AI Tools Business Tools Digital Marketing Django Packages Graphics & Design Mobile Apps SaaS Application Web Development All

ApexForge Pro

ApexForge Pro Documentation · v1.0.0

Overview

About ApexForge

ApexForge is a comprehensive, production-ready Sports Management and Entrepreneurship Platform built by DjangoZen. It is engineered for sports clubs, academies, professional teams, coaches, athletes, scouts, and sports entrepreneurs who need a powerful all-in-one platform to manage their organisation, grow their fan base, and run their business — without paying for multiple separate tools.

From player rosters, contracts, and medical records to merchandise sales, finance management, scouting, analytics, and fan engagement — ApexForge covers every corner of a modern sports organisation.

Pricing & Licence Tiers

ApexForge is sold as a one-time licence — no recurring subscription. You purchase once and own the code forever for your tier's permitted use.

Starter Professional Business / SaaS
One-Time Price €699 €2,796 €6,990
Projects / Domains 1 Up to 5 Unlimited
Players Up to 50 Up to 500 Unlimited
Teams Up to 3 Up to 20 Unlimited
All 19 Modules Core only ✓ ✓
Multi-club Support ✗ ✗ ✓
White-label Rights ✗ ✗ ✓
SaaS / Multi-tenant ✗ ✗ ✓
Custom Branding ✗ ✓ ✓
PDF & Excel Export ✗ ✓ ✓
Medical & Contracts ✗ ✓ ✓
Scouting Module ✗ ✓ ✓
Fan Portal & Ticketing ✗ ✓ ✓
Analytics & Reports Basic Advanced Advanced
6 Languages (i18n) ✓ ✓ ✓
Stripe Payments ✓ ✓ ✓
Lifetime Updates Current major version Current major version All future versions
Email Support Community Priority (48h) Priority (24h)
Onboarding Session ✗ ✓ (1 session) ✓ (3 sessions)

Purchase & Demo: https://djangozen.com/apexforge
Sales & Support: https://djangozen.com/support/

Platform Features

Core Platform

  • Role-based access — Super Admin, Club Owner, Manager, Coach, Athlete, Scout, Fan/Investor
  • Custom User model with avatar, profile management, and password reset
  • Club Branding — logo, colours, tagline, social media links
  • Global search across all modules
  • Full audit log and activity history
  • Real-time notification system (HTMX)
  • Dark / Light mode with Alpine.js persistence
  • 6 languages — English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian

Team & Player Management

  • Team and roster management with seasons and divisions
  • Athlete profiles — stats history, performance metrics, injury log
  • Bulk CSV import/export for rosters
  • Academy / youth team management

Scouting & Recruitment

  • Talent database and scouting reports
  • Watchlist and player rating system
  • Recruitment pipeline management

Events & Scheduling

  • Interactive calendar — fixtures, training, tournaments
  • Tournament bracket management
  • Event notifications and reminders

Finance & Commerce

  • Budget planner and income/expense tracking
  • Sponsorship and investment management
  • Merchandise e-commerce store with cart and Stripe checkout
  • Inventory management
  • PDF and Excel export for all financial reports

Medical & Contracts

  • Injury tracking and medical records
  • Contract management with automatic expiry alerts
  • Staff task and assignment management

Marketing & Fan Engagement

  • News and announcements module
  • Fan portal with ticket purchasing and loyalty points
  • Sponsor portal
  • Video management hub

Analytics & Insights

  • Role-specific dashboards with KPI cards
  • Revenue, player performance, and attendance charts (Chart.js)
  • Exportable reports in PDF and Excel

Tech Stack

Layer Technology
Backend Django 5.2 LTS, Python 3.12+
Frontend Tailwind CSS v3 (JIT), HTMX, Alpine.js v3
Database SQLite (development) / PostgreSQL (production)
Background Tasks Django-Q2
Static Files WhiteNoise
PDF Export ReportLab
Excel Export openpyxl
Payments Stripe
Image Processing Pillow
Audit History django-simple-history
Charts Chart.js
Filtering django-filter

Demo Accounts

Role Email Password
Super Admin admin@apexforge.com admin123
Club Owner owner@apexforge.com demo123
Manager manager@apexforge.com demo123
Coach coach@apexforge.com demo123
Player player@apexforge.com demo123
Scout scout@apexforge.com demo123
Fan / Investor fan@apexforge.com Fan1234!

