PickTeamz

I partnered with founder Stuart Wakeford to bring his innovative vision to life: a fantasy football game where players pick teams rather than individual players, making the game more accessible and engaging for a broader audience.

Technical Leadership

As the sole engineer on the project, I architected and implemented the entire technical stack, from backend infrastructure to mobile applications. This comprehensive responsibility allowed me to ensure seamless integration across all components whilst maintaining high performance standards.

Backend Architecture

I built a robust backend system using Django and Python, designing it to handle real-time sports data processing at scale. The architecture incorporates Celery for managing time-critical background tasks, ensuring that when a goal is scored, push notifications reach users within seconds. The system utilises Redis as a message broker and PostgreSQL for persistent data storage, creating a reliable and performant foundation.

The infrastructure runs on Digital Ocean using Dokku for containerised deployments. I established a continuous integration and deployment pipeline using GitHub Actions, enabling automated testing and zero-downtime deployments with every code push.

Multi-tenant Platform

One of the project’s most interesting technical challenges was implementing a white-label solution. I designed the system to support multiple clients, each with their own branding, custom game rules, and tailored content. This multi-tenant architecture shares a common data API whilst allowing complete customisation for each client’s specific requirements. This approach significantly reduced development time for new clients whilst maintaining code quality and system stability.

Cross-platform Mobile Development

I developed native iOS and Android applications using Flutter, implementing a hybrid approach that wraps the web experience whilst providing native functionality where it matters most. The applications communicate seamlessly between Flutter and JavaScript layers through custom message passing, enabling features such as native share functionality and app store review prompts. This architecture ensures users receive a native app experience whilst allowing rapid feature development across all platforms.

Frontend Development

The web interface utilises Django’s templating system with Bootstrap for responsive design, enhanced with vanilla JavaScript for interactive elements. This pragmatic approach ensures fast page loads and excellent performance across all devices whilst maintaining clean, maintainable code.

Collaboration and Product Development

Working closely with Stuart, I translated product requirements and design concepts into technical solutions that delight users. This collaboration involved regular iterations on user experience, performance optimisation, and feature development, always focusing on delivering value to players whilst maintaining system reliability.

The success of PickTeamz demonstrates my ability to take full ownership of complex technical projects, from initial architecture decisions through to production deployment and ongoing maintenance, whilst collaborating effectively with stakeholders to deliver a product that users love.