Sportstech & Member News

The AFL - Australian Football League have partnered with Optimize Mind Performance (OMP), a world-leading digital mental performance platform, to assist the next generation of elite footballers to refine their mental wellbeing skills. The digital platform created by OMP will allow the AFL Mental Health and Wellbeing Team to provide ongoing support to the most elite junior footballers in the country, through the AFL National Academy program.

Over recent months, ASTN has worked with the Swiss Olympic Committee’s Innovation Hub to develop a Swiss Sports Innovation Report, adopting ASTN’s taxonomy and categorisations to enable international benchmarking for the first time. This collaboration highlights the economic development opportunities that sportstech can bring, particularly as Switzerland explores a potential bid for the Winter Olympics. The event, "Sportstech without Borders - Australia meets Switzerland", will be held on 26th November at the Cremorne Digita Hub. It will explore new connection and collaboration opportunities between the countries with the support of Swiss Festival Australia Inc, Network Europe Australia and event sponsor Ritzerz. 

Bilt, a neighborhood commerce and rewards platform, has announced its acquisition of LAVA, a leading technology platform powering real-time loyalty, membership, and customer experiences for major sports and entertainment organizations, in a transaction valued at $US 300 million. The acquisition brings LAVA’s technology and relationships with 56 professional sports franchises across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS, including the Detroit Lions, Denver Nuggets, Carolina Hurricanes, and LAFC, into Bilt’s rapidly expanding neighborhood commerce ecosystem. Bilt has created one of the USA's largest neighborhood commerce networks, connecting more than 7 million members across residential communities with more than 50,000 merchant partners.

Danu has joined the AO StartUps program to pilot its wearable gait analysis system for injury & performance analysis at Tennis Australia's National Tennis Academy. Its wearable platform captures the biomechanics of lower-limb function with clinical-grade accuracy, in training, competition and clinical settings, giving practitioners and athletes objective insight into the movement patterns that drive performance, recovery and long-term health.

Next Level Racing, a global leader in simulation hardware, has announced a new multi-year partnership with Airbus, marking a significant milestone in the continued growth of its flight simulation category. The partnership brings together Next Level Racing’s expertise in developing immersive simulation hardware with Airbus, one of the world’s leading aerospace companies. Under the multi-year agreement, Next Level Racing will work closely with Airbus to develop officially licensed simulation products designed to bring an authentic Airbus-inspired experience to flight simulation enthusiasts around the world.

Management software plaform SportLogic has partnered with leading pickleball rating system DUPR in Australia and New Zealand, making it easier for players to understand their skill level, track their progress and connect with others of similar ability. SportLogic powers over 1,000 racquet sports venues across Australia and New Zealand.

Global point-of-sale (POS) innovator MyVenue has completed one of the NFL’s largest POS deployments at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. Over 1,000 POS at the historic stadium now use MyVenue, including 460 terminals, 300 handheld devices, 165 suites, and 264 self-service kiosks, making it MyVenue’s largest kiosk installation in North America.

SwimmingSA members can now get accurate race times at meets without the chore of timekeeping. The association’s new OllyGo mobile video timing system was commissioned at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre on 10–11 October. Olly Timing replaces three timekeepers per lane with two operators per system. That improves the accuracy and integrity of finish decisions while making competitions more sustainable for clubs already stretched thin. Since launching in 2024, Olly Timing has recorded more than 270,000 race times across Australia, Europe and the United States, saving over 23,000 hours of timekeeping.

Co-hosted with Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ), in conjunction with Orange Sports Forum, the event brought together businesses and industry representatives from Australia and the Netherlands to explore opportunities for collaboration, innovation and investment in Queensland. The discussions highlighted the significant opportunities for Dutch and Australian businesses to connect, innovate and collaborate, particularly across sports technology, infrastructure and sustainability, as Queensland prepares for Brisbane 2032 and beyond. Dr Martin Schlegel from Australian Sports Technologies Network, explored the idea that today's sports technology is tomorrow's technology for everyone. Rick Sleegers from Orange Sports Forum, shared insights from recent trade missions to Australia and the opportunities they have created.

