Key Features Every Sports App Should Have in 2024

• By Alina Umanskaya
• 15-05-2024
• Mobile App Development

As time goes by, it's becoming more and more difficult to deny that the sports apps niche will be among the top fast-evolving industries in 2024. Among millions of applications on the App Store as well as on the Google Play Store, sports platforms gained over 2.03 billion downloads in 2022, and the numbers are still rising. This is primarily thanks to the increased demand for sports content, due to which people all over the world spend approximately one hour daily on their favorite sports apps. At the same time, easy monetization opportunities, improved fan engagement, and global reach made creating sports apps a trendy choice for startups in 2024.

Since this niche is becoming more popular and profitable, you may also want to enter it with your sports app. In this article, you can discover must-have features of a sports app, as well as ideas for additional features to stand out in the market and tips on what to look for when choosing features. Read on and you will understand how to create a sports app that will be relevant on the market.

Analysis of the Sports App Market

The sports application market has grown significantly in recent years and will reach a value of approximately USD 3.89 billion in 2023. However, a real breakthrough awaits us in the future, as its revenue forecast for 2030 is projected to reach USD 8.03 billion. This is all thanks to the increased demand for innovative products that are revolutionizing the industry and still contributing to the growth of sports mobile app development.

Today you can find new features like fantasy sports and prediction games or even wearable, AR, and VR technologies that bring a new sense of fan engagement to sports apps. Not to mention increased smartphone penetration, which only helps companies encourage dozens of sports fans to use their platforms more regularly. Therefore, entrepreneurs worldwide have been choosing sports applications development as the main direction for the past few years in a row. Constant technology breakthroughs and a stable future in this industry, coupled with incredibly high demand for sports applications, can open up an easy opportunity even for startups to create a popular product on the market.

Yet, building a sports app can be challenging. Companies need to consider both the needs of the audience and the latest innovations in this sector. Now, let's take a closer look at core features and additional functionalities that must be added to your future application.

Core Features of Sports Apps

Highlighting the key elements that will make your product useful and attractive to future users is the number one priority during the creation process of any application. Consider looking at the next core features of a sports app that will help you meet users' basic needs and build a reliable and relevant product as well.

Customizable user profile

Creating individual user profiles is among the key features of any leading sports application, as it allows each user to customize the application according to their interests. User profiles are also used for social interaction features that increase audience engagement. In addition, an app with this feature can collect valuable information about user behavior and preferences that can be used to improve their experience of using a system.

Live scores & updates

Most users of sports apps download them primarily to keep abreast of current events. Therefore, you may want to add real-time updates when you create a sports app, as it is one of the most necessary features of such applications. By including it in your application, fans will be able to find information such as live scores, sports event statistics, and match results to stay up-to-date with their favorite team in those crucial moments.

News feed

Sports fans love to learn more about their favorite teams, players, and leagues through news content like match previews, post-match analysis, and player transfers. That's why displaying multimedia content alongside written articles in customizable news feeds can be a very useful feature for this kind of app.

Player profiles & statistics

Offer comprehensive player profiles with deep performance metrics and their comparisons with other players in different seasons. This feature may also involve detailed information on teams and leagues.

Dynamic visualizations

In-depth statistics, analytics, and other essential sports information in the form of boring numbers are now a thing of the past. Dynamic and shareable infographics have long gained popularity in sports apps as effective tools for describing essential sports events in a more engaging way. Moreover, adding interactive charts, graphs, maps, and other visual elements can help users gain deeper insights related to their favorite sport.

Push notifications

Hardly any leading sports app on the market operates without push notifications. With this feature, you can alert sports fans about valuable insights, news, events, and other live updates in order to help them return to your product. Focus on personalized push notifications and inform your users about various events and information based on their preferences and interests.

Social media integration

By integrating your application with various social networks, you can expand the app’s audience reach and create a sense of community. With one click, fans can communicate with each other, share essential sports event updates, and much more. Additionally, social media integration can facilitate the creation of new accounts in your app, which helps users save time.

Live streaming of sports events

Another core feature that is becoming popular among custom sports app owners is providing real-time access to games, matches, and tournaments through live streams. In addition to enhanced user engagement, this option can also help you retain your users. Users will be less likely to use other applications if your platform already has high-quality live-streaming options.

Additional Sports Apps Features for Better Retention & Revenues

To complete your application and help it break the charts, you can also implement additional features for improved user retention and revenue generation, which we described below. Overall, they can significantly enhance the value proposition of your sports app and differentiate it from competitors. Now, let's explore how to make a sports application with additional features to win the attention of your future users.

Personalized recommendations

2024 is becoming a year of personalized experiences, and most businesses on the market are eager to develop a sports app that will be tailored to the needs of users. For example, they implement algorithms that can provide a data-driven analysis of online sports fans' interests. That may help companies find information such as users' favorite sports, preferred teams, or athletes that interest them the most. Thus, sports apps can customize news feeds by adding diverse content that users will like to see and that motivates them to return to the platform.

Offline mode

Providing access to content and features of sports apps without an active Internet connection can take platforms to the next level. The application can help users pre-download certain content or data onto different devices while they remain connected to the Internet.

After leaving the network, users can have access to game highlights, match statistics, and other essential sports information and basic app features. This, in turn, can greatly improve the user experience, especially for those users who often experience Internet connection problems or travel in areas with poor network coverage.

Video highlights

Short app clips with highlights of special moments of a game, match, or competition can be a quick and efficient way for users to repeat memorable moments. They are accessible, engaging, and, most importantly, can help all users stay updated about their favorite games even if they missed the sports event.

