Ascent Sports Group
Building Better Technology for Youth Sports
Ascent is a technology and media company focused on improving participation, engagement and connectivity across youth sports. It is the technology leader in youth hockey and serves other major sports as well. Ascent aims to deliver an integrated user experience where registration, secure payments, scheduling and team management, real-time stats, game video and player analytics are all available in one platform. The goal is to lower costs and friction for organizations and families, increase player and fan engagement, and grow participation at all levels.
By the numbers
One family, three platforms, a growing footprint.
Every shift, every shot
Captured live, scored instantly, and shared with everyone who couldn't be in the stands.
From the opening faceoff to the final horn, Ascent's companies are built into the game itself — on the glass, on the bench, and in every family's pocket.
Our companies
Three platforms built for the same team.
Each company leads its category — streaming, league management, and live scoring — and together they're building toward one connected experience for youth and amateur hockey.
LiveBarn
Live and on-demand streaming plus AI-powered performance analytics, from thousands of rinks and fields.
Spordle
End-to-end sports management — registration, scheduling, live scoring, and communication for governing bodies and clubs.
GameSheet
The official digital scorekeeping partner for leagues and tournaments across hockey, lacrosse, and soccer.
Key partners
Trusted by leagues and governing bodies across North America.
Ascent's companies work directly with the national federations, provincial and state associations, and leagues that run the game.
About Ascent
A new team behind the game.
Founded in January 2026, Ascent Sports Group is built to be the connective infrastructure behind youth and amateur sports — starting with hockey.
Ascent Sports Group was formed in January 2026 as a partnership between GTCR, an investment firm with more than 45 years of experience backing growth companies, and CEO Gary Swidler, previously President and Chief Financial Officer of Match Group. The idea was simple: youth and amateur sports are held together by a patchwork of tools built at different times, for different jobs, by different companies. Families, coaches, and leagues deserve better — a connected set of products built specifically for how the game is actually played, coached, and followed.
We started by bringing LiveBarn into the family — the live-streaming and video analytics network trusted by thousands of rinks across North America. GameSheet, the digital scoring platform behind hundreds of leagues and tournaments, and Spordle, the registration and league-management platform behind Hockey Canada's national registry, joined shortly after. Individually, each is a category leader. Together, they're the foundation of a single, connected experience — from the moment a player registers for a season, to the live scoresheet on game night, to the video replay a family watches afterward.
Hockey is where we're starting, not where we're stopping. We're building deliberately: prove the model in the sport we know best, then bring the same connected approach to other youth and amateur sports.
Ascent at a glance
- Founded January 2026, backed by GTCR
- Headquartered across offices in the US and Canada
- Three portfolio companies: LiveBarn, Spordle, and GameSheet
- Focused first on youth and amateur ice hockey
- Led by CEO Gary Swidler, previously President and CFO of Match Group
Two places to go next
Meet the people, and the platforms.
Leadership
Executives and Board
The operators and directors setting direction for Ascent and each portfolio company.
Leadership Team
Executive leadership
Gary Swidler
Kyle Hebenstreit
Benjamin Beauvais-Naubert
Steven Brien
Ray Giroux
Lyno Cote
Mike Kensit
Rich Berman
To Be Announced
To Be Announced
Governance
Board of Directors
Ascent's board combines its operating leadership with GTCR's investment team and independent directors from across sports and technology.
Portfolio
Three platforms, one game.
Each Ascent company leads its category. Together, they're building the connected infrastructure youth and amateur hockey runs on.
LiveBarn
Automated live and on-demand streaming, plus AI-powered performance analytics, from thousands of rinks and fields across the US and Canada.
Spordle
An end-to-end sports management platform — registration, eligibility, scheduling, and live scoring — trusted by national governing bodies down to local clubs.
GameSheet
The official digital scorekeeping partner for leagues and tournaments across hockey, lacrosse, and soccer in the US and Canada.
LiveBarn · Member of Ascent Sports Group
Every game, live and on demand.
LiveBarn streams live and on-demand video from thousands of rinks and fields across North America, and turns that footage into performance insight with LiveBarn Analytics.
