Australian Sportstech News

Komo Technologies today announced major updates to its platform with the launch of its Engagement Operating System (OS), enabling brands to move beyond transactional campaigns and loyalty programs to build meaningful, engagement-first customer relationships. At the core of the new platform is Kai, Komo’s AI co-pilot, which helps marketers ideate and launch interactive campaigns in minutes. The Engagement OS also introduces Komo Loyalty, which rewards participation, attendance, and feedback, and enhanced Komo Surveys, designed to capture real-time customer feedback at peak attention moments. 

Australian sport is entering a defining moment. As AI and digital transformation accelerate globally, many of the models that have guided the sector are reaching their limits. Sports investment and advisory firm XV Capital explores how sports organisations can embrace change, strengthen leadership, and build the digital foundations needed for long-term success — with Brisbane 2032 as the catalyst.

Adelaide-based sportstech company SportMatch has launched version 2 of their solution in the Apple App Store. SportMatch is playing an important role in talent identification for organisations such as the South Australian Sports Institute as well as supporting education for schools all over the State. SportMatch has engaged with more than 10,000 students / athletes to data, and enhanced student engagement in assisting them in successfully completing assessments relating to Health and PE. SportMatch are looking to work with Schools, Universities, Institutes and any other organisations who want to innovate their TalentID and PE curriculum.

The City of Gold Coast formally opened the Expressions of Interest process on 28 August for its Gold Coast Arena project – a 12,000-plus capacity entertainment and sports venue that has already been confirmed as a Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games venue. The project will seek proposals from major Australian and international consortia to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the landmark venue. 

Liveheats and Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) have signed a new deal that will see SLSA adopt our competition registration and payment solution. For the past three years, SLSA events have run on Liveheats’ event management and scoring tools. With this expanded two-year deal, surf lifesaving athletes and clubs nationwide will enjoy a seamless experience - from registration and payment, right through to heat draws, scoring, and results, all on one platform.

IDA Sports, a woman founded and led company that designs cleats exclusively for women athletes, has been named a 2025 Most Innovative Brand by Front Office Sports. The Most Innovative Awards, in partnership with Sports Innovation Lab, recognizes trailblazing brands transforming how athletes and fans experience, embrace, and advance sports culture worldwide. DA cleats are built around the unique foot morphologies of female athletes, backed by extensive research and design that includes foot scanning, data collection and real-life feedback from professional and amateur athletes.

SportVot Australia has announced a partnership with Volleyball Victoria to deliver live broadcast coverage of the Victorian Volleyball League Finals.  Volleyball is now the tenth sport that SportVot has covered since launching in Australia less than 6 months ago. All Victorian Volleyball League Finals broadcasts will be remotely produced from Mumbai, India.

Reclink Australia has announced a partnership into STWS Conference to share insights on Game Changers Games sports social inclusion program. Reclink Australia provides evidence-based sport and art social inclusion programs to disadvantaged Australians that create socially inclusive, life-changing opportunities. An innovation and extension for these programs is Game Changer Games, a social event with purpose where teams compete in various sports, promoting physical activity, social connection, and mental well-being to solve inactivity and loneliness. Dave Wells, CEO of Reclink Australia, will be delivering a keynote at Australia Sports Tech Conference in Melbourne on Wednesday 29th October 2025 at the MCG on this topic.

Women Sport Australia has entered a partnership with Sports Tech World Series (STWS) for Australia Sports Innovation Week, continuing to lead the change to achieve fairness, inclusivity, and the right for every woman and girl to pursue her passion for sport without judgment, limitations or barriers.

Since 2018 the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the Australian Army have had a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place focused on what elite soldiers, athletes and their teams can learn from each other. This week the ASC CEO, Kieren Perkins, signed a reinvigorated MOU with Chief of Army, LTGEN Simon Stuart in Canberra. Both organisations share interest in emerging research and technology that supports human performance at individual, team and organisational levels.  The MOU also outlines new priorities including transitioning in and out of elite environments, concussion management and resilience. 