Quick Start

Full setup instructions are in INSTALLATION.md.

git clone https://github.com/djangozen/apexforge.git
cd apexforge
python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate        # Windows
source .venv/bin/activate     # macOS / Linux
pip install -r requirements.txt
cp .env.example .env
python manage.py migrate
python manage.py runserver

Project Modules (19 Apps)

Module Description
core Branding, dashboard, notifications, global search
accounts Users, roles, profiles, authentication
teams Teams, rosters, seasons, divisions
players Athlete profiles, stats, performance
events Calendar, fixtures, training sessions
scouting Talent database, watchlist, reports
finance Budgets, shop, Stripe, inventory
marketing News, campaigns, sponsor portal
medical Injuries, medical records
contracts Contract management and alerts
staff Staff profiles and task management
tournaments Tournament brackets
academy Youth and academy teams
inventory Equipment and stock management
videos Video uploads and management
fans Fan portal, tickets, loyalty points
organizations Club structure and user access
insights Analytics, KPIs, charts
admin Enhanced Django admin panel

Support

See SUPPORT section in LICENSE.md or contact us directly.

Channel Contact
General Support & Sales https://djangozen.com/support/
Documentation https://docs.djangozen.com/apexforge
Bug Reports https://github.com/djangozen/apexforge/issues

© 2026 DjangoZen. All rights reserved.
Built for champions — by DjangoZen.

Installation Guide

System Requirements

Requirement Minimum Version
Python 3.12+
pip 23+
Node.js (optional — Tailwind build only) 18+
PostgreSQL (production) 14+
Operating System Windows 10+, macOS 12+, Ubuntu 20.04+

Step 1 — Get the Code

git clone https://github.com/djangozen/apexforge.git
cd apexforge

Or download and extract the ZIP from your DjangoZen purchase.

Step 2 — Create a Virtual Environment

python -m venv .venv

# Activate — Windows
.venv\Scripts\activate

# Activate — macOS / Linux
source .venv/bin/activate

Step 3 — Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

What gets installed:

Package Purpose
Django 5.2 LTS Core web framework
django-environ .env file configuration
Pillow Image processing and avatar uploads
django-htmx HTMX server-side integration
django-widget-tweaks Template-level form rendering
django-simple-history Model audit log and change history
django-filter Advanced queryset filtering
django-q2 Background task queue
django-extensions Extra management commands
django-cleanup Auto-delete orphaned media files
crispy-tailwind Tailwind-styled Django forms
openpyxl Excel (.xlsx) export
reportlab PDF generation
whitenoise Static file serving without a CDN
gunicorn Production WSGI server
psycopg2-binary PostgreSQL database adapter

Step 4 — Configure Environment

cp .env.example .env

Open .env and configure the following:

# Core
DEBUG=True
SECRET_KEY=your-strong-secret-key-here
ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1

# Database
# SQLite (development default)
DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///db.sqlite3
# PostgreSQL (recommended for production)
# DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/apexforge

# Email
# Use console backend for development — no real emails sent
EMAIL_BACKEND=django.core.mail.backends.console.EmailBackend
EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
EMAIL_PORT=587
EMAIL_USE_TLS=True
EMAIL_HOST_USER=your@gmail.com
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-gmail-app-password
DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL=ApexForge <your@gmail.com>

# Stripe Payments
STRIPE_PUBLIC_KEY=pk_test_...
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_...
STRIPE_CURRENCY=eur

# Media & Static
MEDIA_URL=/media/
MEDIA_ROOT=media
STATIC_URL=/static/
STATIC_ROOT=staticfiles

# Localisation
LANGUAGE_CODE=en
TIME_ZONE=UTC

Generate a SECRET_KEY:
bash python -c "from django.core.management.utils import get_random_secret_key; print(get_random_secret_key())"

Step 5 — Run Migrations

python manage.py migrate

Step 6 — Create Superuser

python manage.py createsuperuser

Or use the demo accounts listed in README.md.

Step 7 — Collect Static Files

python manage.py collectstatic --no-input

Step 8 — Start the Server

python manage.py runserver

Open http://127.0.0.1:8000 in your browser.

Step 9 — Start Background Tasks (optional)

The task queue handles daily digest emails and contract expiry alerts:

python manage.py qcluster

Run in a separate terminal alongside runserver.

