Sporting Challenges (UK), which operates the half-time Strike the Bar competition at football matches, has selected mobile payment specialists paythru to handle its online payments for its prize draw, which gives supporters the opportunity to win £100,000 by hitting the crossbar with a kick from the half-way line.

Supporters enter a prize draw to win the chance to take the half-time kick at their team’s home games. They can enter the prize draw on the web, by SMS and soon via iPhone and iPad apps.  Strike the bar will soon be joined by Strike the Stump and Strike the Post for cricket and rugby. paythru will also handle the online payments for these competitions when launched.

“Supporters can enter our competitions through multiple channels so it was important that our online payment partner had the capacity to expand into the mobile app channel when we launch it,” says Sporting Challenges managing director, Clive Richardson. “We are all about providing supporters with the opportunity to have fun and win a huge amount of money, so the payment process needs to be as secure and smooth as possible so as not to get in the way of the fun. paythru does this perfectly.”