Brief History of Black Diamond Football League The Black Diamond FL was formed at the end of 1999 by the combination of the Newcastle FL and the Central Coast FL to form a regional competition.
The premiership trophy is the Black Diamond Cup which was first won by Wallsend FC in 1889 and is the oldest sporting trophy still being contested in Australia.
Before SportingPulse...
Before adopting a SportingPulse solution, the BDFL used a well known DOS-based program distributed by the VCFL (Victorian Country Football League).
This program was an offline system that handled results, statistics and general reporting.
Why SportingPulse?
The BDFL was referred to SportingPulse by the O&MFL (Ovens & Murray Football League) which uses a similar SportingPulse solution.
Greg Stewart highlights the integration of offline league management with the online results and membership interface for members as a key factor when deciding to go with SportingPulse.
"While the DOS based system I used before SportingPulse was great, I believe that it has probably reached its use by date. The system of coupling a web site with the registration and result program is definitely the way of the future."
SportingPulse was the only provider who could offer a total offline/online solution that is streamlined to the needs of a grassroots organisation at an affordable price.
Admin time saved for clubs and league through increased efficiency
Greg Stewart estimates that the deployment of the integrated SportingPulse system has cut administration time in half.
One key area Greg identifies as a time-saver is the processing of specific reports for the newspapers.
"Using Sportzware makes the process of producing and sending reports to the press much easier and much faster. Previously we had to write these reports manually as well as enter details into the DOS program. On completion of matches we can now enter the team sheets, get the results online for our members, and send the results to the papers all within an hour, this used to take me until midnight!"
Using the Online Database, clubs can now login online and update their member information - which is then imported into Sportzware and updated automatically. Before this, clubs used to send all of this information to the BDFL to process manually.
Positive response from users, members and the public
With the dramatic change in process for the league, it was critical that the system was well received by the BDFL members and users. With modern technology and the accessibility and flexibility of the internet today, the results portal now delivers results to all members and on-lookers soon after the completion of matches.
"All of our members have grown to love the benefits the website brings. Results and stats are now online soon after the completion of matches, and our clubs and teams are enjoying working on their own SportingPulse websites. It's really bringing our community together."
BDFL users have also expressed their satisfaction of the new system from a back office perspective.
"Management of the League love the system and cannot give it enough praise. Almost every speech made by an official of the League (eg Presentation Functions, Luncheons, Finals etc) carry praise for the Sporting Pulse system"
Cost Effective
With running costs for grassroots sporting bodies increasing every year, sustainability is one issue that grassroots sporting bodies are dealing with more and more.
BDFL's SportingPulse solution has not only given them increased efficiency, a more professional look and a solid building block for the future, but it has done so in an affordable manner.
"Running costs before Sportzware were slightly lower, but the small extra cost is justified easily by the smoother running, savings in man hours and the better quality and faster dissemination of information."
The SportingPulse website has also allowed BDFL to earn extra valuable sponsorship revenue as it is where all BDFL members converge to check results, edit their homepages and check homepages of other teams/clubs. In this sense the website is like a magazine - just more practical, accessible and flexible.
Location: Central Coast and Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Size: 1,200+ members
SportingPulse Applications: Sportzware, Online Database, Online Results Portal
Benefits: Administration time saved, Positive response all round, Cost effective, Dramatically improved communication with members, Competition results processed faster.
