The dog sports club Lappeenrannan Agility Urheilijat ry has been using Suomisport’s services for two years. The Star Club for children, youth, and adults offers a variety of opportunities for those interested in agility, both for competitive sports and active hobbies. 

The agility-specialized club, which has around 200 members, utilizes Suomisport’s membership management and event management tools in its daily operations. 

The club’s chairman, Jarkko Hietasara, highlights that Suomisport especially allows volunteer efforts to be used more efficiently: 

– In a club that operates mainly through volunteer work, it is particularly important to make the most of the available manpower. Thanks to Suomisport, we no longer have to spend unnecessary time and effort on monitoring payments or other routine tasks. 

Ease of use was a positive surprise 

Hietasara praises Suomisport, especially for how easy it is to use. 

– Suomisport is a well-constructed platform, and its simplicity and reliability have left a positive impression. The app version, in particular, has been very useful. I’ve noticed that even coaches have needed very little instruction when adopting the platform, as its logic is easy to grasp. 

Suomisport has also received positive feedback from club members. Many have commented on how smoothly payments are handled when registering for events. The club also uses Suomisport for group orders of dietary supplements for dogs. 

Additionally, Hietasara points out that accessing the Tähtiseura (Star Club) -materials through Suomisport is very straightforward. He encourages other clubs to take advantage of these materials for developing their operations. 

The unique features of dog sports present challenges for the platform 

Dog sports differ significantly from many other sports, putting Suomisport’s functionalities to the test. According to Hietasara, the differences become evident in situations where one person registers multiple dogs for the same event. 

– In such cases, Suomisport is not yet perfectly optimized for agility’s needs, Hietasara states. 

However, the club has successfully created innovative solutions for using the platform, as its functionalities are flexible and adaptable. Even the registration process has been made to work by implementing small workarounds. 

User feedback and ideas help Suomisport improve 

Although agility’s unique characteristics have presented some challenges in using Suomisport, Hietasara especially appreciates how the platform listens to user feedback. 

– It really feels like the clubs’ ideas and suggestions are valued. I have personally participated in a Suomisport development day, where we had the opportunity to brainstorm and present ideas for future improvements together with other club representatives. 

– All in all, I see a lot of potential in the platform despite the challenges, Hietasara concludes.