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Welcome to Sportmonks

We know a lot is going on in the world of sports data. That is why we decided to write a blog to guide you through all the vital information about Sports data and Sportmonks. Let’s dive in!

Sportmonks

First things first, we are Sportmonks, a group of sports data enthusiasts. Our developers & in-house scouts are putting in hours and hours so we can provide the best possible sports data to media companies, hobbyists, betting portals, live score websites, fantasy games, and fellow developers.

We started almost a decade ago. At that time, we sought a way to turn our passion into our profession. Since then, Sportmonks has become a significant player in the sports data market. We aim to make sports data available for everyone.

Why is that?

That is a noble cause, so I hear you thinking: “Why?” Well, it is simple: we started with a different goal. We wanted to create our own Fantasy Game. However, we found major roadblocks in collecting the data we needed.

We decided to start collecting data ourselves. We started collecting what we needed, and before we realised it, we built the product we were looking for ourselves. We refined our own sports data, and we realised that we were probably not the only developers looking for sports data that was affordable AND trustworthy. After we realised that, we started to sell our data. Nowadays, we are one of the biggest data providers in the world. We have over 30,000 active users of our APIs, and we offer multiple sports. We offer a Football API, a Cricket API and a Formula 1 API.

Our customers

Below you will see a few of the 30,000 excellent partners we associated with. Do you want to read their incredible stories? We have had the chance to preview some of them on our case study pages.

So, which kinds of customers and partners have teamed up with Sportmonks? We will show some of our clients you might know here:

The World of Sports Data

Before diving into our products, let’s look at the world of sports data. What is sports data? What is an API? What makes this world so interesting?

What is sports data?

Sports data is what it is all about. If you found Sportmonks, I expect you to know a thing or two about sports data. Anyway, let’s give you a small refresher. Sports data refers to a broad category of information related to sports. It includes a wide range of details, statistics, and metrics associated with various aspects of sports, teams, players, events, and more. All this data is stored in our APIs.

Statistics could be used in fantasy sports leagues to determine virtual teams’ performance based on individual players’ real-world performance. Bettors use all kinds of sports data to decide when to place a specific bet. A lot of data can be found in live score apps. A live score app shows various statistics and other data for specific matches. Think about H2H results, standings before and after the game, goal scorers, corners, shots, substitutions, line-ups, and much more.

This information is crucial for various stakeholders, including sports teams, media outlets, fantasy sports platforms, and sports bettors, as it allows them to analyse performance, make informed decisions, and enhance the overall experience of engaging with sports.

Why do people use sports data?

People use sports data for all kinds of purposes. Everybody can use sports data. For example, professional clubs use specific data to scout their next potential player. Professional managers could use data to help analyse their next opponent and determine which players are perfect to counter the opponent. Players use the data to get better at specific aspects of their game, while they can also use it to learn about their opponents. However, there are more ways to use sports data.

Why would you use our Sports data?

Below, you can find some examples of how our customers use our data. If you want more possibilities, check out our case studies to learn how others use and experience the Sportmonks API. At our documentation page “What can you do with Sportmonks’ data” you will find some more detailed information.

The customers of sportmonks have all kinds of use cases:

Media companies

Media companies leverage sports data to enhance their content and engage audiences in a dynamic and relevant manner.

Odds portals

Odds Portals are comprehensive platforms that rely on sports data to provide users with accurate and real-time information on betting odds, match results, and statistical analyses across various sports events.

Live score apps

Live score apps deliver real-time updates and instant information to sports enthusiasts. These apps serve as a go-to source for users seeking up-to-the-minute scores, match statistics, and game progress across various sports.

Fantasy games

Realfevr creates engaging and competitive experiences for participants. Fantasy games allow users to assemble virtual teams of real-life athletes and compete based on the statistical performances of those players in actual sporting events.

Organising content of football clubs

Scoreplays' AI relies on player mugshots for facial recognition and names for jersey recognition to identify them on pictures. Also, the schedules are critical, associating a picture with a specific game.

Developers

One thing all customers have in common is that someone is needed to work with the API and create a website or an application after implementation. It is something that only people with knowledge of coding can do. That is why we built a Football API for Developers.

However, if you use our Football Widgets, you don’t need any coding. You only have to copy and paste a Sportmonks code at your website and you will have all the data you need.

How do you collect your data?

Sports data is collected through various means, such as manual recording, sensors, cameras, and other tracking technologies. Our data collection process centres around our data platform. This platform employs dedicated global scout teams and esteemed data partners to compare and confirm our Football Data.

