Sportstech & Member News

A new partnership has been established between the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the National Measurement Institute (NMI), Australia’s national authority on measurement, to develop a customised online education resource aimed at high performance sport. This initiative will help to ensure the high performance sport system remains at the top of its game when it comes to best practice in measurement methods.

ReSpo.Vision, a deep tech sports startup pioneering AI-powered tracking and visualisation solutions, has raised $US 5 million in its latest funding round. At the heart of ReSpo.Vision’s technology is a breakthrough use of computer vision and deep learning to extract highly detailed 3D tracking data from single-camera video feeds, such as standard sports TV broadcasts. The system detects over 50 body points per player in 3D space with centimeter-level accuracy, without the need for wearables or expensive camera setups. 

James Demetriou, the founding chair of the Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), in the King’s Birthday Honours, for his service to sport, to education, and to business. Spanning 40 years, Demetriou has played a major role in Australian sport and is a respected leader in sports business, sports governance and sports technology. As the co-founder of ASTN, Demetriou has contributed significantly to the development of Australia being recognised as one of the top six sportstech clusters globally over the past decade.

Australia’s community sports sector is undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), digital platforms, and sports technology. Leading this shift is the AI, Digital & Sports Tech stream at the National Sports & Physical Activity Convention (NSC) 2025, taking place in Melbourne on June 25–26. This dedicated stream will highlight how new technologies ranging from AI-driven data analytics to mobile apps and immersive virtual experiences are transforming local sport. Organisations including ASTN Members TidyHQ, ClubDucks, CoachMate, etrainu and Clubland Australia will be exhibiting and sharing their industry insights at the Convention.

Fastbreak AI, a leading AI-powered sports operations software company, announced the launch of the AI Schedule Engine for amateur sports tournament operators. Designed for the demands of complex, high-volume sports events, this new engine enables tournament directors to generate complete, competition-ready schedules in minutes, even for events with hundreds of teams across dozens of venues. Currently used to handle the most complex scheduling problems in professional sports, Fastbreak’s engine powers schedules for more than 50 of the top professional sports leagues around the world, including the NBA, NHL, NWSL and MLS.

Australian sports consulting firm Outpoint Group have launched details of their 10-day 2025 USA Sports Venue Study Tour which will take place from 11-20 October. The 5 city tour will encompass exclusive behind the scenes access to iconic venues including SoFi Stadium, Allegiant Stadium, Sphere, Hard Rock Stadium, Intuit Dome and Kaseya Center. The tour will provide a deep dive into the future of sports and stadium innovation including briefings on operations, design, sustainability, and precinct activation.

SailGP is working with gaming companies DraftKings in the United States and Bet365 internationally to let fans place bets on races, starting at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix on June 7 and 8. SailGP’s sports betting push is part of a broader strategic plan to attract new fans, drive deeper engagement and grow the league’s popularity. The league pits 12 co-ed international teams racing identical 50-foot Catamarans against each other, with boats traveling at speeds that can exceed 60 mph.

FIBA is leading the charge on standards for an innovative and evolving area of the sport, which is poised to transform the way basketball performance is analyzed, understood, and improved. To drive innovation and ensure safety and consistency right across the game of basketball, the FIBA Equipment & Venue Centre has launched an Approval Program for Tracking Solutions. As part of the launch, FIBA held its first-ever Tracking Solutions Test Event last month. The test was conducted with experts from Victoria University using a motion capture system. During the test event, a range of tracking solutions were evaluated, including inertial measurement units (IMUs), local positioning systems (LPS), and optical tracking technologies.

The FIFA Club World Cup™ will see a range of innovations introduced that will make the tournament even more entertaining and engaging for fans, while streamlining operations and boosting transparency. This will include body cameras worn by referees, advanced semi-automated offside technology and AI-driven data from Hawk-Eye.

Teamworks, the Operating System for Sports™ powering more than 6,500 elite sports organizations globally, announced the acquisition of Telemetry Sports. Since 2015, Telemetry has pioneered computer vision, player tracking analytics, and video delivery technology to transform how elite football (gridion) teams evaluate player performance, build winning rosters, and enhance game-day decision-making. Telemetry Sports is a trusted partner in sports technology and analytics, currently used by 80% of NFL teams and 20% of Power 4 football programs to support recruiting, scouting, coaching, and game planning.