In today’s sports and entertainment landscape, fans expect fast, seamless, and personalised engagement across every channel. Yet for many organisations, voice calls, chat, SMS, and social messaging often sit outside core CRM systems—creating gaps in data and missed opportunities to build stronger fan relationships. That changes with the newly announced partnership between EngageRM, a leader in sports and entertainment CRM, and Solgari, the Microsoft-certified customer engagement provider. Together, the two companies are bringing truly native voice and digital engagement directly into Dynamics 365.

Australia is Fanatics’ fastest-growing market outside the US, with the sports merchandise giant scaling up its local operations and signing more new partners in the region than anywhere else globally. Key moves include, eight new partnerships in two years, spanning AFL, Rugby Australia, NZ Rugby, and more; support for partners at major international events (including the NBA x NBL Melbourne Series and the 2027 Rugby World Cup) and a huge product expansion with Rebel Sport, adding 10,000+ new SKUs from US leagues.

Wicket, a leading facial authentication platform provider, announced that the Geelong Cats are offering expedited entry into GMHBA Stadium through dedicated Express Members Lanes using Wicket facial authentication. This is made possible through Wicket’s integration with Ticketmaster, which allows Geelong Cats Members to easily pair their tickets with a selfie photo – streamlining the ticket redemption process to less than 5 seconds per group.

The National Basketball League (NBL) and ESPN today announced a significant multi-year extension of its media rights deal in Australia and New Zealand.  fans will now be able to stream every NBL game live on Disney+ via the ESPN tile. With Disney+ available in millions of Australian and New Zealand homes, the NBL will be exposed to a broader mainstream audience than ever before. In addition to ESPN on Disney+, ESPN's NBL programming will continue to be included on the ESPN networks available through Foxtel, Kayo Sports, and Fetch TV in Australia, and Sky in New Zealand, with Free-to-Air games continuing on Sunday via a renewed deal with Network 10.

Australian video capture startup Flowstate is barreling into new markets and finding fresh customers for its AI-powered technology, after securing $AUD 600k in fresh debt funding from Tractor Ventures. Flowstate’s video technology allows manmade wave parks to track and film riders, with the resulting footage providing new opportunities for coaching — and impressive social media posts. The startup claims its system has captured and analysed more than 12 million rides since launching in 2022, across wave parks in Australia, the USA, Germany, England, Scotland, and the UAE.

Kayo Sports has extended its two-decades long relationship with ESPN through a new multi-year agreement. The renewed arrangement, which also includes Foxtel, will see subscribers continue to enjoy live sports and programming on ESPN and ESPN2, including the best of US sports such as the NBA, NFL, MLB, UFC, WNBA and NHL.

vivenu, an advanced ticketing platform trusted by more than 800 leading organizers worldwide, has partnered with STWS Conference as part of its strategic expansion into global markets. The partnership supports vivenu's mission to enable event creators to build 360° fan experiences and maximize revenue potential.

A former AFL player has raised $AUD 400k for a new startup making it easier for athletes and everyday travellers to find single-day gym passes on the road. GymGoer, founded by ex-Sydney Swans and North Melbourne player Ryan Clarke, lets users search for nearby gyms and workout facilities offering short-term access. GymGoer allows users to pay for temporary passes, instead of signing long-term contracts they might not need, and sign gym waivers within the app itself.

Femmi CEO and co-founder Lydia O’ Donnell is empowering women to learn about their bodies and move with confidence. As a national level runner for New Zealand O’Donnell was told that in order to be a successful athlete, she had to be skinny, small and lean, which is an unfortunately prevalent narrative. O’Donnell says she’s gutted that she lost so many years to underfueling and overtraining. However, it’s for this reason she decided to create Femmi, a running app that supports people to train in line with their menstrual cycles. Hormones and energy change during a woman’s menstrual cycle. Femmi offers personalised run training, expert women’s health support and access to women-led run communities.