Tailwind CSS

ApexForge loads Tailwind via CDN by default — no build step needed for development.

For production, build a minified CSS file:

npm install
npx tailwindcss -i static/css/input.css -o static/css/output.css --minify

Then update base.html to load output.css instead of the CDN <script> tag.

Production Deployment

1. Environment Settings

DEBUG=False
SECRET_KEY=<strong-random-key>
ALLOWED_HOSTS=yourdomain.com,www.yourdomain.com
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/apexforge
EMAIL_BACKEND=django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend

2. PostgreSQL Setup

psql -U postgres
CREATE DATABASE apexforge;
CREATE USER apexforge_user WITH PASSWORD 'strongpassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE apexforge TO apexforge_user;
\q

python manage.py migrate
python manage.py collectstatic --no-input

3. Run with Gunicorn

gunicorn apexforge.wsgi:application \
  --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 \
  --workers 4 \
  --timeout 120

4. Nginx Configuration

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;

    location /static/ {
        alias /path/to/apexforge/staticfiles/;
    }

    location /media/ {
        alias /path/to/apexforge/media/;
    }

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }
}

5. SSL — Let's Encrypt

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

Translations

ApexForge supports 6 languages: English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian.

# Compile translation files
python manage.py compilemessages

# Regenerate after adding new translatable strings
python manage.py makemessages -l nl -l de -l fr -l es -l it
python manage.py compilemessages

Troubleshooting

Problem Solution
ModuleNotFoundError Activate .venv — run .venv\Scripts\activate (Windows) or source .venv/bin/activate
Static files not loading Run python manage.py collectstatic
Database errors on start Run python manage.py migrate
Email bounce notifications Set EMAIL_BACKEND=django.core.mail.backends.console.EmailBackend in development
Stripe webhook failures Check STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET matches your Stripe dashboard
Media files not serving Ensure MEDIA_ROOT directory exists and is writable
Tailwind styles missing Run npx tailwindcss -i static/css/input.css -o static/css/output.css

Support

If you encounter issues not covered here:

Channel Details
Support https://djangozen.com/support/
Documentation https://docs.djangozen.com/apexforge
Bug Reports https://github.com/djangozen/apexforge/issues
Business Hours Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 18:00 CET

Response times are based on your licence tier — see LICENSE.md for details.

© 2026 DjangoZen. All rights reserved.

Full Feature Reference

Role-Based Access Control

ApexForge supports 7 distinct user roles, each with its own dashboard, permissions, and available features:

Role Description
Super Admin Full platform access, manages all clubs and users
Club Owner / Entrepreneur Manages the entire club, finances, and business operations
Manager Handles team operations, staff, and scheduling
Coach Manages training, player performance, and events
Athlete / Player Views personal profile, stats, schedule, and shop
Scout Access to scouting module, talent database, and watchlist
Fan / Investor Fan portal, ticket purchasing, merchandise shop, and loyalty points

Core Platform

  • Custom User model (email-based authentication)
  • Avatar upload and profile management
  • Password reset via email
  • Club Branding — logo, primary colour, tagline, social links, founded year
  • Real-time notification panel (HTMX-powered)
  • Global search across all modules
  • Full activity log and audit trail (django-simple-history)
  • Dark mode / Light mode with Alpine.js persistence
  • Fully responsive — mobile-first design
  • 6 languages: English (EN), Dutch (NL), German (DE), French (FR), Spanish (ES), Italian (IT)

Team & Roster Management

  • Create and manage multiple teams and squads
  • Season and division management
  • Player roster assignment with active/inactive status
  • Bulk CSV import and export for rosters
  • Position and jersey number tracking
  • Team statistics overview

Player & Athlete Management

  • Detailed athlete profiles with photo
  • Personal statistics history and performance metrics
  • Injury log integrated with Medical module
  • Scouting reports linked to player profiles
  • Performance charts (Chart.js)
  • Excel export of player data

Events & Scheduling

  • Interactive calendar (fixtures, training sessions, events)
  • Fixture management with scores and match results
  • Training session scheduling
  • Event notifications and reminders
  • Tournament integration

Tournament Management

  • Tournament creation and bracket management
  • Round-robin and knockout bracket support
  • Match scheduling within tournaments
  • Tournament standings and results