The Bundesliga has partnered with Playmobil, Sky Sport and RTL Deutschland to deliver an AI-powered virtual broadcast of Bayern Munich's 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund on October 31, 2026, recreating the entire match in real-time using animated Playmobil figures. The alternative broadcast, titled Sky Sport Spezial – Next Level, ran alongside the traditional television coverage, with player movements, passes and goals reproduced in a virtual environment using official Bundesliga tracking data. The league described the project as the first full live match by a professional football league presented on this scale within a virtual entertainment environment.

Cycling app Party Onbici has been endorsed by Transport for NSW. Party Onbici makes cycling safer and more social by introducing cyclists to other cyclists commuting to work or study.  The Party Onbici story goes back to Transport for NSW's 2021 Active Transport Bike Riding Innovation Challenge, which looked for ideas to make everyday bike riding easy and fun, and to tackle confidence and safety. 

The National Football League (NFL) and TMRW Sports has unveiled Premier Flag, the brand identity for the new professional flag football league for women and men currently in development. Launching in summer 2027 Premier Flag will bring the world’s best players together in a fast-paced, elite competition created for a new generation of global fans. Premier Flag will add a professional tier to the sport’s expanding Olympics, international, collegiate, high school and youth ecosystem ahead of flag football’s Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. 

The PA, the group behind UK news agency the Press Association, announced that it has agreed to acquire RAS Technology Holdings, the ASX-listed owner of racing data and wagering technology supplier Racing and Sports. The deal is all cash and worth about $AUD 49.8 million (around £26 million). The Press Association is offering $AUD 1.04 per share, a 93% premium to RAS’ closing price of $AUD 0.54 on 16 October. Completion is targeted for February 2027, subject to a shareholder vote and approval from Australia’s Federal Court.

Team USA is seeking outside financing for a new commercial rights vehicle it is calling U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Ventures as the sports governing body plans for two domestic Olympics and hopes to better monetize fan engagement. U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Ventures will encompass both domestic and global sponsorship and licensing deals, content distribution and direct-to-consumer sales.

The American College of Sports Medicine have released their 'Top 10 Fitness Trends' for 2027. Tech remains at the top of the list led by wearable technologies and mobile exercise apps. This was followed by balance, flow and core strength, fitness for older adults, strength training, exercise for weight management, group fitness classes, data-driven technology, exercise for mental health and influencer / ambassador-led fitness programs.

AO Ventures, the venture capital arm of Tennis Australia and the Australian Open, has announced an investment in Jump, an enterprise AI platform built for professional sports organisations. The investment marks the seventh company to join the AO Ventures portfolio in the fund’s first 15 months. Jump combines ticketing, fan data, marketing tools and branded mobile applications into a single AI-powered platform designed specifically for sports organisations.

World Athletics has established a standalone Running & Mass Participation department to bring even greater focus to the organisation’s work across the global running ecosystem. The department will be responsible for a broad portfolio including World Athletics’ road running, marathon, cross country, mountain and trail events and activities. World Athletics’ research informs shows that at least 1 billion people worldwide are runners in some shape or form, making athletics the most-participated sport in the world. n recent years, World Athletics has also worked to ensure fairness in elite running competition through the regulation of shoe technology, embracing innovation while ensuring all major shoe companies have access to the same technology. 

Sports education, advisory and performance business, Apogee Sports, is delivering a "Using AI and Data in Sport Accelerator" in Melbourne on 9th and 12th December. The session will be delivered by leading AFL data analyst Darren O'Shaughnessy. The program is designed for those in sport that want to get better at using AI and data in their role, whether that’s analysis, coaching or recruiting, or who wants to understand how AI is starting to change the way sports organisaations work.

Basketball analytics startup Superstate has announced that it has released its fastest computer visioning model. The Superstate "Fast Mode" provides NBA-level stats and highlights 10 minute post game. Until recently typical stats turnaround for sports teams outside the pros has always been about 24 hours.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Khelo India Sports Goods Manufacturing Scheme with a total outlay of Rs.1,856.67 crore ($US 194 million) for the period 2026 to 2033-34. The scheme aims to promote investment, manufacturing, innovation and exports, and strengthen India's position in the global sports goods sector. he Scheme envisages the development of dedicated Sports Goods Manufacturing Zones (SGMZs) to promote cluster-based manufacturing and create integrated industrial ecosystems through the co-location of manufacturers, suppliers, testing facilities, design and prototyping centres, and ancillary enterprises. 

