2025 Recap: Driving Sportstech Innovation In Australia
By Dr Martin Schlegel, Executive Chair Australian Sports Technologies Network
ASTN’s landmark agreement to establish the Australian Sports Innovation Centre of Excellence (ASICE), combined with a multitude of national program partnerships with State and Local Governments, as well as the unwavering support of our startup community, innovators, our experienced mentors, service provider partners and sporting organisations, have transformed ASTN from a startup-focused accelerator, into to a true innovation intermediary. Today, ASTN is an orchestrator of a sector-based innovation ecosystem, as defined by Jerry Engel of UC Berkeley in his 2022 book publication, ‘Clusters of Innovation in the Age of Disruption’.
ASICE Achievements That Exceeded Expectations
Over its program lifecycle (2021–2025), ASICE delivered outcomes that surpassed initial targets. Sportstech businesses in Victoria created more than 2,250 new jobs. Nationwide, the sector now counts 840 companies which employ almost 18,000 people and generate A$5.65 billions of gross value added to the national economy. Throughout funded activities, the ASTN team supported over 280 companies who were engaged through accelerator programs, mentoring, and market access initiatives. We hosted more than 100 events, including masterclasses, webinars, investor forums, and roundtables. Since August 2025, these events and activities have been operated out of Cremorne Digital Hub (CDH) where ASTN has become one of the community foundation members. In addition, we continue our collaboration and partnership arrangements with the State agencies, Global Victoria and Invest Victoria as well as our engagement, support and event activities with the City of Melbourne. The City of Melbourne was welcomed as a Supporting Partner and event host to the release of ASTN 4th edition of the Sports Innovation Report.
Continued Focus on Queensland Growth and Ecosystem Development
In sectors such as sport, where rapid technological change intersects with complex public policy agendas, innovation intermediaries face growing pressure to reconcile corporate priorities with broader societal goals. Building on the 2024 strategic partnerships with the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), the City of Gold Coast and the existing university partnerships in Queensland, the ASTN team successfully engaged with the National Rugby League (NRL) and Advance Queensland to deliver the 10-week Sportstech Sprint as part of the 2025 NRL Magic Round in Brisbane. Similarly, we delivered the Gold Coast Sportstech Open Innovation Challenge, a six-week ASTN-led pilot program in partnership with Southport Sharks, Invest Gold Coast, and the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP).
Accelerated Success in the West
Following agreements with the State Government of Western Australia and the City of Perth, ASTN announced being successful as a recipient of an Innovative Society Fund grant from Meshpoints to help continue the acceleration of the growth of WA’s sportstech innovation ecosystem. Through our partnership with Sport West, we continue to connect startups, State Sporting Organisations, academics and innovators through a series of webinars, masterclasses and roundtable discussions.
South Australia Connects with Sportstech
From staging a sportstech showcase during AFL Gather Round in Adelaide to piloting the South Australian Sportstech Export Capability Program, 2025 has seen exciting engagement with the sector in South Australia. Prepared via a multi-month education and mentoring program, ASTN led a delegation of sportstech businesses from South Australia to visit San Francisco and Los Angeles, engaging with leading sportstech companies, professional teams, investors, government agencies, and academic institutions.
Global Partnerships and International Engagement
During the calendar year 2025, we have continued to grow ASTN’s global footprint through strategic partnerships with leading sportstech hubs, including GSIC (Spain and Singapore), ASPN (Taiwan), Colosseum (Israel), ISTA and SEiCON (USA), ISPO Brandnew (Germany) and Sport & Technology (Netherlands). Trade delegations to major global events – such as MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston, Sports Business Journal Tech Week in New York, and Sports Tech Nation in Munich enhanced knowledge exchange plus showcased Australian sportstech products and services to provide further export opportunities. Globally, ASTN is being recognized as a thought leader across themes of technology implementation (World Union of Olympic Host Cities), corporate-startup engagement models (World Open Innovation Conference) and formation of innovation clusters as evidenced by ASTN team members regularly being invited to present or speak at various global events. At the same time, inbound visits from institutions like the Global Institute of Sport and University of Washington further cemented our role as a global landing pad for sport innovation. In total, through its global reach, ASTN facilitated market entry into international regions for more than 60 sportstech businesses helping to drive further export growth.
The Road Ahead
As evidenced in our 2025 Sports Innovation Report, growth in economic value and employment are now driven by a range of fast-scaling businesses who are embedded into a sportstech sector which continues to mature. Several of these companies have emerged to become international leaders in their respective categories, cementing the notion that Australia’s sportstech sector continues to punch well above its weight globally. Looking ahead at 2026 as the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane inch closer, Brisbane 2032 will enable local innovators and entrepreneurs, startups and scaleups to be hoisted onto the global stage. However, to unlock new revenue streams and drive long-term economic growth for Australia, the task expands well beyond pure infrastructure challenges and ultimately requires corporate Australia to engage with sportstech innovation in meaningful ways. The entire ASTN team stands ready to play its role as the innovation intermediary and ecosystem orchestrator for Australia to claim its place on the podium as one of the most advanced and integrated sportstech ecosystems in the world.