DENVER, April. 27, 2020 -Sports Thread, a free social networking app for the youth sports market has become a top 50 ranked sports app on the Apple App Store since the "Stay at Home" order has been issued by state governments around the United States in response to COVID-19.

COVID-19 has caused high school athletics to cancel seasons, removing the ability for athletes to be scouted by college recruiters in person at sporting events. Additionally, the NCAA has extended the "dead period" through May 31, 2020, where college coaches can have zero face-to-face contact including on-campus visits with prospective student athletes. With zero gameplay and zero in-person contact with coaches for athletes, Sports Thread has seen thousands of new sign-ups per week with athletes looking for an alternative way to gain an opportunity to play in college.

Sports Thread has also seen dozens of new college programs at all levels joining the platform to use the social network's filters to search for and connect with athletes in the current and upcoming graduating classes.

"The athletes on Sports Thread have recognized that they need to take control of their situation and have turned to us to create opportunities. In a time where things are so uncertain with COVID-19, it is amazing to see so many motivated youth athletes who want to make their own way regardless of the circumstances they are facing", said Sean Leary, CEO of Sports Thread.

"Today coaches are looking for young people that are intelligent, athletic and aggressive. The ability to use social media to enhance an athlete's opportunity speaks to their intelligence and aggressiveness to create visibility at all levels of collegiate athletics. Sports Thread can be a valuable link in assisting the athlete and college." said Tyrone Willingham, former head coach of Stanford University, University of Notre Dame, University of Washington.

Sports Thread is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

SPORTS THREAD PRODUCT FEATURES

FOR ATHLETES

The Thread: Where student-athletes can interact with other athletes, coaches and fans.

Profile Pages: Athletes set up their Athletic Profile to showcase themselves to college coaches for instant evaluation.

Contact Me: College coaches, athletes, and fans can instantly contact each other through Sports Thread Chat.

Biography: Basic player information, personal statement (achievements, skills etc.), high school and club coaches' contact information, and game schedules.

Videos: Athletes can showcase their athletic ability to be evaluated by college coaches.

Upload unlimited game film, training, etc. Video is compatible with Hudl and YouTube.

Athletes can also upload any video from their phone's camera roll.

Stats: Upload stats from any stat reporting entity (Maxpreps, etc.) for college coaches to quickly review and track.

Academics: Athletes can upload their unofficial transcripts, GPA and test scores so college coaches can qualify them for admission into their school.

Recruiting: Links athletes to the "Recruiting" Tab for selecting colleges of interest, contacting college coaches, learning recruiting rules, and researching colleges of interest.

Search: Easily research information on thousands of colleges and their respective sports programs.

College Tours: Take virtual reality tours of hundreds of colleges and athletic facilities through YouVisit. View videos from college athletes and students at their colleges.

Sports Thread Chat: Read notifications to see if college coaches have reviewed a message. Group messaging for sports teams, friend groups etc.

FOR COACHES

Digital Coaches Book ("Events" Tab): Find athletes at events and view their profiles to evaluate and communicate with them.

Coaches View ("Athletes" Tab): Filters to refine search results for athletes by location, age, sport and other criteria.

Watchlist: Coaches add and organize athletes of interest to a list for quick and easy reference.

Sports Thread Chat: College coaches can initiate conversations with high school athletes directly from the coaches book, or simply click "contact me" on an athlete's profile.

Share: Coaches share athletes of interest with one another through text, email and social media.

Contact Me: College coaches, athletes, and fans can instantly contact each other through Sports Thread Chat.

ABOUT SPORTS THREAD

Sports Thread, based in Denver, Colorado, offers a free social media-based, self-promotion and communications software platform for the 40 million youth athletes in the United States regardless of their individual skill level, socioeconomic status or geographic location. Launched in 2017 by Sean Leary, a 27-year old former college baseball pitcher, Sports Thread was recognized as a "Top 50 Tech Company" by Intercon and is a top 50 ranked application in the Apple App Store. The company's mobile App is used by more than 300,000 individuals in the youth athletic community.

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Contact Information:

Sean Leary, Founder and CEO, Sports Thread, [email protected] 720.544.3828

Lauren Knight Hughes, Director of Operations, [email protected] 720.240.6923

(Note to Editors: Photos/videos are available at: press.sportsthread.com