UEFA EURO 2028 will take place in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland between 9 June and 9 July 2028. The UEFA EURO 2028 Innovation Programme is a joint initiative between UEFA and UK & Ireland 2028 Limited to identify and support solutions that can contribute to this ambition.  The Programme is after innovators to design, test and validate solutions that enhance the tournament experience while delivering sustainable and lasting benefits for volunteers, communities and tournament stakeholders. Applications close 15 November 2026.

French sportstech company VOGO has received approval by FIBA, the International Basketball Federation and world governing body for basketball, for its Instant Replay System. Specialising in video replay and communication solutions for professional sport, VOGO develops technologies designed to support referees and match officials in their decision-making, while improving the smooth running and efficiency of operations during competitions.

Tradable Bits, a global fan engagement and data technology company, has announced an expanded presence in Tasmania through partnerships with the Tasmania Devils, which will enter the AFL and AFLW in 2028, and the Tasmania JackJumpers, the state's NBL franchise and owner of the newly established Tasmania Jewels WNBL team. The Tasmania Devils have selected Tradable Bits to help build their fan engagement and data strategy ahead of their AFL and AFLW debut in 2028, while the Tasmania JackJumpers have renewed their partnership with Tradable Bits, which began in 2024.

ASICS and the University of Michigan have announced the opening of AMSI Lab, a new academic research and development laboratory on the University’s Ann Arbor campus. The lab supports the ASICS Michigan Sport Innovation Center (AMSI), a joint research program established through a broader research collaboration between the company and university announced in December. AMSI Lab, ASICS’ first industry-academia innovation lab, is designed to create a more direct path from university research to real-world sport innovation and product development.

General Atlantic, a leading global growth investor, and 32 Equity, the strategic investment vehicle of the National Football League, has announced a global strategic partnership to pursue growth investment opportunities across the sports industry. General Atlantic and 32 Equity aim to advance new ways for people to experience and engage with sports, broaden access across markets around the world, and back innovative companies developing new technologies, platforms, and experiences shaping the industry’s future.

Manchester sports technology company Rezzil has raised $US 10 million in fresh funding, with the Premier League extending its backing and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham joining a growing list of football investors. The Premier League first took an equity stake in Rezzil in 2024 as part of a four-year partnership centred on virtual and extended reality products using official league data. Rezzil uses player and ball movement data to create performance insights, broadcast graphics and interactive products.

The NBA will make what it calls the biggest investment ever into European basketball when it starts a new league there in 2027. The planned October 2027 launch date of the new league - a merit-based one where teams can play their way in by qualifying from other leagues - remains in place. EuroLeague owners rejected an initial offer earlier this month from the NBA to merge into a single European operation.

Bodø/Glimt is looking to boost their commercial revenue by investing in technology and innovation, combining a new data infrastructure with EDGE Case Ventures, its tech partnership platform. The initiative is designed to move the club beyond simply buying technology. Through EDGE, startups and established companies can develop, validate, and demonstrate products within the Bodø/Glimt ecosystem, while the club gains access to new technology, expertise, and new revenue streams.

Playbk Sports has been selected as a Featured Channel in ClickView’s newly launched Channels experience, marking another important milestone for our team and the continued evolution of the Playbk digital ecosystem. Featured alongside recognised educational channels including BBC Learning, Australian Rules Football and the Australian Olympic Team, Playbk Sports joins a curated collection of content producers helping educators discover trusted, high-quality educational content. Launched in October 2026, ClickView’s new Channels experience makes it easier for teachers to discover educational video producers and explore their content within a secure, ad-free and distraction-free learning environment.

Smart sunglasses company Minimis has announced a partnership with champion ultramarathon runner Ido Dassa and RacePace™ to bring personalised race guidance directly into the runners’ field of view. Trail and ultra runners make decisions for hours at a time, while navigating technical terrain and managing fatigue. The partnership allows runners to keep their strategy in sight and their eyes on the trail. RacePace™ turns a runner’s fitness, race course and expected conditions into a segment-by-segment strategy covering effort, heart rate, pace, nutrition and hydration.

