Investors & Supporters

A sustainable model

LocalTeams is being developed as a nonprofit-led, open-source project. Our aim is to give grassroots sports groups practical tools to organise activities, manage participation and build stronger local communities—without taking a commission from players or from the money collected to pay for games.

We want the core platform to remain freely available for groups that choose to host it themselves. To help fund ongoing development and make the project sustainable, we are planning a separate commercial services business alongside the nonprofit organisation.

Our proposed structure

LocalTeams.org — nonprofit parent

LocalTeams.org is intended to become an Irish Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG). It is currently awaiting registration; it is not yet a registered CLG or a registered charity. The nonprofit will steward the project's social mission, open-source software and community development.

LocalTeams.ie — commercial services subsidiary

We intend to establish LocalTeams.ie as a separate commercial company owned by the nonprofit parent. It will provide optional paid services and commercial partnerships, with the aim that profits can help support the nonprofit's work. The subsidiary has not yet been established, and the final legal and governance arrangements will be subject to professional advice and the necessary registrations.

The two organisations would be separate legal entities, with appropriate contracts, accounting and governance. The proposed relationship is intended to keep the community mission distinct from commercial activity while allowing both to support the long-term sustainability of LocalTeams.

What the commercial subsidiary would do

• Managed hosting: reliable hosting for clubs and groups that would rather not operate their own infrastructure.
• Technical support: setup, maintenance, backups, upgrades, troubleshooting and support contracts.
• Sports-related commercial integrations: relevant services and partnerships with physiotherapists, sports injury clinics, sports-kit and equipment suppliers, coaching providers and sports facilities.
• Relevant sponsorship and advertising: carefully selected partners whose products or services directly relate to grassroots sport and activity management.

These services would be optional. Groups would remain free to self-host the open-source software, subject to its licence.

Player payments are not our business model

LocalTeams will not take a commission from players' contributions, match fees or payments collected by groups to cover the cost of a pitch or activity. If fourteen players contribute €5 each towards a €70 pitch booking, the full €70 belongs to the group or facility payment—not to LocalTeams.

Our commercial model is based on optional hosting, support and relevant partnerships, not a percentage of community activity payments.

Relevant examples

A nonprofit organisation can, subject to the law and its governing documents, own a separate taxable commercial subsidiary. This is an established approach in the technology sector:

• Mozilla: Mozilla has used a nonprofit-and-commercial-organisation structure. Mozilla's published organisational information describes the Mozilla Corporation as a wholly owned taxable subsidiary serving the nonprofit's public-benefit goals. Mozilla's wider structure has evolved, but it remains a useful example of combining open-source work with commercial operations.
• Wikimedia: Wikimedia Enterprise is operated by Wikimedia, LLC, a single-member limited liability company of the Wikimedia Foundation. It provides paid enterprise services while Wikimedia continues to maintain free public tools and access to its projects.
• Raspberry Pi Foundation: Raspberry Pi has also used trading-subsidiary and group structures to support its educational mission. Its corporate arrangements have changed over time, so it is an example of the broader model rather than a direct template for LocalTeams.

These organisations operate under different legal systems and their structures are not directly interchangeable with an Irish CLG. They demonstrate, however, that mission-led organisations can separate public-benefit work from commercial services while maintaining an overarching social purpose.

Donations and grants

Donations to support the nonprofit open-source project are still very welcome. Contributions can help fund software development, infrastructure, documentation, accessibility, community support and the continued availability of the platform to grassroots groups.

Donations are support for the project, not an investment or an entitlement to financial returns. LocalTeams is not currently claiming registered-charity status, and no tax relief on donations should be assumed.

Commercial partnerships and support

We welcome conversations with organisations that share an interest in accessible grassroots sport: community sports facilities, physiotherapists, sports equipment and kit suppliers, coaches and other relevant service providers.

We also welcome enquiries from clubs and groups interested in managed hosting or technical support.

Our commitments

• The core project is open source and intended to remain available for self-hosting.
• LocalTeams does not take a commission from player contributions or activity fees.
• Commercial partnerships should be relevant to grassroots sport and activity management.
• Player and group data should not be sold to advertisers or used for behavioural advertising.
• The nonprofit's mission and the commercial subsidiary's activities should be transparently governed and accounted for.

About this proposal

This page describes LocalTeams' intended organisational model. The proposed CLG registration, commercial subsidiary, ownership arrangements, contracts and any charitable status remain subject to completion of the relevant legal, regulatory and tax steps. The page is an invitation to discuss support and partnerships; it is not an offer of shares, securities or a financial investment.