What’s The Scór phone app big hit for creator Flaherty
IF there was one thing that caught the imagination of GAA enthusiasts last year it was the launch of the What’s The Scór mobile phone app by Galway’s 2017 All-Ireland senior hurling medal winner, Paul Flaherty.
In less than a year, the app has created a massive following within the GAA community, both inside and outside the county. To date, over 200 clubs worldwide have used the app, which gives minute-by-minute updates on club games, while the app also currently boasts over 50,000 downloads.
Flaherty, who along with his brother Brian was part of Micheal Donoghue’s victorious All-Ireland winning squad in 2017, had been contemplating creating such an app for a time, but in early September 2018 he finally made up his mind to pursue the project.
“Basically, Moycullen and Milltown were playing in the senior football championship, and Monivea/Abbey needed the result to see whether we were still in the football championship or not. The game was on at five o’clock or so and we had training at 7pm. Anyway, myself and another lad said there was no point going training if we were out of the championship,” laughs dual star Flaherty.
The two players looked for the match updates and result on Facebook and Twitter, but they couldn’t find anything. They tuned into Galway Bay FM, but they were carrying a live commentary from a Connacht rugby game, and all the while the time was ticking towards 7pm.
“I had the idea for a while, but that was the moment that it just clicked and I said I would go for it. So, I brought the idea for the app to Boon Agency in Galway and they did the graphics along with work on it with their developers in Spain. And it went from there,” he says.
After doing his research and acquiring a costing to launch the app, Flaherty got a loan from his local credit union to push on with the initiative. He had that much faith that his product would succeed.
“I did,” affirms the 27-year-old, “because there was no other competitor out there, besides Twitter maybe, and that is not really a great place to follow a game. If it is not on television or the radio, there is nowhere really.
“Some games now are also being streamed and I would hope that maybe in a year or two we might be able to do the same. So, if you are watching Killimordaly versus Cappataggle or something, you could click in the middle of the screen, and there could be a stream from whatever company is doing it. That, though, is down the road.”
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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