However, it is also the pedigree and experience of the men behind iSporty that makes it a potential winner. It was created by Chris Ward, founder of marketing firm Beatwax and film research company FirstMovies. He handled the marketing for Friends Reunited, a Beatwax client, and marketed brands like Stella Artois, the BBC and Radiohead. Ward sold his shares in Beatwax and FirstMovies three years ago and has since been "doing a lot of sport", which led him to think up iSporty.
This year, Ward has teamed with David Maher-Roberts, former new media director of Future Publishing, having spent 13 years at Future. Among other things, he brokered its content deals with both BT and Sky.
The web site has attracted some impressive investors, including Terry Venables, former England footballer and manager, and Mike Lee OBE, former director of communications and public affairs for UEFA and London 2012.
This star-studded team soft-launched in September 2006 under the name Tiredandtested.com. The version allowed for tweaks as it expanded its content and member base, which was 2,500 pre-launch. The short-term goals are to expand iSporty's membership to 100,000 "and grow from there".
Despite only officially launching in February, iSporty has already picked up its first gong, having been crowned Resourceful Find of the Year 2006 in the Yahoo Finds of the Year awards.
According to Maher-Roberts, one of the web site's best attributes is its ability to be all things to all people, without trying to be an all-round sports site. "A lot of web sites try to focus on all sports; we aren't doing that. This site allows users to filter through sports for their own needs. It filters from a pot of content and users can choose to see what's relevant to them, and it helps to put them in touch with similar-minded people," says Maher-Roberts.
Ward believes sport is a very relevant fit for the social networking phenomenon. Unlike MySpace, he says iSporty is about bringing together sports enthusiasts, not about building a large list of 'friends'. He explains: "Our site is different. It's not about having 5,000 friends. It's more about knowing sport. It's a productive social network rather than a site just for the sake of it."
As 2007 promises to be a year in which MySpace-inspired services proliferate, iSporty looks as well placed as any to succeed.