ASTN Member News

Australian Oztag is excited to announce a partnership with etrainu, an innovator in online learning solutions, to launch The Hub, a new digital platform designed to streamline referee accreditation and training. This partnership will standardise accreditation for referees within Oztag. With over 5,000 referees set to use the platform, Oztag will seamlessly combine on-field assessments with online learning to streamline the referee accreditation process. This will support their growing membership base of 150,000+ players. 

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Katy Perry’s AFL Grand Final performance is another signal that the use of mixed reality in Australian sports presentation is on the rise. A consortium including Champion Data, Mushroom Events, Silent Partners Studio, Vizrt, NEP Group, Inc., and Seven Network, joined forces with Katy Perry to help deliver a groundbreaking transformation to the Telstra pre-match entertainment at the 2024 AFL Grand Final in front of more than 100,000 fans. Daylight often presents significant limitations to the in-stadium entertainment spectacle, but by using cutting-edge “Virtual Camera” and Augmented Reality technology to deliver dynamic, automated graphic scenes, Katy Perry’s electrifying performance was elevated to new heights. 

Broadcasting tech company Layercake has been shortlisted for the SportsPro 2024 OTT Awards in the Best Startup Category. The OTT Awards is a celebration of the trailblazers in the world of sports broadcasting and streaming, spotlighting the platforms, content creators and innovations that are redefining the way sports is consumed worldwide. Layercake provides two broadcasting and content asset solutions which include Streamcake and Mediacake.

VueMotion has been nominated as a finalist in the 2024 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence. Since their inception in 2021, these awards continue to spotlight pioneering companies that are driving innovation - including within this all-important Health-tech category.VueMotion powers better quality movement in sport and health with world-leading Computer Vision & AI. Other finalists in this category include Navbit, Artrya Ltd and nuroflux.The winner will be announced on 30th October 2024.

Sportstech companies Vue Motion and 1080 Motion have collaborated to improve athletic movement analysis. This combines both kinematic and kinetic outputs to test a range of athletic-based movements. 1010 Motion are leaders in robotic technologies for neuromuscular testing and training in sports and rehabilitation. Vue Motion specialises in development of video and data analytics for athletic movement using computer visioning, AI machine learning and augmented reality. The technologies are crucial for decision making when it comes to interventions for improving performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation. 

A total of $AUD 8.5 million in grants have been awarded to 12 quantum technology projects led by 5 Queensland-based universities as part of the Department of Environment, Science, and Innovation's Queensland Quantum and Advanced Technologies Strategy. The Quantum 2032 Challenge aims to accelerate the development of quantum and advanced technologies products and applications, attract investment and foster collaboration, build a skilled quantum workforce, accelerate decarbonisation efforts, and promote quantum-based innovations to support the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Projects focused on athlete performance theme including concussion diagnosis, wearables technologies, hydration and anti-doping as well as large-scale event-based themes including transport, communications and security.

After doubling customer deployments in the past 12 months, MyVenue has been named the 2024 Telstra Best of Business Awards (SA) winner for Outstanding Growth. MyVenue supports more than 140 venues across Australia, the US, Canada, and the UK using our next-gen POS solution. Their growth has been underpinned by proactive product development, ongoing investment in cybersecurity, and building support capacity.

ActiveKIT (Knowledge | Innovation | Technology) is a call to action to ‘shift the dial’ on investment in the Active Industry to drive physical activity participation in Queensland. The initiative aims to encourage better utilisation of knowledge, harnessing innovation and leveraging technology to enable more Queenslanders to be physically active more often,. A total of 47 innovation solutions totaling $AUD 4.3 million in grants were awards in the Super Round of funding. There were a number of sports-tech related projects awarded grants which included GravityFit, Champion Life, Chicks Who Ride Bikes and Cinema on the Fly

Global sports broadcast platform, DAZN, has recently announced a partnership with Tradable Bits, a leading provider of fan engagement, data, and marketing solutions, to enhance sports telecasts in Taiwan. The companies will pilot a series of activations designed to increase viewers’ engagement with content before, during, and after sports events. Fans who interact with DAZN’s content by scanning QR codes that appear in telecasts will have a chance to be rewarded with prizes, merchandise, game tickets, and more.

