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- Chicago Startup Spotlight: Catch Front Office | Chicago Stars FC Announce New Broadcast Duo
Chicago Startup Spotlight: Catch Front Office | Chicago Stars FC Announce New Broadcast Duo
Jack Nicklaus Wins NIL Lawsuit
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Startup Spotlight: Catch Front Office
Managing operations for a sports organization can be chaoticâdisjointed systems, endless spreadsheets, and communication gaps between departments create inefficiencies that slow down growth. Sales teams struggle to track commissions, sponsorships, and bookings, while finance teams juggle invoices and payments across multiple platforms. This fragmentation leads to lost revenue, missed opportunities, and operational headaches. Catch Front Office Platform is built to solve this problem by centralizing all sales, operations, and financial management into one seamless system, ensuring teams can work smarter, faster, and more efficiently.
Overview
Catch Front Office Platform is a comprehensive, all-in-one solution designed to streamline operations for sports organizations. By consolidating multiple systems into a single, cohesive platform, Catch eliminates inefficiencies, enhances cross-department communication, and provides a unified source of truth for teams and organizations.
"Our goal is to always provide the best platform and services to our teams across North America. This new Platform was literally built from our own stadiums and teams begging us to help solve their problems, it wasn't just something we 'think' could help. Sports Teams have so many different areas of their business, with really nothing talking to each other, and most likely 100 different excel/google sheets managing everything. There's so much data left out there to not only help make operations more smoothly, but help teams make more money through sponsorships, F&B, premium areas & more. Our new Catch Front Office Platform is changing how Sports Organizations run their business, taking the outdated spreadsheet nightmares into one source of truth for all aspects of the business. The teams already using it have seen immediate value in hours saved each day, more revenue coming in, and happier staff running operations." - Vince Surdo, Founder
Key Features & Benefits
Streamlined Operations & Cross-Department Communication
Sales & Revenue Management
Payment & Invoice Automation
Suite & Booking Management
Success Story
The Florence Flamingos, known for their electric atmosphere and top-tier fan experience, were looking for a better way to streamline operations, reduce costs, and enhance their in-venue service. After struggling with Squareâs high fees and poor support, they made the switch to Catchâand the results have been nothing short of a grand slam.
A Winning Play for Point of Sale & Mobile Ordering
Before Catch, the Flamingos faced high processing fees and limited support with Square, making it difficult to scale their Mobile Ordering and Point of Sale operations. By switching to Catch, theyâve already saved tens of thousands of dollars in processing fees alone. More importantly, fans are now enjoying a premium, in-seat ordering experience, customized specifically for the Flamingosâ ballpark. Whether itâs a hot dog in the seventh inning or a cold drink on a hot night, fans can order seamlessly from their seats, making game days smoother than ever.
From Spreadsheet Chaos to Front Office Efficiency
Behind the scenes, the Flamingosâ Front Office was juggling over 30 different Excel spreadsheets to track everything from sales and sponsorships to bookings and food & beverage. This disjointed system led to inefficiencies, errors, and countless wasted hours. By rolling out the Catch Front Office Platform, the team has completely transformed their operations. The results speak for themselves:
Pre-season revenue and bookings are up 15% compared to last year.
Hours of staff time saved daily, allowing the team to focus on growth, not data entry.
A single, unified system for managing every aspect of their business, all in one place.
âThe Catch Front Office Platform is arguably the best thing I've ever seen in the sports industry around tech. After getting the demo, I knew right away we were going to use it and it's already made our lives in the Front Office much easier. We're very excited to continue to use the Platform.â
â Mitchell Lister, Team President, Florence Flamingos
With lower costs, a better fan experience, and an elite-level Front Office operation, the Flamingos are set up for success on and off the fieldâall thanks to Catch.
What can the Chicago Sports Tech Community do to help?
Do you work for a sports organization or have a connection to one? Email Vince at [email protected]

How Chicago Sports Fans Are Engaging with Online Betting Platforms in 2025 Chicago is a huge player in the sports betting industry. Sports betting generated $1.2 billion in revenue in 2024, up 20.7% from 2023. And itâs only poised to get bigger as new players and legislation are introduced. Since it was legalized in Illinois in 2019, technology has only made it easier and more convenient to place a bet on just about anything. Everyone knows about the big players in the industry (DraftKings, Fan Duel, BetMGM). But a local platform like BetRivers will allow for enhanced odds on the local teams or prop bets. Like a bet on when Josh Giddey will hit another buzzer-beater or how many home runs Seiya Suzuki will hit this season. Win or lose, online sports betting is immersing our crazy fans closer than ever to the action. Read what Chi City Sports predicts the future of sports betting will look like.

Chicago Stars FC, FOX Chicago Name Cassie Carlson and Jessica McDonald to Local Broadcast Team The Stars will look to get more shine in the crowded Chicago sports landscape after its newest changes. It will now feature a broadcast duo of Cassie Carlson from FOX Chicago and Jessica McDonald, three-time NWSL champion. Carlson is a native of Palatine and has been with FOX Chicago since 2022. Sheâs been a sports anchor and sideline reporter for multiple sports. McDonald was drafted by the Stars in 2010. She was part of the U.S. Womenâs National team that won the 2019 FIFA Womenâs World Cup, and since retiring, sheâs been a key broadcaster for the NWSL. Itâs a great move by the club to combine homegrown talent in Carlson and a former player in McDonald with roots to the clubâs early days. Hopefully, the duo boosts the Starsâ profile and scores big ratings. More on the experience of both Carlson and McDonald can be found here.

