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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sport”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “sport”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 7 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

AnWP Sports Leagues – Basketball, Ice Hockey, Handball, Rugby & More shows at wp.org #5 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 1966 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 SportsPress – Sports Club & League Manager 10K+ · 4.7★ (369) wp.org #1 2 JoomSport – for Sports: Team & League, Football, Hockey & more 1K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #2 3 BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375) wp.org #3 4 WP Club Manager – WordPress Sports Club Plugin 600+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #4 5 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 Booking Activities 3K+ · 5.0★ (121) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #18 ↓1 11 too low 8 Event Genius – Event Calendar, Event Registration, and Attendee Management 600+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #6 ↑4 2 too high 9 EleSpare – News, Magazine and Blog Addons for Elementor 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #17 ↓2 8 too low 10 Football Pool 900+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #21 ↓1 11 too low 11 AnWP Football Leagues 700+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 HUSKY – Products Filter for WooCommerce Professional. MCP is onboard 80K+ · 4.6★ (337) wp.org #22 ↑2 10 too low 13 Sport Predictions for JoomSport 50+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 Booking and Rental Manager for Bike | Car | Resort | Appointment | Dress | Equipment 1K+ · 4.4★ (33) wp.org #13 ↑6 1 too high 15 AnWP Sports Leagues – Basketball, Ice Hockey, Handball, Rugby & More 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 10 too high 16 Court Reservation – Tennis, Padel & Sports Court Booking 90+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Dynamic Team Manager – Team Member Showcase with grid, slider, table Elementor widget & shortcode 900+ · 4.6★ (25) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too high 18 Achievements sports league 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 ↓3 7 too high 19 WP Calorie Calculator 900+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #20 ↓4 1 too low 20 Event Monster – Event Manager, Event Booking, Event Ticket & Registration 600+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 News Element Elementor Blog Magazine 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 ↓3 5 too high 22 TemplateSpare – 1000+ WordPress Starter Templates & Full Site Migration Tool | 1-Click Import/Export & No-Code Builder 10K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Twice Commerce – Easy Rental Booking System 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 MultiSafepay plugin for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓1 9 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.