Tradable Bits has partnered with AFL team, Fremantle Football Club, in a 'Best Seat in the House' campaign to undercover new fans and potential members. Over forty thousand fans entered the campaign, ten thousand of which were newly discovered (i.e. not captured anywhere else in their database). At every home game, fans in the stadium were given an opportunity to scan a QR code (displayed on stadium screens) to “Scratch” for the chance to win an upgrade to 2 VIP seats in the stadium, VIP service and access to the Bankwest Club. Over forty thousand fans entered the campaign, ten thousand of which were newly discovered (i.e. not captured anywhere else in their database). 

Boob Armour, breast protection inserts for female contact sports, is now more accessible than ever with its distribution expanding to Australia's largest sports retail group Rebel Sport. From young girls just starting their sporting journey, teenagers playing for fun or elite athletes & everyday women, Boob Armour products cater to all sports with contact, impact, or ball play, including activities like AFLW, soccer, basketball, netball, cricket, hockey and the list goes on.

PMY has won the 2024 Victorian Exporter of the Year Award. Founded in 2009, PMY has become a global leader in venue and event technology. With a presence in 14 countries and a portfolio of cutting-edge services, including their AI-driven OPTIC platform, PMY has redefined the industry, enabling venues and events to create unforgettable experiences. The company's success and dedication to providing independent, impactful technology solutions have made them a trusted advisor and partner to some of the world’s most prestigious venues and events.  

UniSport is committed to delivering an exceptional sporting experience through 2024 Nationals in Canberra, while minimising environmental impact. In partnership with Everclime, UniSport have developed two UniSport impact cards for students to choose between, that represent an impact contribution to either ACT Wildlife Conservation or the Forever Reef Project. UniSport have allocated $AUD 5 per registration to these organisations selected by the Student Organising Committee which will begin building an impact legacy for the events UniSport host. UniSport are activating the investment through Everclime blockchain technology and encouraging every student to make a choice.

Layercake has announced the launch of an innovative and revolutionary approach to broadcast production, using software defined video networks. The Streamcake Platform, a Layercake product, forms the backbone of a pioneering collaboration between Grass Valley, NEXTDC, AI-Media and Sharon AI. Streamcake brings together best-in-breed technologies orchestrating network connectivity, video processing, captioning and media enrichment, and on-demand cloud GPU infrastructure.

Revolve Athletic has formed a partnership with athlete management system firm Lumin Sports to enhance systems for athletes, coaches and clubs to enhance performance and athletic development. Revolve works with over 700 athletes and coaches in south-east Queensland across rugby league, AFL, netball, basketball, soccer and rowing. Lumin's system provides clubs with easy access to athlete information and data such as load monitoring, athlete wellbeing, strength programming, medical modules and injury reporting.

Fast-growing Australia-based stadium tech company has acquired Australian sports creative agency, KOJO. PMY provide solutions to more than 1,000 stadia and venue across the globe. The acquisition will further strengthen PMY's intelligence, technology, and experience offerings globally. KOJO has an impressive portfolio of collaborations and partnerships including AFL, Cricket Australia, NRL, and FIFA, along with iconic brands like BMW, MINI, and Wesfarmers. KOJO collaborates with entertainment giants like Sony Pictures, Netflix, Warner Bros., and Universal Studios, while maintaining long-term partnerships with major ANZ stadiums, including Optus Stadium, Adelaide Oval, Suncorp Stadium, and Sky Stadium in Wellington.

etrainu has been named the Official Education Partner for the 2024 National Officiating Summit, empowering sports officials with world-class online learning solutions and ensuring they stay at the forefront of their sport. Their leading online learning platform has made them the provider of choice by officiating organisations, including US Youth Soccer, Pickleball Australia, NRL Touch Football, Basketball Australia, USA Track & Field, and Football Australia

Australians with a flair for sport are being offered the opportunity of a lifetime. A nationwide talent search aimed at finding future stars for Brisbane 2032 gets underway next month. The Future Green and Gold campaign will be Australia’s greatest ever talent search, designed to unearth the next generation of sporting champions and fast-track them to the elite level. This is the first time the high performance sector has come together to deliver a talent search. The Australian Institiute of Sport (AIS) has partnered with all state institutes, Paralympics Australia and more than 40 major sports including cycling, rugby, para canoe and para snow.

