Sportstech & Member News

The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN), in partnership with LIV Golf, delivered a ASTN & LIV Golf Sportstech Showcase & Industry Event in Adelaide on 10th February, celebrating South Australia’s growing sports innovation and technology ecosystem. Held in the lead-up to LIV Golf Adelaide, the event brought together leaders from sport, technology, data, media, startups, investment and government to explore how innovation is shaping elite performance, fan engagement and the future of professional sport. Panelists included leaders from LIV Golf, Champion Data and the Adelaide Crows FC.

China's biggest sportswear brand Anta Sports Products has struck a deal to buy a 29% stake in Puma from the Pinault family for 1.5 billion euros ($US 1.8 billion), making it the biggest shareholder in the German sportswear maker. Anta said it would ‌use its expertise to help struggling Puma increase its sales in the lucrative Chinese market. The deal also helps Fila owner and Salomon backer Anta in its quest to become a more global business.

European Leagues and LaSource have been working together to shape the Sports Data Value Chain (SDVC) project: a strategic initiative designed to help member leagues gain more control of their sports data and build the foundations for a shared, future-ready data ecosystem. The European Leagues brings together 40 professional leagues representing more than 1,170 clubs across 34 countries and over 70 football divisions. 

Otro Capital has announced the close of its inaugural sports fund, Otro Capital Fund I, with $US 1.2 billion in committed capital. Fund I represents the largest first-time, dedicated sports buyout fund ever raised globally. The Fund is targeting investments where it believes professionalized operations, intellectual property, and enhanced governance can unlock significant value.

Volleyball NSW has announced a new partnership with Club Ducks, aimed at supporting Premier League clubs with a modern tool to better manage their current and future sponsors. Through the partnership, Premier League clubs will gain access to Club Ducks’ sponsorship management platform, a purpose-built resource designed to help clubs organise, maintain, and grow their sponsorship and partner relationships. The platform enables clubs to track existing sponsors and deliverables, while also providing tools to create professional pitch decks that can be used to attract new commercial partners. 

Catapult, a global leader in sports technology for professional teams, following its acquisition of Perch in June 2025, announced the next generation of its athlete performance ecosystem with Perch P2. Perch is a comprehensive performance solution for programming and assessing athlete readiness and training using velocity-based training (VBT). Catapult built Perch P2 to extend performance monitoring beyond the rack, delivering portable and precise athlete data in the gym and on the field. 

This is the story of how Australia overcame geographical isolation to build the world's most innovative tech empire in tennis. 

The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced the five companies that will make up the fifth cohort of NBA Launchpad, the league’s initiative to source, evaluate, and pilot emerging technologies to further impact the future of basketball. The five companies include Atlas, a brain-sensing wearable; CRED, an intelligence platform for sponsorship lead-generation; Diddo, an API for rights holders and publishers to integrate shoppable moments within media platforms; Peripheral Labs, a spatial intelligence platform focused on applying autonomous vehicle technology to reconstruct live sports, and; Swish Basket, an AI-powered basketball training and gaming platform.

Table Tennis Australia (TTA) has launched Table Tennis TV, a dedicated over-the-top (OTT) digital platform designed to transform how the Australian table tennis community experiences, follows, and engages with the sport. Rolling out ahead of last weekend’s TTA Invitational, Table Tennis TV provides a single destination for live matches, on-demand replays, highlights, and competition content across both national and state level events. The platform was developed by SportVot, an India-based sports technology company and TTA’s broadcast production partner. 

AO Ventures, the venture capital arm of Tennis Australia, has backed four pioneering early-stage businesses in its first nine months since launch. AO Ventures have made investments into Bolt6, a global leader in AI-powered officiating, broadcast, and data services; Raven Controls, an incident management platform for large scale events; Mindspring Padel, tech-enabled Padel court infrastructure, and; Padel Haus, a premium padel club operator in the US.

