Bay IT start-up develops app for prestigious Copa America

Just four months after it was launched, Port Elizabeth start-up IT software company Avocado Chocolate (AvoChoc) has been selected to develop web and mobile apps for a major international soccer tournament in Chicago, USA in June.

The 2016 Copa America Centenario (translated as the 100^th “America Cup”), one of world’s most prestigious sporting events, will host 16 countries from North and South America – and will showcase the sporting talent of soccer superstars like Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Uruguay’s Louis Suarez.

AvoChoc, a five-member team of which four are Computing Sciences students or graduates from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, will be managing the logistics of the 350 role players (players, match officials and other staff) during the tournament, including arrival times, meetings, games and training sessions.

“It will be a huge improvement in the way people interact during the tournament. Previously this was done using a spreadsheet,” says BSc Computing Sciences student Cornelius Greyling, who is heading for Chicago with AvoChoc colleague Chris Hurrell for two weeks, launching the software and doing training.

The rest of the AvoChoc team are NMMU Computing Sciences graduates Neill Landman and Stafan van Staden and current honours student Martin Stolk.

Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Danny Jordaan has expressed his pride in the project, which is exporting software developed in the Bay to the world.

AvoChoc also developed the Inqaku soccer player registration system for the South African Football Association (SAFA), which is currently being rolled out countrywide to register school soccer players.

Image: Port Elizabeth software company Avocado Chocolate (AvoChoc) – which includes (from left) NMMU Computing Sciences students Cornelius Greyling and Martin Stolk, and  Cape Town front-end developer Chris Hurrell – has masterminded a new app to be used for an international soccer tournament in Chicago, USA.