QUT will develop and host an inclusive esports program for regional Queensland high school students, with the support of a $1.19 million grant from the Australian Government. The 'EsportsAble' project will see a series of esports events held in six regional locations across Queensland during 2025, culminating in a state championship in Brisbane.

Digital content and learning management platform specialist, CoachMate, has partnered and gone live with Golf Australia. CoachMate to help deliver the ‘MyGolf’, ‘Get Into Golf’ and ‘MyGolf Schools’ programs digitally to ensure that new golfers have the best experience possible. CoachMate is an app designed to save time and help deliver great coaching sessions on or off the course. This is done through easy-to-follow game based video content, group management and micro learning tips and tricks allowing you to become the best coach, teacher, volunteer, or player you can be.

Cool Beans Underwear founder and CEO, Saara Jamieson, has been selected as a finalist for the Paul Shetler Disrupter of the Year category in the 2024 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence. Saara is the inventor of the world’s first testicular cooling medical device underwear, now registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia.

Teamworks, a global leader in enterprise SaaS solutions for elite sports and tactical organizations, has announced the acquisition of Zelus Analytics, the leading sports intelligence platform. Zelus helps elite sports organizations and athletes win by blending rich data sources to inform roster construction, player development, game preparation, and in-match strategy decisions. Zelus has built a reputation as the only company to combine world-class data science and engineering talent, deep industry experience, and advanced models and metrics to tackle the most complex challenges in sports analytics (across MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, IPL, European football leagues and pro golfers on the PGA TOUR).

PlaySpark to have been accepted into the 2024 cohort of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) US Export Acceleration Bootcamp. As the business pushes into the USA, the program will help PlaySpark monetise their IP through branded mobile games, consolidate their GTM strategy and gain a better grasp of the tax, legal and cultural issues.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Gerford AI supported USA Swimming in their remarkable achievement of 28 medals, including 8 golds, 13 silvers, and 7 bronzes. By analyzing over 232,000 data points across 73 races, our advanced analytics provided invaluable insights, helping USA Swimming secure the top spot in the standings. 

Cricket Australia have trialed Talk All Sports scoring platform for the first time at the recent Australia A vs India A test match in Brisbane. The four-day match marked a successful first-time deployment of the Talk All Sports Foldaway LED Scoreboard for Cricket Australia. Talk All Sports had completed seven school and trial matches with the technology, where umpires scored every ball. 

For many Paralympians, the equipment they use plays a crucial role in their performance – it’s what enables them to compete and push boundaries in their sport at the elite level. Recognising this, AIS Engineering worked with several sports in the lead-up to the Paris Games, completing a record 153 customised equipment projects to ensure our Paralympians are competing with top-notch gear suited to their needs.

GameDay, a leading provider of digital solutions for sporting organisations, has announced a new partnership with Royal Life Saving South Australia to support their ‘Holiday Swim’ and ‘Inclusive Swim’ programs. These community initiatives will benefit from GameDay’s innovative Programs feature as part of the GameDay Passport platform, ensuring streamlined operations and enhanced participant experiences. Through this partnership, Royal Life Saving SA will utilise GameDay’s Programs feature to manage registrations, track participation, and streamline communications for both programs.

BMX New Zealand have announced that they have partnered with CoachMate to design and deliver their Kiwi Sprocket Rockets Program. The Program is designed to help coaches, teachers, parents and caregivers deliver safe and strong bike riding foundations and make teaching and learning fun through easy-to-follow, bite-sized video activities. 

After the success of BAHE's first Yoga and Pilates Apparel collection, the company has exclusively launched in Harrods, the world’s leading luxury department store. Designed in Sydney and London, BAHE will share its luxury range of Yoga and Pilates activewear and coordinating accessories with UK customers in-store.

From little league to the big leagues, GeoSnapShot has now enabled sports and schools to capture over 30 million memories around the world—and counting. GeoSnapShot's mission to empower photographers to showcase their talent and monetize their work has never been stronger, and this achievement is as much a testament to their dedication and passion. 

