This NBA-style rec league is expanding to more Canadian cities

Brodie Rec League, one of North America’s largest recreational basketball leagues, is launching a major Canadian expansion backed by millions in funding and a new player app experience rebuilt with AI.

According to the company, Brodie will expand into Vancouver, Edmonton, and Winnipeg, backed by the $5 million in funding from Toronto-based firm Golden Ventures and New York-based Lerer Hippeau.

This new round of funding will fast-track the company’s expansion across North America and “build the leading recreational sports platform for everyday athletes.”

A major component of the expansion is the completely redesigned Brodie app, which the company says was coded entirely with AI agents. In an interview, founder and CEO Connor Renton says the main reason was its speed and accessibility.

“When we started, it was to augment the physical reality of it all, and it wasn’t meant to be the experience — it was meant to make the experience a little bit better,” Renton said. “We had no resources, we had no money, we were fully bootstrapped, and it was the only option for us.” Renton also added that “We started because anyone could do it, and it was easy to get into.”

According to Brodie, the company uses AI to track scorekeeping, player career statistics, badges, player archetypes, and leaderboards, supporting content operations and creating highlight packages for each game and player, making it feel more like an experience one would get if they made it to the NBA.

“If you think of it, an NBA game is scored by 30 people, all watching the game and scoring everything, and it’s evolving. But generally, small companies and rec leagues would never have access to that, so AI has been able to give us [the ability to scorekeep and track more statistics for competitors].”

If you’re looking to join Brodie, you can check out the nearest availability here, and if Brodie is near you, the company is currently accepting registrations for the winter season, nicknamed the Coldest Winter. The season opens Dec. 4 and features some hockey and basketball mashup jerseys (my personal favourite is the Atlanta mashup).

Header image credit: Brodie