Why organisers switch their registration to Barefoot
Same-day payouts, flexible fees, data you own and timing built in, from an independent local team, not a global shoe brand.
Recognised bodies the technology has supported
If your registration platform holds your payouts for weeks, dictates your fees, forces your event into a rigid template, or feeds your participants into a global brand’s ecosystem, Barefoot is the independent alternative, with same-day payouts, your fees your way, and timing built in.
Built by event organisers.
Trusted by race directors.
450+
Events delivered every year across Australia and New Zealand
50,000
Participants supported at a single event
75+
years
Combined event experience
2
countries
Australian and New Zealand owned, operated and on the ground
Why organisers switch
The dominant registration platforms in the region are owned by ASICS, a global shoe brand, and Active Network is a large US operator. That shapes how they treat a local event: your participants become a data and distribution channel for a global brand, payouts are slow, fee structures are dictated, and templates are rigid because they’re built for tens of thousands of events worldwide, not yours. Switching to an independent, local platform gives you back control of your cash flow, your fees, your template and your data, and connects registration straight to timing.
What you gain by
switching your registration
Your event and your data stay yours, not fed into a global shoe brand’s ecosystem.
Same-day payouts, so you control cash flow instead of waiting weeks.
Fees your way, passed on or absorbed, instead of a dictated structure.
Timing built in, so entries flow straight to results with one accountable team.
Why Barefoot Sport is different
(the people setting your payout terms and your fee structure work in your market, not to a global roadmap)
✅
❌
(someone answers on a Sunday morning, not Monday at nine in another hemisphere)
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❌
(you are not licensing software here and hiring a separate timer there, with an export in between)
✅
❌
(permits, medical cover and deposits get funded before race day, not after it)
✅
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(your runners stay your runners, rather than becoming a marketing audience for someone else's products)
✅
❌
(the global platforms can promote your event to an overseas member database, and we cannot match that. If overseas entries are your growth plan, that is a real trade-off worth weighing.)
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*Same-day payouts and race-day support hours vary by event type, banking cut-off times and scheduling. Confirm with our team for your event.
Who it’s for?
Organisers on Race Roster, Register Now or Active Network.
Anyone frustrated by slow payouts, dictated fees or rigid templates.
Organisers who want their data and independence back.
Features
Your data, your event
Independent and AU and NZ owned, so your participants aren’t a global brand’s channel.
Same-day payouts
Entry money in your account fast, not held for weeks before your event.
Fees your way
Pass the booking fee on or absorb it, compliantly, your choice not a rule.
Timing built in
Entries flow straight into timing and results, with one team accountable. See Why Switch Timing.
Ready to Elevate
Your Event?
Let's connect and see how Barefoot Sport simplifies registrations and maximises participant experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is fully automatic timing?
Timing that resolves the finish precisely to the line and produces a verifiable result, used where exact times matter.
How is it different from chip timing?
Chip timing reads a tag over a mat; fully automatic timing resolves the finish to the line, for close or record-eligible results.
Does my event need it?
Not every event does. We’ll advise honestly whether chip timing is enough or fully automatic timing is worth it for you.
What is fully automatic timing?
Fully automatic timing, or FAT, is race timing where the clock starts automatically from the starter’s gun and the finish is recorded electronically, usually by a line-scan photo-finish camera aimed along the finish line. No human reaction time enters the result at either end. World Athletics rules require times to be read to at least 1/100th of a second, and championship systems resolve to 1/1000th.
Is chip timing the same as fully automatic timing?
No. Chip timing — also called transponder or RFID timing — records each participant as they cross an antenna or mat, and it is not started by the gun. Fully automatic timing is gun-started and captured by a photo-finish camera. World Athletics treats them as three separate timing categories alongside hand timing, and each one is valid for different events.
Which events actually require fully automatic timing?
Under World Athletics rules, only performances timed by a fully automatic timing and photo-finish system can be ratified for records in track races up to and including 800m, all hurdles events, and the 4x100m, 4x200m and 4x400m relays. From 1000m upwards, hand timing is also accepted. Australian Athletics applies the same standard for national records, including the zero control test.
Does a road race, trail run or triathlon need fully automatic timing?
No. For road races, World Athletics accepts fully automatic timing, hand timing or transponder timing, so chip timing on its own is enough — including for records. World Athletics Label road races go further and require electronic transponder timing for every finisher. AUTRA, which ratifies Australian ultra records, also accepts transponder timing provided it is backed by manual timing or a second automatic system.
Can you use a phone app for fully automatic timing?
Not for official results. Phone photo-finish apps use the same line-scan idea and are genuinely useful for training, but they have no hardware link to the starting gun, no zero control test and no certified accuracy, so their times cannot be ratified or used to settle a protest. Anything not started automatically by the start signal is not fully automatic timing, however the app is described.
Let’s make your next event your easiest yet.
Work with people who get the pace, pressure, and precision of endurance events and build platforms that match it.