Playfinder’s mission of making it easier for everyone to play sports has kicked into top gear with its £650,000 Crowdcube raise reaching overfunding in just a fortnight.

It shows that society shares the belief that sport has an unrivalled ability to inspire people to lead healthier, happier lives.

This cash injection will underpin the company's growth strategy in 2020 and help establish the service across the UK.

Sadly, only 35 per cent of sports facilities are bookable online or through an enquiry system and Playfinder's search and booking platform is turning the tables.

Better access to recreational sports through Playfinder's online marketplace greatly increases utilisation rates and generates additional revenue for the facilities.

Online marketplaces have disrupted a wave of industries by making the search and booking process simpler, but until the launch of Playfinder these haven't genuinely created a positive legacy through sport.

Sport and exercise are a winning formula for improving all areas of life. They increase self-esteem, mood, and also help sleep.

Performance at work is onto a winner too as a study showed that people who exercised during work hours reported that their concentration increased by 21% and furthermore, 41% felt more motivated on days they exercised.

Since launching in 2014, Playfinder has helped 2.3m people find somewhere to play and is now generating £170k of bookings per month, growing at an average 8.5% month-on-month since Jan '18.

There is a large but underserved market (£2.4bn) which the service is unlocking, and with over 4200 partner facilities, Playfinder launched the industry-first Search by Time in 2017.

Playfinder is keeping the Crowdcube round open for another 10 days to give its community a chance to be part of the company's future and inspire society to be healthier by investing in its crowdfund.

Jamie Foale, Playfinder CEO and co-founder, said: "We believe in the power sport has to make a real difference to everyday life and the fact we're already overfunding shows our community shares that passion.

"The business idea came from my personal frustrations of being unable to find anywhere to play sport and technology has provided a solution.

"Despite hitting 101% of our funding, there is still the chance for our community to play a part in our future and help build a healthier society through sports."