Scouting & Recruitment

  • Talent database with detailed profiles
  • Scout reports with ratings and notes
  • Watchlist for tracking prospects
  • Recruitment pipeline management
  • Link scouting reports to player profiles

Academy & Youth Development

  • Dedicated academy team management
  • Youth player profiles and development tracking
  • Age group categorisation

Financial Management

  • Budget planner per season / department
  • Income and expense tracking
  • Profit & Loss overview
  • Sponsorship management
  • Investment tracking
  • Financial reports with PDF and Excel export

Merchandise & E-Commerce

  • Full merchandise store with product listings
  • Shopping cart and checkout
  • Stripe payment integration (cards, iDEAL, and more)
  • Order management and history
  • Inventory stock tracking

Inventory Management

  • Equipment and stock management
  • Item assignment to teams or players
  • Stock level tracking and alerts

Medical & Health

  • Injury recording and status tracking (Active / Recovering / Cleared)
  • Medical record management per player
  • Automatic injury alert emails to managers
  • Integration with player profiles

Contract Management

  • Player, staff, and sponsor contract management
  • Contract status tracking (Active / Expired / Pending)
  • Automatic expiry alert emails (30-day warning)
  • Contract document storage

Staff Management

  • Staff profiles with roles and departments
  • Task assignment and management
  • Task due date tracking and overdue alerts

Marketing & Communications

  • News and announcements module
  • Marketing campaign management
  • Sponsor portal with dedicated views
  • Newsletter subscription

Fan Portal & Ticketing

  • Public fan portal
  • Event ticket purchasing
  • Loyalty points system (earn on purchases)
  • Membership tier system (Bronze / Silver / Gold / Platinum)
  • Fan profile management

Video Management

  • Video upload and categorisation
  • Link videos to players, teams, or events
  • Video library management

Organisation Management

  • Multi-club support (Business/SaaS licence)
  • User club access control
  • Organisation hierarchy management

Analytics & Insights

  • Role-specific dashboards with KPI cards
  • Revenue analytics charts
  • Player performance analytics
  • Attendance and event reports
  • Chart.js interactive visualisations
  • PDF and Excel export for all reports

Technical Features

Feature Details
Framework Django 5.2 LTS — latest stable long-term support release
Python Python 3.12+
Frontend Tailwind CSS v3 (JIT mode), HTMX, Alpine.js v3 — no Bootstrap
Database SQLite (development), PostgreSQL (production)
Background Tasks Django-Q2 task queue — daily digest, alerts
Payments Stripe — cards, iDEAL, and local payment methods
Static Files WhiteNoise — zero-config static serving
PDF Export ReportLab
Excel Export openpyxl
Image Handling Pillow + django-cleanup
Audit Log django-simple-history
Filtering django-filter
Forms django-crispy-forms + crispy-tailwind
Admin Enhanced Django admin with Tailwind styling
i18n Django i18n — 6 languages, fully translatable
Security CSRF protection, login-required decorators, role-based views
Deployment Gunicorn + Nginx + Let's Encrypt SSL

What Makes ApexForge Different

  • 19 integrated modules — no need to pay for separate tools
  • One codebase — everything connected, no API glue between systems
  • Built on Django 5.2 LTS — enterprise-grade, maintained until 2028
  • No JavaScript framework — HTMX + Alpine.js keep it fast and simple
  • White-label ready — Business/SaaS licence holders can fully rebrand
  • Multi-language from day one — 6 languages out of the box
  • Sold once — no recurring fees on the codebase itself

Support

Channel Details
Support & Sales https://djangozen.com/support/
Documentation https://docs.djangozen.com/apexforge
Bug Reports https://github.com/djangozen/apexforge/issues
Business Hours Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 18:00 CET

© 2026 DjangoZen. All rights reserved.
https://djangozen.com

License Agreement

Licence Tiers & Pricing

ApexForge is sold as a one-time licence — purchase once, own it for your permitted use level. No recurring subscription fees.

Tier 1 — Starter Licence — €699

Best for: Small clubs, individual coaches, and single-organisation deployments.

Included:
- Use on 1 project / 1 domain
- Up to 50 players and 3 teams
- Access to core modules (dashboard, teams, players, events, finance basics, branding)
- Stripe payments integration
- 6-language support (EN, NL, DE, FR, ES, IT)
- Dark / Light mode
- Community support
- Lifetime updates for the current major version

Not included: Advanced modules (medical, contracts, scouting, fan portal, analytics), PDF/Excel export, custom branding, white-label rights.