Soldier Field a moneymaker with or without the Bears, retiring park district CEO says Rosa Escareno, retiring Superintendent of the Chicago Park District, says Soldier Field will continue to thrive even without its top tenant. Soldier Field does rent its field to the Fire and hosts a number of events not tied to the Bears, like concerts, college football, and rugby. And it does make bank on these events, keeping revenue from food, beverage, and parking, leading to record revenue numbers in 2024. But the brash confidence from Escareno of Soldier Fieldâs supposed invincibility is obviously biased and overly confident. Thereâs no way she (or anyone) believes Taylor Swift, who performed to sold-out crowds for three nights in 2023, wouldnât move her future concerts to a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium that will most likely be domed. I do applaud Escareno for taking up for her long-time employers as she heads out the door. Itâs Chicago loyalty at its finest. Check out the full take from the Sun Times, including the latest on the new stadium plans.

Cubs one of MLB's most valuable franchises, new ranking says Even though the Cubsâ winning percentage has remained flat over the past couple years, their value off the field is soaring. Forbes released its 2025 valuations of all 30 MLB teams, and the Cubs are the fourth most valuable. The franchise has seen its value rise by 9% in a year, bolstered by the 1060 Projectâs local impact. Itâs impressive considering the Cubs are the only team among the top five most valuable with at least five years since its last playoffs appearance. Optimism is high for this season, though. Local and national predictions call this yearâs Cubs squad a division-winning one. Wrigley Field is well-deserving of a return to the October limelight, with a winning franchise on the balance sheet and on the field. See exactly how much the Cubs are worth here.

Jack Nicklaus Wins Case Over Use of His Own NIL Name, image, and likeness cases have become synonymous with college sports today. Collegiate athletes have reshaped college sports forever by pursuing the right to use their NIL to make money. Itâs the same thing their schools and the NCAA have done for decades. So it was more than a little surprising to hear that Jack Nicklaus, an 85-year-old Hall of Famer, has been tied up in court over the use of his NIL. Nicklaus was seeking to license his intellectual property to golf tournaments and a video game. But Nicklaus Companies, the company that was formed that bought his original company GBI Investors in 2007, objected to it. If the case had gone the way of Nicklaus Companies, Nicklaus couldâve been liable to be sued for simple things like signing a golf ball for a fan. Fortunately, Nicklaus won the case, which allows him to continue making business moves well past an age most of us would like to be retired. Itâs not over yet, as Nicklaus Companies says there are grounds for an appeal. Sportico lays out all the juicy facts from the case.

After NCAA Tournament appearance, Saint Francis (Pa.) moving to DIII March Madness officially ends tonight on the menâs side, but for St. Francis, their second appearance ever in the tournament will be their last. Imagine being a diehard alum and waiting 34 years to experience March Madness again with your alma mater, only to witness a gut-wrenching 2-point loss. But it's worse, knowing the team will never get the chance to compete on that stage again to get revenge. Itâs an eyebrow-raising move because of how drastic of a change it will be for all of their sports. But when you consider the business side of the decision rather than just the emotional, it makes sense for a school like St. Francis to go to D-III. Its board of trustees cited the new pay-for-play system in college and extensive travel as some of the big reasons for the change. Schools like St. Francis, with a student population under 2,000, could never compete with the Dukeâs and Auburnâs of the college world with its modest NIL budget. And with St Francis a private institution rooted in tradition, it values its athletes remaining student-athletes. The move to D-III will take them to a conference that significantly reduces the amount of travel. The logic makes sense when you present these considerations, but Iâm sure the fans of its basketball team wonât be in the mood to listen to that argument anytime soon. Learn more about what conference they will be moving to and who else made a similar move.

FIFA details Club World Cup prize money with $125M target for the winner in $1BN fund The inaugural Club World Cup is coming to the U.S. this summer, and FIFA is making sure the trip is worthwhile for the 32 teams playing in it. FIFA unveiled its plans to disperse $1 billion over the course of its month-long tournament. Clubs will earn a range of fees for just showing up, actually playing, and winning games in each round. This tournament will feature 21 different soccer clubs competing in 11 cities nationwide. It will take place between June 14th and July 13th to see who will leave with the golden trophy that awaits them at the White House. For the soccer fans out there, it will be a loaded summer with the Club World Cup, the Premier League Soccer Series coming to Chicago, and Lionel Messiâs exhibit. See the full breakdown from AP News on how much the clubs get depending on where they hail from.

Silver: NBA Will âExploreâ European League With FIBA The NBA hasnât been shy about making moves to extend its reach globally. Commissioner Adam Silver made it official that the NBA will look to solidify its presence in Europe by exploring a potential league there. Itâs very early, but discussions include the concept of having 16 teams and using some of the existing European clubs as charter members. Europe has been a goldmine of talent for the NBA since the '90s (remember Toni Kukoc?). Itâs an arrangement that could help the NBA retain a strong presence in Europe while the NFL continues to encroach on it as a big growth market for itself. Nothing has been agreed upon yet, but the NBAâs Board of Governors seems to be fully on board. For a recap of the proposed values of a European League and who could be the first members, check out this article.