Our goal is to provide our users with the most comprehensive and reliable football data, and we welcome any feedback to help improve our data quality.

What is an API?

Okay, you have seen the API on this page several times now. But what is an API? Things become technical here, but it is worth explaining if you don’t know already. An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of rules and protocols that allows one software application to interact with another. It defines the methods and data formats applications can use to request and exchange information. APIs enable different software systems to communicate with each other, facilitating the integration of diverse technologies.

APIs can be found in various contexts, including web development, mobile app development, and desktop applications. They provide a standardised way for developers to access certain functionalities or data from a service, library, or platform without needing to understand the internal workings of that system.

There are different types of APIs:

Web APIs (RESTful APIs, SOAP APIs): These are commonly used for web development and enable online communication between web services.
Library APIs: Libraries often come with APIs that developers can use to interact with the library’s functions and features.
Operating System APIs: These allow applications to interact with the underlying operating system, accessing features such as file systems, device drivers, and hardware components.
Database APIs allow applications to interact with databases, execute queries, and retrieve or modify data.

APIs have a crucial role in modern software development. APIs promote modularity, interoperability, and collaboration between software components and services. They are designed to build complex and feature-rich applications by leveraging the capabilities of existing systems.

What makes your API so special?

This is an understandable question. Well, first things first, this API was built by sports-loving developers for developers. We strongly believe that the API is a joy to work with. The data quality stands out. The API is flexible due to our (nested) includes, filters and the possibility to select specific fields. The API has many data features and offers multi-language and multi-sports in one API.

Besides the unique API characteristics, Sportmonks’ customer support is unrivalled. The documentation pages are of the highest quality to explain all the possibilities. And last but not least, we keep adding innovative features to offer the best sports data API in the business.

How does it work?

I hear you thinking again, how does it work? What needs to be done is create some middleware that your frontend application is calling. We recommend using a middleware that takes care of calling our API. From now on, your tokens will never be exposed, and you will safely use our API. This way, you will use fewer API calls as well.

That sounds really technical. However, a developer will know what to do.

Interesting, but how does my developer get the data from your API?

Great question! For a developer, our APIs feel like a party (so our customers said). We have a wide range of documentation pages, including endpoint explanations, tutorials, guides, tips, and tricks.

This was created to make it easy for developers to integrate and get used to our APIs. In the documentation, Sportmonks’ developers explain exactly how to build your requests to get the API response you need. As mentioned earlier, we are proud of the flexibility of our API. That means multiple request options exist to receive the exact data set you need.

Authentication

In some cases, the most easy part is the most crucial. At Sportmonks, you have two options for passing your API Token:

Authenticate using a query parameter
Authenticate using a request header

You can read more about this at our Authentication page.

Data Features

So, I know how to get the data now, but what data do you have? To answer this question, we need to dive into our products further. You can check out all our data features in a bit. For now, I will mention some prevalent features in our Football API:

There is a lot more where this is coming from. Please check out our Coverage page.

1 Statistics

Statistics are everywhere. We have season statistics, fixture statistics, team statistics and player statistics. All statistics represent relevant information about the performance of teams and players.

2 Livescores

Do you know what the most important thing is in football? It is about goals. In particular, that you know when a goal is scored and what that means in a particular fixture or season.

3 Standings

The standings of a league are essential for any website or application. Everybody competes to win the league trophy, play in international tournaments, or stay in the division.

Our Products

Now you know much more about the world of sports data, APIs, etc. But what about Sportmonks? You know how we started, what we do (providing sports data), and how we collect sports data. But what are the products we offer?

As mentioned earlier, we have a lot of unique customers with a wide range of ideas, concepts, websites, applications, and products. Therefore, we have a wide range of products and services, as we need to meet their wishes and needs. We want to keep innovating and keep surprising our customers with new products and features.

Earlier, we briefly mentioned the APIs we have. We want to explain a little more about the Football API and its add-ons.

Football API

Our Football API is designed for iGaming, media, developers, and football enthusiasts alike, ensuring you can create a football application that meets the needs of any company and developer. We made our API as flexible as possible, and it shows. Just look at the variety of customers, and you will know it is true.

So, we have already put a link to our features. But what about the leagues? We cover over 2.150 leagues worldwide with our Football API. As if this wasn’t enough, we add leagues to this list every day.

Football API Add-ons

Use the predictions to beat the bookies.

