PlayHQ API Integration for Grassroots Sports Apps | SportsFirst

The PlayHQ API is a powerful set of RESTful endpoints that gives developers programmatic access to sports competition data including registrations, fixtures, results, ladders, team management, and player profiles. Built by PlayHQ, a platform that manages grassroots clubs, community leagues, and governing bodies from entry-level programs all the way to national sporting bodies Playhq, the API is becoming increasingly relevant for US-based sports tech developers as PlayHQ expands into North America.

Rugby Canada recently announced a landmark partnership with PlayHQ the platform's first major North American deal migrating over 30,000 registered participants across 10 provincial unions to a unified, cloud-based system ahead of the 2026 season. Ministry of Sport For US sports app developers, this signals the right time to start building with the PlayHQ API.

PlayHQ API: Public vs. Private Endpoints

Not all PlayHQ API endpoints are created equal. Understanding the difference saves developers hours of confusion.

Public APIs are freely available and do not require any Authorization token. If you encounter a request for an Authorization token, you have attempted to reach a Private API endpoint, which is restricted and only accessible to approved PlayHQ partners. 

How to Make Your First PlayHQ API Request

Step 1 : Get Your API Key & Tenant

Before writing a single line of code, you'll need two things:

• x-api-key — your Client ID (a UUID format string)

• x-phq-tenant — the short-name of your sport/tenant in lowercase (e.g., afl, ca, bv)

Organization IDs are 32-digit unique identifiers (UUID) not readily visible on the PlayHQ website. Once you have the Organization ID, call the "Seasons for organisation" endpoint to retrieve season IDs. PlayHQ

Step 2 : Sample API Request (JavaScript / Fetch)

// PlayHQ API - Fetch Competition Fixtures
const API_KEY = "your-client-id-uuid";
const TENANT = "bv"; // e.g., Basketball Victoria

const fetchFixtures = async (seasonId) => {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://api.playhq.com/graphql`,
    {
      method: "POST",
      headers: {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "x-api-key": API_KEY,
        "x-phq-tenant": TENANT,
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        query: `
          query GetFixtures($seasonId: UUID!) {
            season(id: $seasonId) {
              grades {
                edges {
                  node {
                    name
                    fixtures {
                      edges {
                        node {
                          id
                          home { name }
                          away { name }
                          venue { name }
                          scheduledStartTime
                          status
                        }
                      }
                    }
                  }
                }
              }
            }
          }
        `,
        variables: { seasonId },
      }),
    }
  );

  const data = await response.json();
  return data;
};

Step 3 : Handle Pagination

For endpoints that may return large datasets, PlayHQ API implements cursor-based pagination (typically 100 items) to maintain performance. Where metadata.hasMore is true in your API response, there are more results available, which can be accessed with a cursor parameter. 

// Cursor-based pagination example
const fetchAllResults = async (endpoint, apiKey, tenant) => {
  let allResults = [];
  let cursor = null;
  let hasMore = true;

  while (hasMore) {
    const url = cursor
      ? `${endpoint}?cursor=${cursor}`
      : endpoint;

    const res = await fetch(url, {
      headers: {
        "x-api-key": apiKey,
        "x-phq-tenant": tenant,
      },
    });

    const json = await res.json();
    allResults = [...allResults, ...json.data];
    hasMore = json.metadata?.hasMore ?? false;
    cursor = json.metadata?.cursor ?? null;
  }

  return allResults;
};

PlayHQ API Features Overview

Key Use Cases for US Sports App Developers

The PlayHQ API is particularly useful for developers building apps in the following spaces:

Community League Platforms — If you're building a web or mobile app for local soccer, basketball, or rugby leagues in the US, the PlayHQ API gives you live fixture data, standings, and results without building backend infrastructure from scratch.

Fan Engagement Apps — Display real-time scores and match updates for fans following grassroots competitions. Pair the PlayHQ API with push notifications to keep users coming back.

Club Management Dashboards — PlayHQ supports every role in sports from grassroots clubs to governing bodies Playhq  making its API a strong foundation for internal tools used by coaches, administrators, and league coordinators.

Registration & Payments Portals — With Private API access, approved partners can embed registration flows and payment processing directly into custom-branded apps.

PlayHQ API Pricing

Pricing for PlayHQ starts at $5/user/month, with plans scaling based on the size of clubs, leagues, and features required. SourceForge API access is bundled with the platform subscription. For enterprise or custom integration needs, direct contact with the PlayHQ team is recommended.

PlayHQ API vs. Competitors

SportsFirst specializes in sports app development for US fintechs, leagues, and sports organizations. Whether you need a full custom sports app built on the PlayHQ API or need a developer to handle the authentication, pagination, and data modeling complexity our team has done it before.

We build production-grade sports apps with clean API layers, real-time data sync, and user-friendly interfaces coaches and league admins actually enjoy using.

FAQ 

Q: What is the PlayHQ API used for? 

The PlayHQ API is used to access sports competition data including fixtures, match results, standings/ladders, player registrations, and team management. It's designed for developers building sports apps, club websites, or fan engagement platforms.

Q: Is the PlayHQ API free to use? 

Public API endpoints are available to any registered PlayHQ user with an API key. Private endpoints require an approved partner relationship with PlayHQ. Subscription pricing starts at approximately $5/user/month.

Q: How do I get a PlayHQ API key? 

You can request API access through your relevant sporting body or directly via docs.playhq.com/tech. If you don't belong to a club but are looking to publish PlayHQ data, submit a request through your relevant sport via the PlayHQ contact page. PlayHQ

Q: Does PlayHQ API work for US-based sports organizations?

 PlayHQ recently entered the North American market with Rugby Canada as its first major North American partner, with full onboarding planned throughout 2025 for a 2026 season launch. Ministry of Sport US developers can integrate now via the existing API infrastructure.

Q: What authentication method does the PlayHQ API use? 

Public APIs require only an x-api-key header (your Client ID). Private APIs additionally require a Bearer JWT Authorization token, available only to approved PlayHQ partners. PlayHQ

Q: Does PlayHQ API support pagination? 

Yes. PlayHQ API implements cursor-based pagination, typically returning 100 items per request. When metadata .has More is true, pass the cursor value in your next request to retrieve additional results. PlayHQ

Q: Can I display PlayHQ data on my own website or app? 

Yes public competition data like fixtures, ladders, and results can be displayed on third-party platforms. Registration and participant data require partner-level API access.

Q: What sports does PlayHQ cover? 

PlayHQ supports leagues, clubs, and governing bodies across a wide range of sports, from grassroots community competitions to national-level events. Playhq Currently popular sports include Australian Rules Football, Cricket, Basketball, Netball, and Rugby.