Nine new companies have joined Tennis Australia's AO StartUps, strengthening theircommitment to AI enabled innovation across sport and major events. The new cohort includes VueMotion, Bettercup, CRED, Bronco, truefuels, National Pickleball League, Aircast, RootNote and Outcoach. This reflects the program’s commitment to shaping the future of sport, sustainability, fan engagement and performance through real world experimentation at the Australian Open. A total of 41 startups have piloted their solutions with AO Startups over the last 4 years.

Athvance Capital has launched a European investment platform dedicated to building scaled sports assets across intellectual property, technology, and services, as private capital increasingly targets under-commercialised segments of the global sports industry. The platform is founded by Danny Menken, former managing director of Eurosport and co-founder of Eleven Sports, alongside Karim Ben Rejeb, a former JPMorgan investment banker.

HITIQ, a leader in concussion management, has announced an exclusive three‑year partnership with Hockey Australia, commencing in 2026. The agreement designates HITIQ as the organisation’s Official Player Safety Partner and integrates PROTEQT™ across Australia’s entire hockey pathway, from grassroots participation through to elite high‑performance programs. Hockey Australia strongly endorses mouthguards as essential safety equipment. This partnership elevates that standard by embedding a technology‑enabled safety framework supported by education, monitoring tools, and player‑welfare resources.

ESG Perform has launched a game-changing platform to help companies benchmark their reporting of Environmental, Social and Governance performance. ESG Perform have built a platform comprised of 23 measurable elements as a benchmark for companies to measure performance.

Genius Sports has struck a deal to acquire Legend's sports and gaming media network worth up to $US1.2 billion, which the sports technology company plans to combine with its FanHub platform. Legend offers marketing technology for owned and operated digital properties while syndicating sports and betting content for the likes of Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated. Genius said the company helped generate 320 million visits from 118 million unique visits in 2025.

With $US 200 billion in total announced deal value across more than 1,000 deals, 2025 was an unprecedented deal making year in sports Tech with a wave of mega-mergers, according to Drake Star's latest Sportstech Report. The year featured five $US 1 billion-plus acquisitions, 23 private financings exceeding $US 100 million, and $US 12 billion of new funds being raised for sports acquisitions and investments. Notable M&A deals included Netflix’s $US 82.7 billion acquisition offer for the streaming and studios division of Warner Bros Discovery, and Saudi PIF and Silver Lake’s $US 55 billion acquisition of EA. Some of the large private placements included DAZN's $US 2.4 billion financing, Oura ($US 900 million), NEP Group ($US 700 million) and Teamworks ($US 235 million).

LiveHeats, a leading scoring and competition management software platform for action sports, has launched AthleteiQ. AthleteiQ utilises a decade of Liveheats event data to provide surfers with pro-level statistics previously reserved for the top surfers on the World Surf League Championship Tour. This includes predictive match-up analysis, longitudinal performance tracking and outcome analytics.

PBR Australia, in partnership with SportsAI, has announced the official launch of the Watch PBR Australia LIVE app for the 2026 Monster Energy Tour season. This platform builds on traditional livestream viewing and redefines how fans connect and engage with live sport and its athletes, delivering a fully immersive 360° virtual reality experience, live from inside the arena. The app blends live sport, immersive technology and interactive viewing.

Melbourne-based allied health tech companyStrength By Numbers (SBN) has acquired Mate Sports Tech, the creators of Timing Mate and Barbell Mate. Mate Sports Tech has built highly trusted tools for speed, agility, and power measurement. Their products have earned a strong reputation worldwide, and complement the Strength By Numbers ecosystem.

Volleyball WA has announced a new partnership with FrogBox, an Australian sports technology company that connects sporting communities through accessible and shareable video. FrogBox will introduce its live-streaming technology to the sport, allowing matches to be easily broadcast, shared and accessed by athletes, officials, supporters and the wider community. The partnership will be piloted at the Alcohol. Think Again Beach Tour (ATABT) WA Open 2026.

