DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blue Star Sports’ advanced technologies offer a complete solution for the youth sports market. Backed by Dallas Cowboys’ owner, president and general manager, Jerry Jones, and with a significant investment by Providence Equity Partners, a premier global private equity firm with $45 billion in assets under management, Blue Star Sports is already making plays to grow and reach all youth sports organizations.
Blue Star Sports is a response to youth sports leaders regarding how proper technology could enhance their organizations’ operations and elevate the experience for both the athlete and their parents. The software is fulfilling a need in the youth sports market and includes custom websites, registration and payment solutions for youth sports leagues, clubs and associations. The solution allows parents to conveniently register their children for a wide range of sports while providing an efficient process for organizations and coaches to streamline operations. The goal for Blue Star Sports software is to enhance the user experience and allow this growing market to seamlessly run their organizations.
“The Dallas Cowboys organization is dedicated to the development of youth sports at all levels,” said Jerry Jones, owner, president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys. “In order to deliver a world-class sports experience to youth organizations, we have partnered with Rob Wechsler to form Blue Star Sports. The future lies in the hands of the youth, and working to enhance the participation of young people in sports is very important to us.”
Charlotte Jones Anderson, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Marketing Officer of the Dallas Cowboys commented on Blue Star Sports, “The Dallas Cowboys have a strong understanding of how important the continual development of youth sports is to our communities. We are always looking for ways to empower young people in sports by providing them more opportunities to enjoy the benefits of athletics, sportsmanship and team building. We want to explore every means possible to make those experiences for those young people more accessible.”
“The team at Blue Star Sports has proven industry expertise in payments, sports, and technology, all areas in which Providence Equity has longstanding experience and relationships,” said Marco Ferrari, Managing Director at Providence. “We are excited to partner with Rob and his team in this large market opportunity and help further accelerate the success and growth of Blue Star Sports.”
Providence's previous and current sports and sports media-related investments consist of Ironman Triathlon, Major League Soccer (MLS) Media, Learfield Sports, Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network (YES), Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), Chime Communications and Topgolf. The investment will be made by Providence Strategic Growth, the growth equity affiliate of Providence Equity Partners.
Blue Star Sports was founded by Rob Wechsler, a serial entrepreneur with a proven track record of raising capital, initial public offerings and creating wealth-building companies. Wechsler now serves as the President and CEO of Blue Star Sports backed by a team of sports professionals and payments executives. Prior to Blue Star Sports, Wechsler was co-founder and CEO of two successful payments companies; Century Payments and CPA Inc. Both payments companies sold within a few years to Bain Capital, Advent International and Worldpay.
“I am extremely passionate about introducing a premier youth sports business solution to the market,” said Rob Wechsler, Founder and CEO of Blue Star Sports. “Throughout my entire life, I played and coached sports. Now with three children who are highly active in numerous sports, time is always limited. That’s when I identified the opportunity to make the lives of parents, volunteers and coaches much easier. The Jones family and Providence Equity Partners have a great reputation for business success and creating new opportunities,” said Wechsler. “They are deeply committed to making Blue Star Sports an industry leader.”
To learn more about Blue Star Sports and its operations in the youth sports industry, visit http://www.bluestarsports.com.
About Blue Star Sports
Blue Star Sports (BSS) is poised to become the industry leader in youth sports management by centralizing all operations and providing a complete solution for all youth sports leagues, clubs and associations. Backed by the owner, president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones and his family, Bain Capital, Worldpay and Providence Equity, Blue Star Sports is headquartered in Frisco, Texas, and will host its executive team at The Star – the future world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys. To learn more about how Blue Star Sports will revolutionize youth sports management, visit BlueStarSports.com.
About Providence Equity
Providence is a premier, global asset management firm with $45 billion in assets under management across complementary private equity and credit businesses. Providence pioneered a sector focused approach to private equity investing with the vision that a dedicated team of industry experts could build exceptional companies of enduring value. Since the firm’s inception in 1989, Providence has invested in more than 150 companies and is the leading equity investment firm focused on the media, communications, education and information industries. Providence is headquartered in Providence, RI and also has offices in New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Delhi. www.provequity.com.
