How we got here.
From a shared frustration to the record behind more than 70 squads.
September 2024
Where it started
Aaron, Toby and Emily sit down with a shared frustration. Months of conversations with people across the game point to one answer: a digital passport the player owns and a system of record the club works from. The idea for OPN is born.
December 2024
The MVP is built
By December 2024 the first working version is built, with the OPN brand in place too.
Fun fact: OPN was almost called "Sportle".
2025
First clubs come on board
The first clubs put availability, medical and performance data on one record, and OPN starts to take shape as a real platform.
Summer 2025
First PFA pre-season
OPN partners with the PFA for the first time, supporting out-of-contract players at the PFA pre-season and powering the transfer list with data straight from the platform.
February 2026
OPN 2.0
A rebuild shaped by one question: what does modern football actually need? Faster, sharper, and built around how clubs really work.
May 2026
Opta partnership
Opta’s match data comes into OPN, so every player’s passport carries their performance record alongside their physical and medical history.
June 2026
PFA partnership expands
OPN partners with the PFA pre-season again, now 12 weeks long and with the first WSL and WSL2 camps. Every out-of-contract player gets a passport, powering the transfer list with their data.
August 2026
Sports Business Awards finalist
OPN is named a finalist for the Innovator award at the Sports Business Awards, for the Digital Athlete Passport and the PFA transfer list.
September 2026
Ultimate Sevens partnership
Ultimate Sevens appoints OPN as Official Athlete Passport Provider for its first Championship, taking the record from football into professional rugby sevens.
Today
More than 70 squads
From three people to more than ten, and from one club to more than 70 squads across the UK, now supporting every sport.
