The Active Network, Inc., got its official start in 1998 as a Web portal with regional grassroots sports information to recreational athletes, though some of the company's software development began as early as 1976 under Class Software, Ltd.

Within two years, Active.com was processing more than one million transactions involving event and league registrations, web publishing and e-commerce.

The company further solidified its place in the participatory sports market with the acquisition and development of media properties such as:

• eteamz.com, which offers team home pages, online registration and fundraising services to teams, leagues, camps and tournaments.
• ActiveEurope.com,offering online event registration, training tools, sport-specific content and community features.
• ActiveGolf.com, a source of local golf information, online tee time reservations and more.

Software Technology and Marketing Access

With its online communities in full swing, The Active Network turned its attention to finding other ways to use technology to support participation in and management of sports, activities and organizations that foster healthy, active lifestyles.

The company launched a full service marketing and promotions agency, the Active Marketing Group, to help brand marketers communicate with active consumers.

The company also introduced a line of technology and marketing solutions to help community organizations manage programs, facilities, memberships, registrations, donations and Web content. One of the line’s initial offerings was Recware, the first-ever hosted, Internet registration solution for the recreation industry. That product was later joined by other industry-leading software and online brands such as ActiveNet (RecNet) and Class Software, Ltd., the latter acquisition bringing an additional 30 years of experience in recreation and municipal management software solutions.

The Active Network Today

Today, the Active Network’s technology solutions are used by more than 100,000 events and 4000 community organizations. Active's media properties generate 100 million visits a month and over 12 million registered users participate through our online communities. The Active Network has made Inc. 500’s list of the fastest growing privately held companies for three years in a row, with average annual sales growth of 442.9 percent over that time.