In the world of snow sports, one company is making waves with its innovative approach to women's gear. Nobody's Princess founder Maria Baker is challenging industry norms and empowering women on the slopes. The company is about creating high-quality long-lasting gear that enhances women's snow experience. 

Now in its fourth year, the QUT Sport Tech Challenge is back on 7 September, blending traditional sports with cutting edge technology and esports. This event taps into global trends in esports and virtual sports, offering students the chance to compete in the latest innovations. It provides the opportunity to bring together esports enthusiasts and sporty students, combining technology with physical activity in a unique competition. Students can compete in Rocket League, Virtual Cycling, Virtual Rowing, Motorsport Hot Lap and     Just Dance. The school with the highest points at the end of the day will be crowned the 2024 Sport Tech Champion School!

The AFL will introduce its new ball-tracking technology to drive a 'score assist' review system for the 2024 NAB AFL Women's season. The smart-ball technology will provide score assist officials with alerts when the footy crossed the goal line, hits the post or is touched in flight. The smart-ball technology has been tested extensively over the past 18 months, including real-world trials in VFL and VFLW matches this season. A chip is embedded in the 'smart' Sherrins, which have been specially manufactured to mimic the original ball's size, weight, shape and balance in flight. Sensors stationed around the ground then track the ball's movement. The 'smart' Sherrin has been developed in partnership with Sportable and Intaneous.

TwinLabs.ai is excited to announce that is has been awarded a £100K grant from the Innovate UK Bridge AI programme to further develop it's digital twin platform for live music festivals and large events. TwinLabs.ai is partnering with ticketing and cashless payment specialist Howler to combine their entry point data, and other IoT, GPS and 3rd-party data to create live, 3D replicas of large festival environments. This will give event operators visibility they’ve never had before.. and ultimately create a safer, and better experience for festival-goers.

New Zealand sportstech startup CoachMate has been shortlisted for the 2024 Leaders in Sport Awards in the Tech Breakthrough category. CoachMate is revolutionising grassroots sports by offering a player-centric platform that seamlessly integrates world-class coaching content with the utility of powerful team management features. Winners will be announced at the Leaders in Sport Awards on 15th October in London during Leaders Week.

Basketball Australia’s coaching pathways continue to grow in tandem with the performance of Australia’s national teams and the quality of coaching talent continues to shine from the community to the big leagues. A new suite of resources has been launched by Basketball Australia in partnership with etrainu. The resources in the Learning Management System (LMS) has been designed for those looking to take the call to coach with their community club or those interested in developing an analytical mind for the game.  

Sport will continue to be the main show, but it won't be the "whole show" in a 10-year future for AFL stadiums that will see venues and clubs target more entertainment options for fans when they head to the footy. Clubs know they need to innovate in the next decade and use stadiums in new ways to continue packing out games and competing with TV audiences and other forms of entertainment. Author and sports business academic Dr Sam Duncan is forecasting a period of innovation that will be focused on technology and in-stadium entertainment options, rather than large scale redevelopments.

From custom-built technology to performance support and training camps, the AIS has played an important role in helping athletes maintain a competitive edge during their events. This includes the incredible Jess Fox whose gold medal performances in both the K1 and C1 events make her the first Australian athlete in Olympics history to win six medals in individual events. In the lead-up to Paris, the AIS Engineering team worked with Paddle Australia to develop custom pieces for Fox’s boats, including a 3D-printed knee cup for her canoe with a novel installation system and lightweight aluminium alloy footpegs for her kayak.

There has been an exciting new chapter in sports broadcast storytelling unfold last weekend at LIV Golf UK. Champion Data’s Smart GGi, in partnership with Kaze Aerial Production, introduced a fresh era of drone graphics. LIV Golf debuted the elevation graphic, powered by Pixotope and Vizrt, showcasing innovation and taking fan immersion and engagement to the next level.

Artificial intelligence sports technology, created by Australian firm VueMotion Labs, could prove the tool that helps the Kiwi sprinter Zoe Hobbs onto the podium. VueMotion’s app captures granular data on Hobbs’ running mechanics – step length, frequency, ground contact time, forces, horizontal movement, speed, split times and more. It generates a visual “kinogram” that her coach can view, instantly seeing areas to improve like foot strike or hip rotation.