Founded in Montreal, LiveBarn built the automated camera network that made it possible for families anywhere to watch a game live — or catch it later — without a broadcast crew. It's now the largest streaming network of its kind serving youth and amateur ice hockey, and provides streaming for a number of other sports as well. LiveBarn joined Ascent Sports Group in 2026.
What LiveBarn does
Built for families, coaches, and venues alike
- Live and on-demand streamingAutomated cameras cover every surface, so any game can be watched live or replayed later.
- LiveBarn AnalyticsAI-generated performance metrics and video breakdowns for every player and team, for every submitted game.
- Multi-sport coverageHockey first, with coverage of select basketball, baseball, volleyball and swimming facilities.
- Venue partnershipsCamera installations and streaming infrastructure built and maintained in partnership with thousands of rinks and facilities.
Spordle · Member of Ascent Sports Group
Powering every stage of the season.
Spordle is the technology backbone behind national governing bodies, leagues, and local clubs — from registration and eligibility to scheduling, live scoring, and standings.
Founded in Quebec in 2009, Spordle grew from a passion for sports into the enterprise platform trusted by major governing bodies — including Hockey Canada's national registry — down to local youth associations. Its unified suite manages the entire lifecycle of amateur sports: registration, compliance, payments, scheduling, live scoring, and communication. Spordle joined Ascent Sports Group in 2026.
Official technology partner, Hockey Canada National RegistryWhat Spordle does
One ecosystem, four core apps
- Spordle IDRegistration, membership, and eligibility management for governing bodies and clubs.
- Spordle PlayLeague, tournament, and association operations — scheduling, officiating, and statistics.
- Spordle PageWebsites and content management built for teams, leagues, and associations.
- Spordle AppThe central hub for players, parents, and fans — schedules, scores, and team communication.
GameSheet · Member of Ascent Sports Group
The trusted source for digital scorekeeping.
GameSheet is the official live-scoring and stats partner for leagues and tournaments across hockey, lacrosse, and soccer — used on iPads rinkside from the first whistle to the final buzzer.
Founded in 2013, GameSheet replaced the paper scoresheet with real-time digital scoring, standings, and stats — trusted by USA Hockey, Minnesota Hockey, and dozens of other governing bodies and leagues across the US and Canada. GameSheet Teams extends that same official data and video to every player and family. GameSheet joined Ascent Sports Group in 2026.
What GameSheet does
From the bench to the box score
- Digital scoringReal-time scoring, penalties, and play-by-play entered rinkside on iPad.
- Standings and statsAutomated standings, schedules, and player statistics for leagues and tournaments.
- GameSheet TeamsThe all-in-one team app with the official live score, stats, and video in one place.
- Governing body toolsSuspension tracking and game flagging built for league and association administrators.
Newsroom
Press
Announcements and news from Ascent Sports Group and its portfolio companies.
Ascent Sports Group Announces Acquisition of LiveBarn
Ascent completed its first acquisition, bringing LiveBarn's live-streaming and video analytics platform into the family and naming longtime LiveBarn executive Ray Giroux as CEO.
Read the full release ↗GTCR Announces Partnership with Gary Swidler to Form Ascent Sports Group
GTCR partnered with Gary Swidler, previously President and CFO of Match Group, to launch Ascent Sports Group — a new platform built to simplify and connect the technology behind youth and amateur sports.
Read the full release ↗Get in touch
Contact and Privacy
Reach the Ascent team, or read how we handle information across our platforms.
Contact
Ways to reach us
Privacy
Privacy overview
Information we collect
Ascent Sports Group and its portfolio companies may collect information you provide directly — such as when you register an account, subscribe to a service, or contact us — as well as information collected automatically through use of our products.
How we use it
We use information to operate and improve our products, communicate with you about your account or season, and meet our obligations to the leagues and organizations we serve.
How we share it
We do not sell personal information. We may share limited data with the governing bodies, leagues, or venues that a product is contracted to serve, and with service providers who help us operate our platforms.
Your choices
You can request access to, correction of, or deletion of your information by contacting the specific Ascent company you use, or by writing to privacy@ascentsportsgroup.com.