Online running retailer SportsShoes.com and AI biomechanics platform Ochy launch a free online AI gait analysis tool that provides runners with a comprehensive analysis of their running form on a 10-second video filmed on their phone. A full report is returned in under a minute, with personalised recommendations for shoes and exercises to improve any weak points identified in the analysis.

AUSX Supercross and Australian sports technology company SportsAI have announced a new partnership to launch AUSX 360 powered by SportsAI, a new digital fan platform set to transform how audiences around the world experience the Boost Mobile AUSX Supercross Championship.  AUSX 360 will take fans beyond the traditional race broadcast, combining live and on-demand coverage with immersive 360-degree technology, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, live timing and deeper access to the riders.

Leading sports membership and administration platform GameDay has announced the completion of its acquisition by DELE Sports from PlayMetrics effective 31 July 2026. GameDay was previously part of the Stack Sports portfolio, prior to its combination with PlayMetrics in 2025. The acquisition returns GameDay to Australian ownership, headquartered in Melbourne, where the business was founded more than 25 years ago.

The UC Capitals have announced a new partnership with mobile app platform Tiparra, with work underway to launch a club-first Caps App designed to take fan engagement to the next level. The new Caps App will provide a dedicated digital home to connect directly with our community, bringing news, content, match-day updates and fan experiences together in one place.

Australian Sailing has announced the launch of Australian Sailing Hub, a new digital platform developed in partnership and powered by CoachMate. Designed to support instructors at Discover Sailing Centres across Australia, the free app brings practical skills, ready-made sessions, instructional videos, learning resources and communication tools together in one easy-to-use platform.

The global value of sports media rights reached a record $US 65.82 billion in 2026, up 15% on ‌2025, according to the SportBusiness Global Media Report 2026. The growth in 2026 was driven by the FIFA World Cup and the Winter Olympics. The National Football ⁠League and the National Basketball Association, account for 30% of all the global media ⁠rights value between them. 

 Swiss Olympic, in collaboration with PwC and Generis AG, have released Switzerland's first assessment of the national sportstech sector. The report identifies 402 companies generating CHF 8 billion in revenue and supporting 17,000 jobs. As part of an international collaboration in sports technology and innovation, the authors adopted ASTN’s market applications and sportstech technology stack categorisations. This international collaboration between Switzerland and Australia marks the first opportunity to establish internationally comparable standards that support greater benchmarking and connections between national sportstech ecosystems.

Basketball Australia has partnered with global sports technology provider Pixellot to make community basketball more connected, more accessible and better supported across the country. The flagship of this project is HoopsTV is expected to launch to participating local associations in November. Developed by Pixellot in partnership with Basketball Australia, the new platform will provide a central destination for game footage, replays, highlights and other personalised basketball content. Game footage captured through participating venues will progressively integrate with the new platform, aiming to cover more than 400,000 games annually across 1,000 venues.

Champion Data has been appointed broadcast graphics partner for the A-Leagues, supporting the live presentation of the A-League Men and A-League Women competitions. The partnership will support live broadcast graphics across both the A-League Men and A-League Women competitions, for coverage on Network 10 and Paramount+.

The FIFA World Cup 2030™ marks the 100th anniversary of the world’s largest soccer tournament, and Netflix will exclusively broadcast every match to fans in Spain and Andorra. With defending FIFA World Cup 2026 champion Spain serving as one of the competition’s three host nations — alongside Morocco and Portugal.  Netflix will be the exclusive home of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the United States and Canada in 2027 and 2031.

More than 1,000 cricket clubs and leagues can be streaming through FrogBox at the same time on a busy Australian summer weekend. The Australian sports technology company now sees its next opportunity in the thousands of academies, schools, local competitions and corporate tournaments operating beneath India’s professional game. Some of the company’s preparation for India has taken place in Melbourne. Austrade and the Australian Sports Technologies Network have been assisting FrogBox as it investigates the Indian market. Frogbox is the official streaming partner of the Rajasthan Royals Academy, the local development program connected with the IPL franchise, and showcased its technology with the academy in September.

