Grex Social vs ClubSpark: the complete club platform.
Court booking, memberships, automated competitions, coaching, events, member matching and community — on one modern platform across nine sports. Run Grex Social as your full club platform, or alongside your existing court-booking system if you'd rather not switch mid-year.
See how they compareThe verdict
Which should you choose?
Grex Social is a modern, complete club platform. Court booking, memberships, automated competitions, coaching enrolments with in-app payments, member matching, events and community — one platform across nine sports.
ClubSpark is the LTA-affiliated incumbent for UK tennis clubs. Its distinctive feature is LTA integration (rating updates, court-time grants, Play Tennis linkage). If your club depends on that, keep ClubSpark for the LTA piece; use Grex Social for everything else. If LTA integration isn't essential, Grex Social can be your only platform.
Side by side
How they compare.
| Feature | ClubSpark | Grex Social |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | LTA affiliation and legacy court-booking | Your club's primary platform — competitions, community, coaching, memberships |
| Sports covered | Tennis (primary), some badminton & squash | 9 — Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, Running, Cycling, Golf, Gym, CrossFit, Hyrox |
| Court booking | ||
| Membership admin | ||
| LTA integration | — | |
| Automated box leagues | LTA CMS integration | |
| Automated ladders | LTA CMS integration | |
| Team cups & inter-club competitions | — | |
| Auto-generated tournament brackets | Via LTA CMS | |
| Coaching enrolments + Stripe payments | Basic bookings | |
| Member matching + player-to-player arrangement | — | |
| Event management (socials, tournaments, championships) | — | |
| Multi-sport support | — | |
| Mobile-first player experience | LTA Play app | |
| In-app messaging & announcements | Email only | |
| Photo albums, feeds & club community | — | |
| Price | Free for LTA-affiliated clubs; commercial rates otherwise | Free for players; £39–£69/mo for clubs — See pricing tiers |
Where each one wins
Key strengths.
ClubSpark key strengths
- LTA integration: the affiliated software for UK tennis clubs. LTA rating updates, court-time reporting, and Play Tennis app linkage. The one area Grex Social doesn't cover — clubs that need LTA integration typically keep ClubSpark for that piece and run Grex Social alongside for competitions, coaching and community.
- Free for LTA-affiliated clubs: the LTA subsidises the platform for member clubs, so keeping ClubSpark for LTA integration alone costs nothing.
Grex Social key strengths
- A complete club platform, not just a booking system: Grex Social handles court booking, memberships and admin, and adds what a pure booking system doesn't — automated competitions, events, member matching, coaching payments, community. One platform, more of the club.
- Automated competitions: box leagues, ladders, tournaments, team cups. Auto-generated brackets, self-service score entry, live standings, automatic promotion and relegation. Removes the volunteer hours ClubSpark can't help with.
- Event management: club socials, tournaments, championships, coaching events. One place for members to see what's on, sign up, and turn up — with payment in-app.
- Member matching + player-to-player match arrangement: find partners at your club by skill, availability and location. This is what actually drives court utilisation — not the booking system, but the players meeting each other.
- Coaching enrolments with Stripe payments: members sign up and pay for coaching sessions, blocks and courses in-app. Payments land in your club's own bank account.
- Nine sports on one platform: tennis, padel, pickleball, running, cycling, golf, gym, CrossFit, and Hyrox — not just tennis. Multi-sport clubs run everything in one place.
- Modern mobile-first experience: in-app messaging, announcements, event registration, photo albums, community tools. What members expect from a club app in 2026.
- Memberships and court booking: the club-admin fundamentals that historically kept clubs on ClubSpark. Grex Social now covers both natively — adopt it as your full club platform, or keep an existing booking system and use Grex Social alongside for everything else. You choose the scope.
- Free for players: club subscription (£39–£69/mo) covers all your members at no per-user cost.
- Flexible adoption: run Grex Social as your full club platform, or alongside your existing court-booking system (ClubSpark or otherwise) if you'd rather not switch booking mid-year. You choose the scope.
What Grex Social adds that ClubSpark doesn't cover.
01 — Compete
automated competitions.
Box leagues, ladders, tournaments and team cups that run themselves — no LTA CMS gymnastics.
- Auto-generated brackets and standings
- Self-service score entry + confirmation
- Automatic promotion / relegation at round end
02 — Community
modern member experience.
In-app messaging, announcements, photo albums, event registrations, and member matching by skill + availability.
- Skill-level & availability-based matching
- In-app messaging and announcements
- Event registration and photo albums
03 — Beyond tennis
nine sports, one platform.