Full body VR movement platform Virtuix has listed on the US-based Nasdaq, and secured $US 11 million investment from Chicago Venture Partners. Tcompany said the proceeds are expected to support several initiatives, including the sales and marketing of Omni One, its at-home gaming system that features a treadmill-like platform and lets players enjoy 360-degree movement within a virtual world. Players wear a VR headset and can walk or run safely in any direction, as well as crouch and jump, secured by an adjustable support vest attached to a metal arm.

The Japan Australian Sports & Health Innovation Exchange (JASHIE), which is hosting a series of events in Queensland from 16-20 March, is offering Australian sportstech and healthtech startups the opportunities to pitch to one of Japan's leading sports businesses, Mizuno Corporation. Mizuno is actively seeking partners developing technologies in two interest areas including mental training, running, smart arenas, exercise performance visualisation, body temperature, sleep and body odour. ASTN is a partner in the JASHIE program, and is promoting the program to its member-base.  

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić today announced the launch of 77X, a company he built to create original entertainment, collectibles, merchandise, and live experiences for his fans, and Fan Pass, a free membership platform available now at 77x.world. He is the first athlete to bring everything he creates – from content and products to events and community – into a single direct-to-fan universe, giving members early access to limited drops, exclusive content, and a voice in what gets made.

Nominees for the fourth Sports Business Tech Awards have been announced, with South Australian company, MyVenue nominated in the category for Venue and Franchise Operations Technology. Spanning eight different categories, the 46 finalists were selected by the Sport Business Journal (SBJ) in-house judging committees for their innovation, creativity, organizational excellence, industry influence, and leadership over the past year. External judging panels will now determine the winners, who will be revealed on May 18 at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City. 

Melbourne-based sports technology company PlayHQ has entered a binding agreement to be acquired by Alpine Software Group (ASG), marking a significant cross-border transaction in the global sports and recreation technology sector. The acquisition will see PlayHQ become part of ASG’s growing portfolio of vertical SaaS businesses. ASG has acquired more than 45 software companies since 2016, focusing on scalable platforms serving highly specific industry sectors. The PlayHQ platform manages registrations, payments, competition administration and game-day operations, having processed more than 11 million registrations and scheduled 3.1 million games.

Manchester City has today launched CityCoach, a new coaching content platform designed to support coaches across the world with access to high-quality learning material based on the Club’s coaching methodology. Available through the coachbetter.com app, CityCoach brings together elements of Manchester City’s coaching expertise and modern digital innovation to deliver a rich, structured learning experience for coaches across the world.

The start-ups for the 2026 edition of UEFA's Champions Innovate, which will focus on grassroots football, have now been chosen. CoachMate, a sports education content delivery platform, has been selected as one of four startups for this year's program. Champions Innovate is a programme created to address modern, meaningful, and relevant challenges identified by UEFA and the host national association of the UEFA Champions League final. In 2026, the UEFA Champions League final will take place in Budapest, and the Champions Innovate programme will shine a spotlight on the beating heart of the game: grassroots football. ASTN member 

Layercake, an Australian digital engineering company and Oracle partner, announced that its media orchestration and automation platform, Streamcake, can now run on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). This provides Layercake’s customers with greater choice to help them drive innovation and digital excellence. Streamcake enables media companies, broadcasters, sports organisations, and other live event producers to unify broadcast production, digital streaming, and operations automation on a single, highly scalable cloud platform. 

PlayHQ and Cricket Scotland have announced a new partnership that will transform how club and community cricket operates across Scotland. The collaboration will see the existing player registration and live scoring data systems merge, streamlining domestic cricket operations with a unified competition and membership management platform.

The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has today been announced as a member of the newly activated Trade Diversification Network (TDN), a national initiative bringing government and industry closer together to support Australian exporters to diversify and grow into new international markets. The announcement was made by Senator the Hon. Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism, and is being delivered as part of the $AUD 50 million Accessing New Markets Initiative, led by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade). Following a competitive application process, 40 national peak industry bodies from across Australia have been selected to participate in the Network.

