Home Team Soccer: From a Landing Page to Four Live Games
Home Team needed a landing page that sold a soccer training app to parents. We designed it, then shipped four playable games on the same site: Lineup Builder, Card Maker, Duels and Penalty Shootout. AI in expert hands is how so much shipped so quickly.
About the client
500+ drills and 30+ features, built by ex-pros, private coaches and parents, plus Duels and Ultimate XI games.
Company:
Home Team Soccer
Location:
Industry:
Youth sports, soccer training app
Timeline:
Games: May to October 2026
Start Date:
April 2026
Live Site:
Visit the siteAbout the collaboration
Services:
Landing page design, game design and development
Platform & Apps:
Figma, Webflow, React, Supabase, SportMonks, Resend, Claude Code, Higgsfield
Challenge:
A training app to sell to parents, and a game roadmap too big for a normal build.
Solution:
A parent-first landing page, then four games on one codebase, shipped fast by an expert developer working with AI.
Impact:
All four games are live, and Duels now runs its own season each week.
Home Team Soccer is a training app for young players, with drills, skills, Game IQ, mindset and streaks, run by ex-pros, private coaches and parents. The people who approve the download are usually parents, so the first job was a landing page that could win them over.
Then the brief grew. Home Team wanted reasons for players to come to the site and stay: build a dream XI, make a player card, challenge a friend. That's four games with accounts, real player data, real-match scoring and leaderboards. It shipped because our developer stayed focused on systems, strategy and quality, while Claude took on the repetitive work.
How did AI help build Home Team's games?
AI sped up the work without making the decisions. Our developer set the systems, strategy and quality bar, and Claude Code handled the repetitive work, about 1,500 code edits across the build.
How long did the games take to build?
The games ran across 36 working days between May and October 2026. The first full version of Duels, with matchmaking, real-match scoring, leaderboards, badges and trash talk, took one day, on top of the accounts and player data already in place.
Are the Duels scores based on real matches?
Yes. Each weekend's real fixtures score every player after the matches finish, using SportMonks data. A scheduled job resolves duels and opens the next matchday on its own.
Can players cheat in Penalty Shootout?
The server decides every result. A player can't see the opponent's shots until the match resolves, and a forged result write gets reverted.
Do players need an account to play?
Lineup Builder and Card Maker are open to everyone. Duels and Penalty Shootout need a free account, because they save results and match you against other people.
The Problem
- A Drill Library Is a Hard Sell: Parents approve the download, and 30+ features read like homework. The page had to sell confidence, not a list of drills.
- Nothing to Try Before Installing: The only way to feel the app was to download it. Parents and players needed a taste right on the page.
- No Reason to Come Back: Training happens a few times a week. Between sessions, the site gave players nothing to do or share.
- A Roadmap Bigger Than the Budget: Four games with accounts, real match data and leaderboards would normally take a team many months. Home Team needed them during the season, not after it.
Asking the right questions
Moving fast without breaking a live game
Speed means nothing if a game breaks mid-season or young players can cheat. So the hard calls stayed with our developer: every Shootout result is decided on the server, and players can't read an opponent's picks until the match resolves. Each major feature also went through an adversarial review, where AI agents tried to break the work and we judged what they found. One review caught a crash in Duel History before it shipped. The one big miss came at kickoff: Gameweek 1 didn't resolve because scoring still ran by hand. We fixed it and automated it, so the season now runs itself.
The GamePlan
Map the parent's journey
Plan the page as hook, aha moment, peek inside, why us and CTA before designing a screen.
Design the landing page
Build the look in Figma around Striker the mascot, purple and gold, and real app screens.
Prototype the first game
Turn a Lineup Builder and Card Maker prototype into one file running on Webflow.
Set the system AI works inside
Record every decision, rule and gotcha in one project document, so Claude starts each session with our standards.
Add accounts and real players
Bring in Supabase logins and SportMonks data, so saved teams use real footballers.
Build Duels, then Shootout
Plan each game's rules, data and phases, then hand the repetitive build and testing to Claude, with the client's mockups as the target.
Launch into the real season
Connect scoring to real fixtures and run Gameweek 1 against live results.
Work the client's punch-lists
Turn each round of client notes into fixes, checked on desktop and phone.
The Solution
We designed a landing page that sells to parents, then shipped four games that give players a reason to stay. Our developer led on systems, strategy and quality, and Claude took on the repetitive work.
A Landing Page That Sells to Parents
A training app with 30+ features can read like a drill library.
The page follows one journey: hook, aha moment, peek inside, why us, CTA. Striker the mascot, real app screens and a comparison chart carry it.
A Piece of the App, Right on the Page
The only way to feel the app was to install it.
Visitors can open a skill video, log five reps, claim coins and set their confidence level. A QR code takes it to a phone from there.
Lineup Builder: Build and Share Your XI
Players had nothing to make or share between training sessions.
Build a team in 11v11, 9v9, 7v7 or 5v5 with real players, eight 11v11 formations, team rating and chemistry. Drag to swap, pick a captain and save a story-ready image in five backgrounds.
Card Maker: Put Yourself on a Card
Kids want to see themselves in the game, not only the pros.
Players make a Gold, Silver, Bronze, Icon or Team of the Week card with their own photo, stats and speciality. AI background removal cuts the photo out, and saved cards work as players in their lineups.
Duels: Weekend Fantasy, Head to Head
A lineup is more fun when it has to beat somebody.
Players pick a real XI against a 200-second timer, challenge a friend and climb global, friends, country, state and city leaderboards. Badges, trash talk, rematches, 2X cards and influencer takeovers keep them coming back.
Scored by the Weekend's Real Matches
Fantasy games lose trust if the points feel made up.
After each weekend, SportMonks data scores every player's goals, assists, clean sheets and cards. Players see the full breakdown for both teams, and leaderboards update on their own.
Penalty Shootout: A Mind Game You Can Play Anytime
Two kids are rarely online at the same moment.
Each player takes five penalties and guesses five dives on their own time, with sudden death if it's level. The result lands the moment the second player submits, with a replay and a leaderboard.
Expert Direction, With AI on the Repetitive Work
Four games wouldn't fit this timeline if every line was typed by hand.
Our developer set the architecture, game rules and quality bar, and wrote the briefs. Claude Code did the repetitive work, about 7,800 lines and 39 database changes, with every decision kept in a shared project document.
A Quality Bar, Checked on Every Change
Fast code is only useful if it works on a real phone.
We set the standards, and Claude ran the repetitive checks: opening the app in a browser, measuring layouts and reviewing 450+ screenshots across phone and desktop. Review agents tried to break each major feature, and we made the final call.
On-Brand Art in Minutes
New features need new banners, and every one has to match the brand.
We set the art direction from Home Team's own banners, and Higgsfield generated the options. We then checked every image for garbled text, warped lines, hands and kit logos.
The Results
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will it take to get my website live?
Once we receive your completed questionnaire and all necessary steps, our streamlined process allows us to typically get your new website live within 1-3 months We prioritize both quality and speed to get you online quickly.
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