Grex Social supports padel, pickleball, running, cycling, golf, gym, CrossFit and Hyrox alongside tennis. If your club offers more than one sport, you don't need multiple platforms.
- Tennis + padel on the same platform
- Running, cycling and endurance groups
- Gym, CrossFit and Hyrox communities
Which one is right for your club?
Grex Social as primary (recommended)
The complete platform.
Court booking, memberships, competitions, coaching, community and communications in one modern system. Suits any club that wants complete, modern club management on a single platform. Runs on its own for padel, running, multi-sport, or non-LTA-affiliated clubs.
Add ClubSpark alongside if
LTA integration matters.
Your LTA-affiliated tennis club depends on Play Tennis, court-time grants, or LTA rating updates. Keep a lightweight ClubSpark instance for that specific integration only. Grex Social handles the rest.
Skip ClubSpark entirely if
LTA isn't essential.
Padel clubs, multi-sport facilities, running or cycling groups, or tennis clubs that don't rely on LTA integrations. Grex Social is your only platform — no ClubSpark instance required.
The modern club platform
9
Sports supported
Automated
Box leagues & ladders
In-app
Coaching payments
Modern
Mobile-first UX
FAQ
Common questions.
What is the difference between Grex Social and ClubSpark?
Grex Social is a modern club-management platform: court booking, memberships, automated competitions (box leagues, ladders, team cups, tournaments), coaching enrolments with Stripe payments, member matching, communications, events and community, across nine sports. ClubSpark is the LTA's affiliated software for UK tennis clubs; its distinctive feature is LTA integration (rating updates, court-time grants, Play Tennis app). The two overlap on booking and memberships — many clubs run both, keeping ClubSpark for LTA integration or an existing booking workflow and adding Grex Social for everything else.
Can I use Grex Social and ClubSpark together?
Yes. Some clubs adopt Grex Social as their full club platform, replacing what they run today; others keep their existing court-booking system (ClubSpark or otherwise) and use Grex Social alongside it for competitions, coaching and community. Both work — you choose the scope. Clubs that stay on ClubSpark for LTA-affiliation reasons can add Grex Social for everything ClubSpark doesn't cover.
Do I have to leave ClubSpark to use Grex Social?
No. Grex Social works as your standalone platform or alongside an existing ClubSpark setup — you don't have to rip anything out to try it. A common route is to start with Grex Social's competitions and coaching this autumn, keep ClubSpark for booking through the current renewal, then decide whether to bring court booking across to Grex Social when the renewal comes up.
Is Grex Social LTA-affiliated?
No — Grex Social is independent. LTA affiliation is not required to use Grex Social, which means clubs across nine sports (Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, Running, Cycling, Golf, Gym, CrossFit, Hyrox) can run their competitions and community on the same platform. If your club needs LTA affiliation for court-time grants or ratings, keep ClubSpark for that piece; use Grex Social for everything else.
Which is cheaper — Grex Social or ClubSpark?
ClubSpark is free for LTA-affiliated tennis clubs (the LTA subsidises it). Grex Social's player features are free; clubs pay £39/month (Club) or £69/month (Club+) for competition and management features. The practical question isn't which is cheaper — it's whether Grex Social's added functionality (automated competitions, coaching payments, member matching, community features, multi-sport support) is worth the club subscription. Both plan tiers include a 30-day free trial so you can test the fit before committing.
Which is better for running box leagues?
Grex Social. Box leagues on ClubSpark route through the LTA's Competition Management System (CMS), which handles the mechanics but is administratively heavy. Grex Social builds boxes automatically from your member list, handles self-service score entry, promotes and relegates players at round end, and reminds members of deadlines without a committee member chasing. See our full box-league guide for the end-to-end setup.
Does Grex Social support padel?
Yes — padel is a first-class sport on Grex Social, alongside tennis and seven others. Padel-specific formats include Americano, Mexicano, and King of the Court. ClubSpark's padel support is limited; if your club runs both tennis and padel, Grex Social gives you a single platform for both. If your club runs padel only, Grex Social is often a more natural fit than ClubSpark.
Do I lose my LTA affiliation if I use Grex Social?
No. Grex Social has no effect on your LTA affiliation. Whether you use Grex Social alongside ClubSpark or replace ClubSpark entirely, your LTA registration, court-time grants, and governance are unaffected. LTA-specific integrations (ratings updates, Play Tennis app) sit within ClubSpark, so if those matter to your members, keep ClubSpark for that piece.
Sources
Competitor details verified from public sources, August 2026. Pricing and features may change.
One modern platform, the whole club.
Court booking, memberships, competitions, coaching, community — across nine sports. Adopt Grex Social as your full platform, or run it alongside your existing court-booking system. You choose the scope.