The race to close the research gap in women’s sport has taken a significant step with leading Australian researchers and sport scientists commencing a historic two-year project. Experts believe the project will lead to female athlete research being at the forefront of sport science research. It comes just weeks after the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) formed a historic partnership with the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand to advance female health and performance worldwide. At present just six per cent of sport science and sports medicine research is female-specific. This collaborative and co-funded initiative involves the Australian Institute Of Sport, Edith Cowan University, and University of Technology Sydney

Data Driven Sports Analytics (DDSA) is supporting the Japanese Tennis Association and their coaching teams to utilise their PlayerDex AI Mobile App to drive performance insights and player development. This includes supporting new Junior World Number 1, Wakana Sonobe. Data Driven Sports Analytics also supports Women's World Number 1, Aryna Sabalenka with data insights and tools. 

Evolt has officially been named Beyond Activ’s 2025 Technology Company of the Year. Co-Founders Ed Zouroudis and Kelly Weideman proudly accepted the award at the prestigious Beyond Activ Awards — a global celebration of innovation, leadership, and impact across the health and fitness industry. Evolt was named alongside some of the most forward-thinking companies in the sector including Mindbody, Xplor, Hapana, Ezypay, and Wexer. 

Australian sports technology company Catapult Group has acquired athlete monitoring platform and Massachusetts Institute of Technology spinout Perch. The $US 18 million ($AUD 28 million) acquisition was completed on 4 June, with $US 3 million cash to be paid out of Catapult’s existing cash reserves at close. The remainder will be paid out in Catapult shares across four tranches. Perch, founded in 2016, has an annual contract value of about $US 2.5 million and has trained its computer vision algorithm across 40,000 unique users. Perch’s uses 3D cameras combined with computer vision and AI to automate tracking of athlete strength training, aiming to deliver real-time feedback and saving time compared to manual data collection.

After powering 4,000 events, serving more than 130,000 athletes and recording two million scores globally last year, Sydney-based digital scoring startup Liveheats has raised $AUD 1.3 million in a seed funding round that it expects to drive a fivefold surge in revenue by 2028. The startup, which was founded in 2016 by surfing mates Chris Friend and Fernando Freire to streamline competitions at their local boardriders club, has developed a platform to revolutionise the way action sports are scored, shared and experienced. Liveheats has deployed its platform across more than 60 countries and recently hit the $2 million revenue milestone.

Hudl, one of the world’s leading provider of cloud-based technology connecting video and data for the sports industry, has completed the acquisition of Titan Sports. The addition of Titan makes Hudl’s performance tracking tools more accessible to teams and coaches at any level, while Hudl’s WIMU wearable continues to serve professional organizations. Hudl empowers more than 315,000 teams globally to reach their potential, working with coaches, athletes, and administrators at every level of sport. 

TOCA Football (TOCA), the fastest-growing soccer training and entertainment company in North America, has secured $US 35 million in new funding, including $US 15 million in equity. TOCA operates two primary businesses: TOCA Soccer, the largest operator of tech-enabled soccer training centers in North America with 37 locations, and TOCA Social, the world's first soccer-themed entertainment and dining venues, currently operating in London and Birmingham. 

HITIQ has announced a new three-year partnership with AFL Barwon, bringing its breakthrough concussion management system, PROTEQT, to more than 25,000 players across regional Victoria. As the newly named Official “Concussion Technology Partner” of AFL Barwon, HITIQ will collaborate with over 50 clubs across the region to support safer play, smarter care, and stronger concussion protocols across all levels of the game. PROTEQT is a first-of-its-kind consumer solution that combines smart impact monitoring with medical-grade support. From the Shock Doctor Easy Fit mouthguard that logs impacts, to in-app tools for symptom tracking, education, and telehealth access, it provides families, coaches, and athletes with a complete, end-to-end approach to concussion care.