Gamification

Using game mechanics in apps is a key way to effectively engage users in today's sports mobile app realm. Reward systems, challenges, leaderboards, achievement badges, and other gamification elements may help you keep users hooked on the app for a long time and stimulate them to explore your app more deeply.

Schedule & calendar

You can always keep your users updated by providing them with such helpful features as a schedule and calendar. In just a few taps, sports fans can uncover essential details like the next dates of upcoming sports events, exact event times, and names of teams involved. That will stimulate your users not only to utilize your app for match updates but also to stay online in order not to miss the important game.

Predictive analytics & betting

Adding this feature with advanced predictive algorithms and data analysis techniques to your sports app can give users insights on the outcomes of sports events, such as match predictions or game statistics, offering an additional layer of excitement to sports fans and helping you attract loyal users.

Virtual Reality

VR technology can add a new way for your users to interact with the app. In 2024, such Virtual Reality features as online stadium tours, 360-degree replays of matches, and interactive game simulations will gain special popularity. You may follow this strong upward trend and distinguish your application from the rest.

Community forums & chat rooms

Forums, chat rooms, or social groups can be an essential part of user engagement and building a vibrant ecosystem around your sports app. By interacting and connecting with each other, users can find like-minded individuals and be more active within the app. Plus, such features encourage users to create their own content.

Match reviews, sports event analytics, and other types of user-generated content can create huge discussions and engage many users in conversations. Overall, this can transform ordinary sports apps into supportive digital hubs where fans want to return for a positive community spirit.

Factors To Consider When Choosing Features for a Sports App

Some features can be very beneficial for your app, while others won't suit it, even if they are currently among emerging trends. To get to the bottom of things, there are a few crucial steps to take before implementing any of them. Without further ado, let's dive into 6 crucial factors that ensure that the selected sports app features will help you develop a successful and competitive product.

Market research & target audience

The first and most essential step in building a sports app is conducting market research. During this process, you'll receive a deep understanding of your target audience, including its demographics, interests, and other essential information. These valuable details can help you choose the most relevant features for your sports application.

Your initial market research may also involve analyzing competitors' applications. This way, you'll understand what features are in demand on the market right now and what are not.

Differentiation

Next, your company should highlight the uniqueness of your product in order to attract users' attention. You can achieve this in many ways, such as focusing on branding and positioning or offering unusual features and qualities of your application. From advanced analytics tools and virtual sports tournaments to interactive game simulations and behind-the-scenes content, sports apps can stand out in many ways to bring new experiences for their users.

Monetization models

Monetization strategies are used not only to generate income from the application but also to sustain its growth. Among the most popular monetization models you can find are the following:

• Advertising. This method involves banner, videos, and native ads. Promotion is the most effective for generating a reliable revenue stream with low implementation efforts.
• Subscription models. Companies can build multiple subscription tiers offering access to exclusive content, special features, or premium services. In addition to gaining stable and predictable revenue, subscriptions can encourage users to utilize a sports mobile app on a regular basis.
• In-app purchases. One-time purchases can be an efficient solution to generate incremental revenue from sports apps offering digital goods like power-ups or virtual currency. To make a profit from this strategy, companies will need to develop fresh, compelling virtual products frequently.
• Affiliate marketing. Apps can promote products or services of other companies in exchange for a commission on sales or referrals. By posting affiliate links or promotional content, your main goal would be to drive sales or leads for your partners.
• Ticket sales. Sports apps can sell digital tickets to various events directly through the platform, eliminating the need for users to visit a physical ticket office or website. One of the main advantages of this strategy is the wide range of sporting events.
• Sponsorship and partnerships. Direct financial agreements between your company and a sponsor or partner can be very beneficial. You can get funding or fees in exchange for the visibility and exposure of a brand or company in your app's content or events.

Usability & engagement

User-centric design and user engagement are closely related factors that play a key role in ensuring a positive user experience while interacting with your product. The more convenient and intuitive your sports application is, the more likely users will use it regularly.

Therefore, application features must be built in view of fundamentals such as intuitive navigation, correct color combinations, seamless functionality, and clarity of information. Thus, you can keep users satisfied and help them explore the platform and its functions further.

Scalability

You should also consider the scalability of features since your application will only evolve over time. In a fast-growing sports app landscape, it's essential to accommodate the future growth and expansion of your application.

Ensure that the architecture and infrastructure of your app can support additional features, users, and content. Thus, you will be able to develop a future-proof solution that can be easily expanded in order to meet the new needs of your users.

Security & privacy

According to the 2023 analysis of 3,335 sports apps, the average number of vulnerabilities per app was 39 in 2021, but it increased to 179. Therefore, it is essential to implement blockchain technologies, improved data encryption methods, access control mechanisms, and risk monitoring to prevent any breaches in your application.

These precautions can be useful to make a product that is both transparent and secure. You can also add a secure user authentication system with username/password combinations and biometric or two-factor authentication for ultimate protection of user accounts from potential threats.

Win-Win Potential of Sports App Features

The sports market will remain one of the most rapidly growing and promising areas in 2024. However, it can be challenging for startups to establish a strong presence in this niche. One of the proven ways to capture the attention of sports fans is by building a unique, scalable, user-centric, and secure solution.

Use this comprehensive feature guide to ease your digital journey and accomplish this goal. Incorporating the key and additional features will help you cover the basic needs, expectations, and preferences of sports fans worldwide. At the same time, you'll also need to take into account the above-mentioned factors. They will allow you to choose features that will best work for your application.