Bruin Capital, in collaboration with affiliates of 26North Private Equity, TJC LP and select other partners, has launched a new investment platform capitalized with $US 1 billion. The platform will target high-growth businesses that provide technology, data, media and commercial services—referred to as “second-level enablers”—to sports teams, leagues, federations and rights owners. This marks a significant expansion of Bruin’s specialist strategy focused on infrastructure critical to the global sports industry.

Sportable has announced that its premier Portable LPS tracking product has been officially certified within the FIFA Quality Programme for Electronic Performance & Tracking Systems (EPTS), marking a major milestone for the company and further validating its position as a global leader in sports tracking and connected ball innovation. The FIFA Quality Programme for EPTS is the global benchmark for tracking accuracy and reliability in football. Systems are independently assessed against strict criteria including positional accuracy, consistency, latency, and robustness.

An inbound sports and health delegation will visit Queensland from 16-20 March led by the Japan–Australia Sports & Health Innovation Exchange (JASHIE). JASHIE aims to connect, grow, and sustain an innovation ecosystem between both countries—accelerating technology development, fostering partnerships, and driving economic and social impact. The delegation is powered by Mizuno and Nakanoshima Qross, and supported by the ASTN and Invest Gold Coast. Expressions-of-interest are open to both Australian and Japanese companies to participate in the delegation in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

KKR has agreed to acquire sports-focused investment firm Arctos Partners in a transaction valuing the business at approximately US$1 billion, according to Bloomberg. With more than $US 700 billion in assets under management, KKR has previously invested in sports and entertainment assets including FanDuel and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The acquisition would further deepen its presence in the sector. Arctos holds stakes in more than 20 professional sports franchises across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS, making it the only private investment firm approved to own equity across all five major North American men’s professional leagues. It is also the largest institutional owner of North American sports equity globally.

Fastbreak AI has teamed up with XV as its exclusive partner in Australia and New Zealand. Fastbreak’s AI-powered platform is already trusted by the AFL, NRL and 60+ major global leagues including the NBA and NHL. The partnership expands Fastbreak AI’s presence in the Australia and NZ region with a strong professional sports footprint, an exciting roadmap of major and annual events, and a fast-growing youth sports market.

USA Cycling has announced a four-year partnership with GymAware, a global leader in velocity-based training technology. GymAware’s products are widely regarded as the gold standard, backed by over 23 years of legacy in the field. As part of this collaboration, GymAware has recently provided weight room performance monitoring equipment to support the USA Cycling track sprint team in Carson, California. The partnership will give track sprint athletes and coaches access to real-time data and insights to inform daily training and support individualized programs designed to optimize performance.

Indian-based Centre Court Capital has closed its maiden fund at NR 410 crore ($US 40 million) supported by domestic institutional investors and sports and media personalities. The fund will leverage off the wave of convergence across sports, fitness, wellness and social gaming in India. 

Sports investment firm APEX has announced the launch of a of a high-growth private equity fund with plans to raise 300 million euros, or about $US 350 million. APEX, which is based just west of Lisbon in Oeiras, Portugal, intends to use that newfound scale to pursue minority stakes ranging from 20% to 49% in teams, leagues and other sports assets. Over the life of the ten-year fund, Caçorino expects to strike 10 to 20 deals, with ticket sizes falling between $US 15 million and $US 50 million.

Australian-founded VueMotion is transforming athlete care and performance through accessible, AI-powered movement intelligence. As part of AO StartUps, VueMotion will pilot their cutting-edge biomechanics platform with Tennis Australia’s National Academy to elevate the performance of the next generation of stars.

Advance Queensland have acknowledged the outstanding achievement of Queensland Government-supported businesses at the Australian and New Zealand Sports Technology Awards (ANZSTA) and the 2025 Australia Sports Tech Conference in October. Three Queensland companies were category winners at the ANZSTA Awards - GravityFit, BoostAR and Anti Ordinary. Another five Queensland companies were finalists including Fempro Armour, tagSpace, Talk All Sport, Valor Esports and SportsAI.