One of the world’s most respected minds in high performance sport is set to join the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), with Dr David Martin appointed to lead the organisation’s revamped Research and Innovation Unit (formerly the SPIKE research area). Dr Martin’s arrival will be a joint appointment with The University of Queensland, where he will also take up the role of Professorial Research Fellow in Sports Technology and Performance.

For decades, sportstech hovered on the fringes, an experimental space where early adopters tinkered with data tracking, AI-driven analysis, and rudimentary wearables. In the early 2000s, the sector resembled a fledgling startup, fueled by youthful energy, innovation, and determination. Fast forward to 2025, and it is clear - sportstech has at last matured beyond its introductory phase and is now squarely in its growth phase.

Originally founded as a software solution for personal trainers, Hapana pivoted to bricks-and-mortar fitness studios in 2017 and took on a more global outlook, but its hard-earned victories in the US were unravelled by COVID-19 and the ensuing gym closures. This could have been a death knell for the Sydney-based tech startup if not for the eagerness of burgeoning Australian fitness brands to embrace innovation. In a post-COVID period the company has gone from strength to strength. Hapana has grown rapidly since raising $AUD 17 million last year, and now has its sights set on an AI-first re-platforming to add further value to the fitness sector.

The Institute for Sports Technology Standards (ISTS) has been established to improve quality assessment and decision-making in sportstech. ISTS will conduct three main streams of activity. Firstly, spearhead the development of public, accredited test standards for the quality assessment of sports technology. Secondly, develop and conduct tech quality assessment programs for federations, governing bodies and leagues. And thirdly, conduct sports tech quality assessment and R&D testing, according to test standards.

The federal government is backing three medtech incubators with nearly $AUD 100 million in grant funding, in the hopes of helping Australia’s next great healthcare innovators bring their products to market. Brandon BioCatalyst, Biointelect, and ANDHealth have each secured funding for new incubator programs, supporting startups as they commercialise proof-of-concept projects. The funding comes as part of the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and its $AUD 450 million Medical Research Commercialisation Initiative.

Optus has accepted an offer from Nine Entertainment Co and Stan to obtain the rights to Optus Sport football content, including the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup and more. From 1 August 2025 Optus Sport will close, and the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup, J.League and National Women’s Soccer League will move to Stan Sport. This means that the Premier League and UEFA Champions League will now be reunited, in one place, Stan.

The Female Founders Co-Investment Fund provides grants that are pre-approved and are subject to an investment raise by women-founded and led innovation driven enterprises that are approaching new investors as part of their early-stage capital raise. The Fund provides grants from $AUD 50,000 to $AUD 200,000 (excluding GST) matched at a 1:3 ratio for a funding round led by an eligible investment entity. To be eligible businesses must be headquartered in Queensland and be majority female owned (51%+).

The GLP-1 boom is still sending ripples and waves throughout the fitness industry they also have fitness professionals asking users to only take them once well-informed.  Evolt 360, the brand’s body composition scanner which measures lean muscle mass and fat via bioimpedance technology, is an ideal tool for anyone looking to use GLP-1 medications safely and effectively. By tracking skeletal muscle mass, fat composition and body fat distribution, and creating individual macronutrient profiles to better understand proper protein, carb and fat intake, the device is the guide all GLP-1 users need right now.

International Rugby League is further professionalising its technical education by providing IRL members with a comprehensive online education management system. IRL has partnered with leading education solutions provider etrainu to maximise the way coach and match officials learn. All IRL technical courses and the progress of practitioners through each program will be logged on a customised IRL education portal. 

Hockey NSW has announced a new 3-year agreement with Veo Technologies to become its Official Video and Analysis Partner. The partnership gives Hockey NSW access to AI-powered Veo Cam 3 5G units and video analysis software. Hockey NSW will be using the cameras to aid in officials development as well as athlete development initially. Veo’s solution includes the AI-powered Veo Cam 3 5G, which automatically tracks the ball and players during matches, allowing coaches and athletes to record games, analyse performance, and create highlight videos effortlessly, all without the need for a camera operator.