Kronos is supporting Abu Dhabi Local Organising Committee for the 2026 Open Masters Games by delivering a wide range of technology systems and solutions, including the event and registration platform. The solutions has officially gone live, opening the doors of the Games to participants from around the world.

Octane Racing Group, the official promoter of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix has selected PAM, the global leader in smart navigation and fan experience technology, to drive their Smart Navigation experience. This collaboration aims to revolutionize how over 350,000 fans experience Canada's Formula 1’s race. PAM’s state-of-the-art smart navigation platform will streamline transportation logistics, guiding fans efficiently through optimized routes to and from the event.

The seventh annual Global Elite Sports Conference will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 2 July. The conference features world-class speakers from leading professional sport organisations and leagues including the NFL, NBA, AFL, and US colleges. Conference topics cover high performance, coaching, athlete engagement and development, fan engagement, venue and facilities management, event management, and international sports diplomacy. 

The Fourth Edition of ASTN’s annual report provides a comprehensive census of Australia’s sports innovation sector. Driven by consistent gains in both revenue and employment, Australia’s sportstech sector continues to prosper. In FY2025, the sector sustained its momentum with 10% growth, matching the pace of FY2024. Revenue climbed to $AUD 5.65 billion, while total employment reached 17,928 – highlighting an increasingly resilient and stable sector.

Cricket Australia (CA) has partnered with global technology company Partnerbrite to launch CrowdCatch, a cutting-edge ad tech platform designed to redefine how brands engage with cricket fans across the digital landscape. CrowdCatch allows CA’s commercial partners to tap into engaged audiences and seamlessly activate campaigns across top-performing digital channels, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

FrogBox has announced the extension of its partnership with Cricket Australia, continuing a shared mission to make community cricket more accessible, engaging and connected. This season alone, more than 20,000 community cricket matches have been live streamed using FrogBox technology, generating over 10 million highlight views via the Play Cricket app and 27 million views of FrogBox content on Play Cricket's social media channels.

Layercake has announced that its 'Streamcake' media orchestration and automation platform has won the Live Event Streaming award at the prestigious Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2025. Streamcake automates complex broadcasting workflows while delivering broadcast-quality live streaming across multiple platforms simultaneously. Our platform reduces operational complexity and ensures reliable, low-latency streaming for live events of any scale.

SURJ Sports Investment and Kings League have today announced a partnership to launch Kings League MENA, a regionally anchored version of the revolutionary seven-a-side football league founded by football legend and entrepreneur Gerard Piqué. The new joint venture will launch later this year and will bring an innovative and digital-first sporting experience to the MENA region, with Saudi Arabia confirmed as the league’s inaugural host.

SportsTech Sweden have announced the launch of their Sports Tech Bootcamp 2.0. The 4-week online program released in partnership with SportsTechX provides startup founder, sports enthusiast, or industry professionals a guide to navigate the global sports tech ecosystem. The program covers 10+ hours of expert-led video content, step-by-step roadmap on how to launch a sports tech venture and insights into funding, business models & global best practices

Sports Tech World Series (STWS) has announced the launch of the inaugural Sports Innovation and Technology Summit (Beyond the Game) to be held in Bengaluru from 16-18 July 2025. STWS is partnering with MM Activ to deliver the event. This summit will be a first-of-its-kind in India, bringing together industry leaders, investors, startups and athletes to showcase cutting-edge advancements and build an accessible, thriving sports tech ecosystem

The Investment League, a company providing expert insights at the intersection of finance and sports, has identified three emerging themes shaping Sports M&A in Australia. These themes include, streaming consolidation (eg. DAZN x Foxtel), infrastructure-led club plays (eg. KAM Sports x Western United) and private equity optimisation of undervalued teams (eg. Altor x JackJumpers)

Three dynamic Gold Coast companies have been selected to participate in the inaugural Gold Coast Sportstech Open Innovation Challenge with Southport Sharks. This six-week program gives startups a rare chance to embed in a live sporting environment, validate their solutions, and contribute to the future of sport in Queensland. The companies selected include, Pursuit Academies a digital athlete development platform enhancing player care, injury prevention, and long-term performance, Gatho.app an interactive virtual fan zones and hybrid event tech, making sport more accessible and connected and Imagine Realities, an augmented reality and 3D fan experiences that turn physical spaces into immersive stories.

