members their training session details, group sign-up, live location sharing, and parkrun barcode directly from their wrist.
- Strava, Garmin, Wahoo & Suunto integration — when a member finishes a race, their finish time is retrieved automatically and feeds directly into club results, season's bests, and personal bests. No manual entry.
- GPX Route Library — clubs build a library of training routes. Members view them on an in-app map and sync any route to their Garmin with one tap.
- parkrun Barcode & Finder — members save their parkrun athlete number to display the barcode on their phone, Garmin, or Apple Watch. A built-in directory of every parkrun in the world helps members find their nearest event, with a link to their personal results page.
- Pace Calculator — members enter their race pace and get predicted finish times across all distances — useful for race planning and goal setting.
Club admin that actually saves time
connectMyClub handles the admin that endurance clubs actually deal with — from per-session participation fees to governing body compliance paperwork.
- Training Wallet & Subscriptions — if a training group charges a participation fee, members top up their wallet in the app and the fee is deducted automatically when they sign up. Members can also set up a direct debit so they're always covered.
- Digital Disclaimers — clubs require members to digitally sign disclaimers before joining specific training groups. UK Athletics, British Triathlon, and British Cycling codes of conduct are built in and automatically applied when selected.
- Club Website, Powered by connectMyClub — the website platform is included at no extra cost. Training sessions, events, news, and photo albums entered once appear on the website automatically — no duplication, no remembering to update two systems. Your club keeps its own domain and hosting: point your A records to connectMyClub's servers and it works with your current provider, or let connectMyClub handle domain registration and hosting if you'd prefer everything in one place.
- Simple, flat pricing — ClubSpark takes a percentage of every membership payment, so your platform cost scales with your fees. connectMyClub charges a simple annual fee per member — one number, no surprises.
Junior safeguarding taken further
Both platforms offer some safeguarding controls — but connectMyClub goes further with independent safeguarding switches that give clubs granular control over exactly what junior members can and can't do.
- Independent safeguarding switches — granular controls covering direct messages, DM list visibility, group chats, the message board, announcements, club emails, the member directory, and a DBS-check gate that restricts which adults can message juniors. All default to on — protection is active from day one without any configuration required.
- Guardian-linked Accounts — parents manage their children's club membership from a single login, switching between profiles without logging out.
- GDPR & Communication Controls — members control exactly how the club can contact them, directly from the app. All messaging features are disabled by default for junior members.
Simple, transparent pricing
One flat annual subscription covers everything — no per-transaction cuts, no feature upgrades, no hidden fees.
Under 50 members
Free
All features included. No credit card required.
50+ members
£1 / member / year
All core features included. A small number of premium add-ons available.
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