Tier 2 — Professional Licence — €2,796

Best for: Growing clubs, academies, and agencies managing up to 5 client deployments.

Included everything in Starter, plus:
- Use on up to 5 projects / domains
- Up to 500 players and 20 teams
- Access to all 19 modules including medical, contracts, scouting, fan portal, analytics, video management
- PDF and Excel export for all reports
- Custom club branding (logo, colours, social links)
- Free onboarding session (1 hour video call with DjangoZen team)
- Priority email support — response within 48 hours
- Lifetime updates for the current major version

Not included: Multi-club / multi-tenant deployment, white-label rights, SaaS hosting rights.

Tier 3 — Business / SaaS Licence — €6,990

Best for: Entrepreneurs, agencies, and organisations building a sports tech SaaS product or managing multiple clubs.

Included everything in Professional, plus:
- Use on unlimited projects / domains
- Unlimited players and teams
- Multi-club and multi-tenant deployment rights
- White-label rights — remove all DjangoZen branding and replace with your own
- SaaS rights — host ApexForge as a service and charge your own clients
- Full rights to modify and rebrand the software
- 3 onboarding sessions (3 × 1-hour calls with DjangoZen team)
- Priority email support — response within 24 hours
- Dedicated account manager
- Lifetime updates for all future major versions

Permitted Uses (All Tiers)

  • Install and run the Software on servers owned or leased by the licensee
  • Modify the source code for your own internal use within the licence tier scope
  • Create backups for disaster recovery
  • Allow staff and members of the licensed organisation to access and use the platform

Not Permitted (All Tiers Unless Stated)

  • Resell, sublicense, or redistribute the source code to third parties
  • Upload the source code to public repositories (GitHub, GitLab, npm, etc.)
  • Claim original authorship of the ApexForge codebase
  • Remove or alter DjangoZen copyright or licence notices (except Business/SaaS tier)
  • Use the Software to build a competing product sold or given to others (except Business/SaaS tier)
  • Transfer the licence to another organisation without prior written consent from DjangoZen

Support

Tier Support Type Response Time Channels
Starter Community Best effort https://djangozen.com/support/
Professional Priority Email Within 48 hours https://djangozen.com/support/
Business / SaaS Priority Email + Account Manager Within 24 hours https://djangozen.com/support/

Support hours: Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 18:00 CET

Contact Details
General Support & Sales https://djangozen.com/support/
Legal & Compliance https://djangozen.com/support/
Documentation https://docs.djangozen.com/apexforge
Bug Reports https://github.com/djangozen/apexforge/issues

Warranty Disclaimer

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. DJANGOZEN DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL BE ERROR-FREE OR UNINTERRUPTED.

Limitation of Liability

IN NO EVENT SHALL DJANGOZEN BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, EVEN IF DJANGOZEN HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. DJANGOZEN'S TOTAL LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE LICENCE.

Data Protection & GDPR

The licensee is solely responsible for ensuring their deployment complies with all applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). DjangoZen does not process or store any end-user data on behalf of the licensee.

Termination

DjangoZen may terminate this licence immediately upon written notice if the licensee breaches any term of this agreement. Upon termination, the licensee must cease all use of the Software and destroy all copies in their possession.

Governing Law

This agreement is governed by the laws of The Netherlands. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of The Netherlands.

Third-Party Open Source Components

ApexForge is built on open-source libraries. Their licences apply to their respective code only and do not affect the commercial terms of this agreement.

Package Licence
Django BSD 3-Clause
Tailwind CSS MIT
HTMX BSD 2-Clause
Alpine.js MIT
Chart.js MIT
Pillow HPND
django-environ MIT
django-htmx MIT
django-simple-history BSD 3-Clause
django-filter BSD 3-Clause
django-q2 MIT
django-widget-tweaks MIT
django-crispy-forms MIT
django-extensions MIT
openpyxl MIT
ReportLab BSD
WhiteNoise MIT
Gunicorn MIT
psycopg2 LGPL
Stripe Python SDK Apache 2.0

© 2026 DjangoZen. All rights reserved.
https://djangozen.com | https://djangozen.com/support/

Info

Product: ApexForge Pro

Type: SaaS Application

Version: 1.0.0

Updated: Apr 29, 2026

All Documentation