Brisbane 2032 has unveiled its Olympic and Paralympic emblems, inspired by Queensland’s character, wildlife and identity. At their heart are two native Australian cockatoos, giving each a distinctive look and personality. The emblems also incorporate the outline of Queensland, the Olympic and Paralympic flames, and a subtle reference to the Games in 2032. The cockatoos also carry First Nations significance, with strong connections to Country and a cultural role as messengers linking people to place, story and ceremony. Creative Director and ASTN member Georgie Pinn (from Interactor) has been acknowledged for her work on the launch presentation of the emblem.

https://www.olympics.com/en/brisbane-2032/the-games/emblem/ 

The FrogBox Sports Camera has been recognised as a 2026 Australian Good Design Award Winner in the Product Design – Sport and Lifestyle category. FrogBox worked closely with specialist partners throughout the development process, including Capgemini on industrial design, electronics engineering, prototyping and reliability testing, Tamron on optics and lens selection, and Entech as a manufacturing partner. The judging panel recognised that the FrogBox Sports Camera brings broadcast-quality live streaming within reach of community sport. The design process successfully eliminated setup complexity, reducing configuration from 25 minutes to just 3 minutes.

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RAD Run Club has announced a partnership with Sports Direct Australia. RAD was created around a very simple idea, to make it easier for schools to get more children moving, more often. Through an initial pilot, RAD will establish clusters of schools around Sports Direct stores, beginning to build stronger connections between schools, families, local communities and the broader world of sport. RAD Run Club remains free for schools and is already helping thousands of Australian children build positive movement habits through a simple, inclusive and highly gamified program.

Co-Founder of Tagspace, Paul Martin, and Founder of Interactor, Georgie Pinn, have been announced as speakers for the Field of Vision conference in Brisbane on 6th November. Field of Vision: An Immersive 2032 is a half-day event that brings this future into focus, showcasing the breadth of roles extended reality (XR) technologies can play across the Games ecosystem – from infrastructure and venue planning to workforce development, visitor experience and city activation.

In September the Australia Sports Commission (ASC) (which includes the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)) began the process of cutting around 40 to 50 roles, a reduction of roughly 10 per cent of its almost 550-strong workforce, to account for a $AUD 15 million funding shortfall. The ASC told The Age the redundancies were part of an “organisational realignment” that was necessary to ensure it remained sustainable and focused on its priorities. At the same time the federal government said it recently committed record funding of $AUD 513 million over two years to high-performance sport. Separately, it has put $AUD 250 million towards a major redevelopment of the AIS campus, including three new facilities.

Paramount has completed its $US 113 billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, creating one of the world's biggest entertainment and media companies. For audiences, it means an enormous catalogue of movies and television shows is controlled by one company. Paramount Skydance is now a huge player in movies, television, streaming and news. For Australia it also brings together two businesses already serving Australian audiences, with Paramount's Network 10 and Paramount+ joining Warner Bros Discovery's HBO Max.

Sportradar, a leading global sports technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors, has announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell Atrium Sports, the coaching and scouting business of Synergy Sports, to Teamworks for $US170 million in cash. Sportradar will retain certain technology assets, capabilities, and revenue that underpin its core offerings and is already integrated into its business - including automated video production cameras, automated graphics solutions, certain computer vision capabilities, and competition management products.

Stadium point-of-sale leader, MyVenue, has announced its first deal in Asia. The deal is also the biggest deployment of MyVenue Halo AI-powered kiosks. The Kallang, home to Singapore;s National Stadium, is rolling out 220+ POS devices, including 30 Halos, across its four connected venues.

ASTN member iSports had a presence on both sides of the 2026 AFL Grand Final, with its technology supporting the Brisbane Lions and Fremantle Dockers throughout the season. The Brisbane Lions use iSports Rotations and iSports Team, while the Fremantle Dockers utilise iSports Rotations. iSports Rotations helps coaches manage player rotations and interchange strategies, while iSports Team provides tools to streamline team communication and management.

With both clubs competing in the AFL's biggest game of the year, it was a fantastic opportunity to showcase how Australian sports technology is supporting elite sporting organisations.