Fempro Armour, the female-specific protective guard, has been approved by the AFL for use in the AFL & AFL Women’s league. Whilst the AFL does not offers formal endorsements, the our product meets the safety requirements for play at the highest level of women’s football in Australia.

As Australia’s outdoor visitor attractions cope with the seemingly growing unpredictability of extreme weather, operators are increasingly turning to data to adapt and respond in real time. Traditionally, weather was treated as a background variable in tourism forecasting. Today, it is becoming a frontline factor directly shaping visitor behaviour, revenue models, and operational planning. Data from Nola Technologies underscores this, with a nationwide analysis of venue traffic that it undertook in April 2025 revealing stark differences tied to localised weather conditions. The analysis identified outdoor venues saw a 40 to 60% decline in entries on rainy days and indoor attractions experienced a 10 to 16% increase in visitor traffic, often without warning.

Strava, the app for active people, announced it has acquired the core assets of The Breakaway, the Y Combinator incubated cycling training app. The deal follows the recent news of Strava acquiring Runna, a leading running training app. The Breakaway offers personalized cycling training, innovative ride analysis, and achievement tracking tools. The investment demonstrates Strava's continued investment in its developer community and open API, which enables third parties to connect and build new experiences for athletes.

In recent years, sports have become more than just entertainment—they've evolved into a powerful asset class attracting billions of dollars in global investment. Sports investment funds represent a growing niche within the alternative investment space. These funds pool capital to invest in sports teams, leagues, media rights, sponsorship deals, and related assets such as technology and infrastructure. 

Catapult, which makes wearables that enable data analytics for professional sports teams, announced that revenue for the full year to March 2025 rose 19% to $US116 million ($A180 million). The company is earning more money from its agreements with 3,600 professional sports teams around the world, and those contracts are lasting longer. A total of $US66 million of revenue came from Catapult's "Performance & Health" segment, which are the wearables it sells to teams that allow them to track player performance and biometrics. Its secondary segment, a video solution used for coaching, brought in $US32.6 million ($A50 million), an increase of 42% from the previous year. Catapult shares were 10.2% higher at $4.74 around midday on Wednesday, lifting its market capitalisation to $A1.3 billion.

Former ASTN Chair and Lifetime Member James Demetriou has won a Sport Award at the 2025 Cyprus Diaspora Forum for his contribution to sports innovation. The event featured 14 categories, including The Arts, music, finance, community, conflict and resolution, and sport. The event saw around 350 attendees from various corners of the globe, with a notable presence from the Australian continent.

Genius Sports has launched BetVision, the world’s first interactive in-game wagering product for soccer. Sportsbooks can now offer the ground-breaking BetVision experience across many of the world’s leading soccer competitions. As part of the launch, Genius Sports has partnered with Infront, the rights holder for several top-tier football competitions, for premium video content. BetVision harnesses AI to augment the live broadcast with data-driven insights and storytelling features that highlight player names and personalized bet tracking innovations.

A group of professional sports team insiders, including Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban, is launching a $US 750 million private equity fund designed to take small stakes in US pro sports teams. The Harbinger Sports Partners Fund will focus on acquiring stakes of as much as 5%, the group said in a statement. It expects to invest $US 50 million to $US 150 million in each transaction

Springbok Analytics, the platform for rapid MRI and AI-powered analytics for muscle insights to support training, recovery, and long-term health, has announced its first WNBA partnership. Springbok announced a partnership with WNBA champion, the New York Liberty, as the tip-off for the 2025 season commences.

In August 2024, the NFL opened its doors to private equity investments in teams. Ares and Arctos were the first to strike. Ares Management Corporation acquired a 10% stake in the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, and the F1 Miami Grand Prix, at a $US 8.1 billion valuation. Arctos took a 10% stake in the Buffalo Bills, at a $US 5.8 billion valuation. In December 2024, two families acquired small stakes in Jeffrey Lurie's Philadelphia Eagles, bumping the franchise value north of $US 8.3 billion. Last week the San Francisco 49ers sold a 6% stake to a trio of Bay Area families (the Khosla, Griffith, and Deeter families), valuing the franchise at $US8.5 billion - the highest for a sports team globally. 