ASTN members, Bodd (3D body scanning company) and Pitch Up (Facility booking tool), have been selected to take part in the Australian Sports Commission’s (ASC) virtual innovation hub, The Park, which is setting out to explore cutting-edge solutions to some of the sector’s biggest challenges. A total of five companies have been selected including previous ASTN Pre-Accelerator participant, Safeguarding You as well as HITIQ and Sports Velocity Systems.

Champion Data has announced a new partnership with the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia as the official broadcast graphics provider for the PGA Tour of Australasia. The Champion Data team is delivering a purpose-built, elevated broadcast graphics package crafted exclusively for Golf Australia, rolling out across 20 Golf tournaments throughout the 2025/2026 schedule.

Female protective wear company FemPro Armour has won the 2025 QSport Innovation of the Year Award. The protective wear is designed to make women and girls feel safe, confident, and protected when they step onto the field. Fempro Armour is a Queensland-based innovation company, redefining protective gear for female and male athletes through science and smart design. Growing from a slow start in motorcycling Fempro Armour is now a multi-sport brand trusted in AFLW, NRLW, rugby union, roller bergy, mountain biking, defence and healthcare.

Golf New Zealand (Golf NZ) has re-signed with CoachMate - the sports education platform that transforms volunteer-led coaching and team management into insightful, easy, and fun experiences. This renewal marks a particularly special milestone: Golf NZ was CoachMate’s very first foundation client and the partnership now enters a new phase of growth and impact.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has faced an unexpected broadcasting crisis just two months before the impending T20 World Cup 2026, after JioStar formally informed the body that it cannot fulfil the remaining two years of its four-year India media rights deal. The broadcaster cited mounting financial losses as the primary cause for pursuing a premature exit from the $US 3 billion agreement.

Globant, a company dedicated to reinventing businesses through innovative technology solutions, and LALIGA, Europe's most successful football league, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that marks a milestone in the transformation of the operations of one of the world's leading sports organizations through the large-scale adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Through Sportian, the joint venture between Globant and LALIGA, AI agents will be created in key organizational areas such as talent development, operations, and technology to improve sports performance analysis, personalized content creation, and workflow automation, all within a coordinated and centralized system. These new agents will join Sportian's current offering of technological solutions.

Layercake, the company behind the intelligent media workflow platform Streamcake, announced the integration of Norsk into its ecosystem. The integration allows organisations to unify live and on-demand video workflows using a combination of Norsk’s real-time media processing tools and Streamcake’s automation, orchestration and provisioning features. Streamcake, enables broadcasters, sports organisations and enterprises to streamline complex workflows, automate infrastructure deployment and scale content delivery across platforms. 

QSport is proud to announce a landmark two-year partnership with Griffith University, continuing through to June 2027. This strategic collaboration will deepen both organisations’ commitment to advancing gender equity, leadership and participation in sport across Queensland. The partnership will focus on the establishment of Women in Sport Leadership Series, a research program hat collates data and insights regarding the lived experiences of women in sport as well as Griffith University being the Naming Sponsor of the Queensland Sport Awards, Athlete of the Year Award.

Spectatr.ai, a Sequoia-backed innovator in AI-powered sports technology, is partnering with the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) to deliver real-time highlight clips during the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Spectatr.ai unlocks the full potential of sports content with AI Agents that power smart highlights, content tagging, management, and distribution.

In a landmark achievement that cements its position among the global leaders in sports innovation, Spectatr.ai has been named the winner of the prestigious “Sports Technology of the Year” award at The Sports Business Awards 2025. The accolade recognises organisations that are redefining the future of sports through innovation, impact, and transformative technology. For Spectatr.ai, the honour marks a significant milestone in a journey that began with a bold vision to democratise sports media creation through AI-powered solutions.