Predictions API

The Predictions API is here for state-of-the-art predictions for over 900 leagues. People can use this for all kinds of projects. We see betting/odds portals using our predictions most of the time. However, some people also use the predictions for analysing leagues and teams. For more information, please visit our Prediction API page.

We wrote an in-depth tutorial for the Prediction API.

Get ready to elevate your sports betting experience to new heights with Sportmonks and TXODDS by your side.

Premium Odds Feed

The Premium Odds Feed is the ultimate tool for fierce bettors and passionate sports enthusiasts. We joined forces with TXODDS, a renowned sports odds data provider. Therefore, we can deliver an odds feed that meets the highest possible standards. It has pre-match odds for over 180 bookmakers and 20+ markets. The Premium Odds add-on comes with a new feature: tracking the history of the odds. If you are interested in the Premium Odds Feed, please learn about it on our Premium Odds page.

In our Premium Odds Feed documentation, you can find which endpoints you can use.

Pressure index

The Pressure index offers insight into the momentum and dominance of a team during the match. The Pressure Index Chart delivers a real-time visual portrayal of the game’s dynamics, offering a profound understanding of its intensity and flow for more informed betting decisions and live updates of performances. More information can be found on our Pressure Index page.

The documentation on the Pressure Index is very important to make the most of this feature.

News API

Our news API adds another dimension to your website or app. The Sportmonks scouts write high-quality previews. Every match in the Premier League and Champions League is covered. Also, the top five teams in the La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 are covered. World Cups and European Championships are in the News API as well. Please find all the information on our News API page.

With our News API documentation you will be able to make the most of its features.

Football Widgets

Our football widgets are easy to use, and once you have copied and pasted the line of code into your website or application, you no longer have to worry about it.

Sportmonks’ developers cover the maintenance of the widgets. The data comes directly from the Football API. Find more information on our Widgets Page.

Still not sure how to use the Football Widgets? Please check our Widgets documentation and find out exactly how to do so.

Our team

Our crew consists of genuine team players, all passionate about their expertise. Our developers and marketers are true professionals who bring a friendly atmosphere to the workplace. Everyone collaborates closely, and communication lines are short, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard. Sportmonks is a group of young, talented players passionate about sports (data).

There are two offices in the Netherlands (in Deventer and Leeuwarden). However, we have colleagues in Europe, Africa, South- and North America and Asia who work remotely. You see a part of the Dutch crew at a company event in the picture.

Documentation

Our documentation is one of the most important assets we have. Customers like the way we explain how our API works. That is why this is something we have to show you here. These documentation pages will lead you every step of the way. We have special documentation pages for our Football API, Football Widgets, Cricket API, and Formula 1 API.

What if I still need help?

Don’t worry; we have got your back. We understand you might have questions about the API, documentation or something else.

Customer support

Of course, you can reach out to our customer support team. We have dedicated people at our help desk. They know everything about our products and will be happy to help you with any questions you may have. Feedback or ideas are always welcome, and our team will consider everything. You can contact us at [email protected].

FAQ

Not in the mood to speak to anyone? That is alright. We have a page dedicated to your questions. We collected all the questions we receive on a regular base, and made an overview for everyone.

Tutorials and Guides

We have a couple of in-depth tutorials and guides on our previously mentioned documentation. Some of your questions could be answered there as well. These tutorials and guides are here to guide you through many use cases and get all the information you need to get your website/application running.

Terms of service

We know nobody likes reading the terms of service. However, checking them to know what you can and cannot do is always important.

My.Sportmonks

In MySportmonks, you can start creating the future of sports. MySportmonks is a customer portal designed for all our customers.

This is designed to give you the optimal experience. You can manage your subscription, see your API usage, change the league priority, request translations, test the API, manage your football widgets and join the prediction game. In short, this environment should allow you to make any changes to your subscription if you want whenever you want.

Keep in mind that you need to create your API token here. You will only be able to see it once. However, you can always create a new API Token.

This is the place to request custom plans, add any add-ons or request your widgets. You can customise your league priority here as well. This means you can decide which of your leagues will be on top in the responses. Besides all of that, you can join our active Beta programmes if any are available.

Most importantly, you can get your subscription and change it at all times.

Conclusion

You made it to the end and know a lot about Sportmonks now. We would like to know more about you as well. Let’s discuss your idea with sports data and find out what we can do for each other. What do you think?

Contact our fantastic support team at [email protected], and let’s get to know each other.