Leading GPS racing technology provider tripleSdata has announced a partnership with TAB NZ and Entain to roll out next-gen SMART 4G GPS technology across 27 racecourses (90% of New Zealand's race courses). The partnership will reshape data commercialisation, powering real-time tracking, timing, and data for clubs, syndicates, operators and punters.

Melbourne healthtech startup Everlab has raised $AUD 15 million in a seed funding round led by global growth equity firm Left Lane Capital. The funding will be used to expand its AI-driven preventive health platform and grow its clinical network across Australia and beyond. Everlab is a digital health platform focused on proactive and personalised prevention. It works on a membership system where members receive year-round access to a suite of diagnostic tests. These include whole-body MRIs, blood testing, DEXA scans, VO2 max, ECG, glucose monitoring, CT coronary angiograms, and food journal analysis. 

USA Pickleball, the national governing body for pickleball in the United States, has teamed up with leading education provider etrainu to launch a centralized, federated training platform designed to upskill ambassadors and other membership stakeholders sport. The first phase will target training and education for over 2,000 ambassadors and other membership stakeholders. With etrainu’s learning management system (LMS) and integration with the Sport:80 membership platform, USA Pickleball will now deliver and track training across areas including employee onboarding, volunteer training, and referee / official certification. 

Sciana has partnered with NeuroFlux to provide AI-powered concussion screening to communities across Australia. Sciana's platform is equipping GPs, pharmacies, and allied health providers with a powerful tool for early, objective screening. NeuroFlex uses virtual reality to test oculomotor reflexes, cognitive and vestibular reaction times.

Sports streaming platform FrogBox has announced a new partnership with Gray-Nicolls, an iconic name in world cricket. Now, through FrogBox’s livestreaming platform, Gray-Nicolls is connecting more directly with the millions who play and follow grassroots cricket each week. This collaboration combines heritage and innovation, equipping clubs with the tools to stream matches, and share their stories with passionate communities.

The 2025 Sports Tech Startup and Investor Day will give founders the opportunity to pitch their company via a short two-and-a-half-minute video as part of the Sportstech World Series in late October in Melbourne. Australia Sports Tech Startup and Investor Day (on 30th October) is designed to give innovative grassroots businesses an opportunity to showcase their product to the broader sports tech industry. Submissions close 3pm Friday 24th October.

DMC Sport has announced that it signed on to continue working with England Golf to support two fantastic grassroots programs – Girls Golf Rocks and Get into Golf Rookies. From innovative product design and manufacture to seamless delivery to participants, DMC Sport is helping grow participation in golf across the UK by making golf fun, accessible, and inclusive for young players.

Australian wagering technology company, BetMakers Technology, has raised $AUD 13.7 million in an oversubscribed retail share purchase plan as well as an institutional placement. The money raised will be used to fund strategic acquisitions, repay debt, and support its growing presence in the US racing and wagering market.

Advance Queensland is a support partner with Follow Me AI (FOME.ai) and The University of Queensland to undertake a project to develop an AI-powered system for Paralympic classification. The Industry Research Projects program will provide more than $AUD 1.5 million in funding, and UQ’s Queensland Centre for Olympic and Paralympic Studies will also contribute $ADU 210,000 to this innovative project which has the potential to revolutionise Para sport by ensuring fair and objective classification for athletes around the world.

HITIQ, a pioneer in concussion management, has announced an exclusive global agreement with Shock Doctor, the world’s leading mouthguard innovator. This landmark agreement marks Shock Doctor’s two-year effort to design a mouthguard that will integrate HITIQ’s PROTEQT technology. The result is a fully developed, market-ready solution that merges HITIQ’s smart sensor technology with Shock Doctor’s unmatched global production partner capabilities.

Basketball Victoria (BV) has launched Australia's first comprehensive basketball facilities guide, a pioneering resource designed to address the state's critical court shortage whilst supporting local governments and sporting associations in infrastructure planning and development. The sport's rapid growth however has placed enormous pressure on existing infrastructure, threatening participation and equal access to this great game across communities.