Future of Sport Lab (FSL), Canada’s premier SportsTech accelerator, announced the selection of ten innovative startups for its acclaimed incubator program. This year’s cohort features a diverse range of ventures spanning AI, athlete training, fan engagement, wearable technology, and athlete wellness, including several Canadian-founded companies and a startup led by former NHL star Mike Weaver and Canadian Olympian Jill Moffatt.

DoubleTake Sport hosted the broadcast services for the inaugural Trans-Tasman Throwdown on behalf of TEG Sport, Basketball Australia, and Nine. The three-game series, held in Adelaide, the Sunshine Coast, and Hamilton (NZ) in early May, featured the Boomers and Opals taking on the Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns, and was broadcast in Australia on 9Go!, in New Zealand on Sky, and to viewers worldwide. The broadcast provided Multi-camera coverage, live stats integration with FIBA LiveStats/Genius Sports, remote production and commentary, courtside commentary and hosting with full production integration.

US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the United States, has announced a new multi-year partnership with Zhik, global leader in high-performance water wear. As the Official Technical Apparel Supplier for the US Sailing Team, Zhik will provide cutting-edge gear designed to enhance athlete performance on the water, with a focus on innovation, comfort and endurance.

Komo Technologies has officially become a Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) Partner. CTS collaborates with best-in-class tech innovators from around the globe. This partnership underscores the strength of Komo’s platform to deliver seamless, scalable, and cutting-edge engagement solutions to the media and entertainment industry. CTS has nearly 80 partners globally across areas such as content delivery, video analytics and media production.

PMY Group has been announced as the Global Technology Partner for the inaugural World Technology Games - a groundbreaking event launching next year. The celebration of science, technology and human ingenuity will showcase the brightest minds and talent through thrilling competitions such as drone racing, autonomous driving, and much more. As Global Technology Partner, PMY will deliver the event’s technology, content, and data solutions.

Tradable Bits has signed a league-wide deal to build fandom and supercharge sponsorship efforts with Northern Super League (NSL), the new Canadian professional women's soccer league launched this past month. Tradable Bits will provide data acquisition, analysis, and activation solutions at the league and team levels. The NSL joins Tradable Bits' rapidly expanding roster of league-wide clients that includes Rugby Canada, Australian Football League, Northern Basketball League, Netball Australia, Netball New Zealand, and East Asia Super League.

EngageRM, a leading provider of business and marketing automation, CRM, and data analytics solutions, has announced its acquisition of Power’d Digital, a comprehensive first-party channel platform. The integration of Power’d’s first-party channel capabilities will empower EngageRM’s platform to deliver even more personalized and data-driven fan interactions.

The South Australian Sports Institute, University of South Australia and Sportmatch have partnered to provide students an opportunity to experience a day in the life of a professional athlete as told by the athletes themselves. The experience also provided exposure to a high performance sporting environment and the tools of the trade that sport scientists use to create the greatest athletes on the world stage. The organisations launched the 'Discovering Greatness' program with Loreto College Marryatville this week.

A research team from the Chair of Biomechanics at the University of Bayreuth examined the soles of more than 100 running shoes. The results revealed that over a third of the heel areas were poorly designed and may therefore contribute to the risk of injury for runners. Using four measurement parameters, the Bayreuth researchers examined 112 shoes from various manufacturers.  the researchers found that 38% of the 112 tested shoe models were either over-designed (too little cushioning due to excess hardness) or under-designed (too little cushioning due to excess softness).

Virtually Human Studios is launching a reworked version of its digital horse racing game ZED Run as ZED Champions on the Base blockchain. ZED Run, once among the most recognisable blockchain games, saw a sharp decline in activity and trading volume by early 2025.  Zed Champions is a digital horse racing game that maintains core ideas from Zed Run—such as breeding and competing with virtual horses—whilst modifying the underlying mechanics. The game will launch with 4,320 digital horses, each tied to a balance of $ZED tokens.