Sportstech & Member News

ASTN member Kusal Goonewardena, director of Elite Akademy Sports Medicine was recently interviewed by the ABC on the Essendon Football Club injury crisis. He explains how strength and conditioning make up just a small part of an elite athlete's health status. Goonewardena uses his "K-Theorem", which offers a visual explanation of how various elements come together to impact an athlete's body.

Summernats is one of Australia’s most iconic car festivals. With a loyal fanbase and a rapidly growing audience, leading event management agency Out There Group (OTG) saw the opportunity to increase its digital engagement with fans. Together, Sports Cloud Australia and OTG built a smarter, scalable marketing engine with a 360 customer view, personalised fan experiences, automated customer journeys and optimised paid media. This platform helped increase its fanbase by 86%, email click-rate up 63% and record-breaking ticket sales. 

Anti Ordinary is a startup helmet brand out of Australia. It’s different because it’s not a hard-shelled polycarbonate ski helmet like you’re used to wearing. The brand’s new A2 Beanie Helmet is made from dynamic PU foam that feels soft but hardens on impact, combined with traditional EPS foam. The foam is covered by a frame made from a blend of durable polycarbonate, carbon fibre, and a polymer called ABS. You can press on the shell and it’ll bend and give, like a firm mattress. Lastly, it comes with a merino wool beanie that fits over the helmet and comes in different color options, so it looks like you’re wearing a hat that’s smuggling a helmet underneath.

Two of the most prominent athlete-led investment groups are joining forces to create the world’s largest global athlete investor community. The Players Fund (UK) and The Players Company (US) have announced a strategic partnership that brings together over 850 athletes and artists under a shared mission of empowerment, education, and cross-border collaboration. For UK and European athletes, it provides access to the more mature US athlete investor ecosystem, where financial literacy, community deal sharing, and athlete-led venture models are more mature. For US athletes, it offers a gateway to international markets, ideas, and founders they might otherwise never see.

Burnley Football Club has announced a pioneering virtual reality matchday collaboration with Rezzil, a global leader in VR sports technology, marking a major step forward in how fans experience football. As part of Burnley FC’s ongoing partnership with Rezzil, the club will deliver a first-of-its-kind, immersive virtual reality broadcast of the Clarets’ pre-season friendly fixture against Lazio on Saturday 9th August 2025. Through this collaboration, fans can use the Premier League Player app on Meta Quest headsets.

Coachbetter has announced Paul Lambert, a former Premier League manager and UEFA Champions League winner, as an investor and partner. With over 40 years in professional football Paul brings expertise and a clear vision for the future of coaching to Coachbetter. The platform features such as match-day planning to player development with key data and statistics and video analysis. Coachbetter supports thousands of football clubs in the USA, UK and German speaking markets with lighthouse customers such as Borussia Dortmund, Miami Rush and the Austrian Football Federation.

World-leading sports calendar platform ECAL has presented at the Google Cloud Summit in Sydney this week. ECAL shared their startup journey and the reasons behind the strategic decision to partner with Google Cloud. From what began as a need to meet future data sovereignty laws and cost optimisation, has moved to a strategic product and business partnership, with a shared plan for a bold 10x growth vision for the future.

Recognising 12 months of incredible growth, MyVenue has been named a finalist in four categories of the upcoming South Australian Premier’s Business and Export Awards. In the past year, MyVenue doubled its customer base, growing to over 200 venues and expanding across markets in the US, Canada, UK, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia.

The NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator returns for a second edition. NBA Africa, in collaboration with ALX Venture and ServiceNow through the Triple-Double Accelerator, is looking to identify startups and help grow and develop these businesses through financial support and mentorship. Last year, NBA Africa received over 700 applications, with 10 finalists advancing and participating in the program. Applications close 29th August.

Kinexon and other companies have spent years refining connected-ball technology to enhance sports analytics, improve training, and collect more data than ever. As professional leagues begin adopting the new tech, questions remain about potential minute changes to basketball physics. About half of the NBA games played in Las Vegas earlier this month used balls equipped with smart tracking technology. According to Kinexon, the sensors can detect the exact moment a ball enters play, potential fouls, shot accuracy over time, the number of passes, and other information to provide a more detailed look at each match.

The National Hockey League (NHL) and DAZN today announced a multi-year strategic partnership which will see DAZN become the exclusive home of NHL.TV in nearly 200 countries beginning with the 2025-26 season. NHL.TV will be promoted and integrated across the DAZN platform to its fast-growing base of more than 120 million registered sport fans.

Leading sports media technology company Layercake has showcased its latest video technology innovations at METexpo 2025 in Sydney, highlighting advancements in streaming and broadcast solutions. Layercake’s cloud-based platform is transforming broadcast and media workflow automation, content distribution and monetisation, helping broadcasters and OTT platforms launch faster, scale smarter, and operate more efficiently. Layercake's partnership with Enveu give media companies the tools to future‑proof their video pipelines and adapt quickly to evolving audience demands.

The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 Innovation Programme is a bold initiative designed to help the European football community address real-world challenges in women’s grassroots football. By bringing together commercial partners (such as adidas, Amazon and The Walt Disney Co), Swiss academic institutions, the Swiss Football Association (SFA) and local football communities, the programme is testing new ideas and creating scalable solutions that can shape the future of the game across Europe. The Programme and its pilots tackled real challenges in the women’s game—from redesigning changing rooms to be more inclusive, to rethinking coaching styles, inspiring future female coaches, and keeping young girls engaged in football after their first steps in the game.

Sir Ian Taylor now calls a prized technological innovation that has enhanced the understanding of cricket “the Bumrah”. The Kiwi who has taken Virtual Eye to the world said he had never seen his technology work more effectively than when it explained the unique biomechanics that made Jasprit Bumrah from India almost unplayable against Australia last summer. Through technology capable of catching 250 frames per second, Virtual Eye was able isolate the distinctive characteristics of the champion and explain how he was befuddling Australia’s top order. Taylor was hailed at a function in Sydney last Wednesday night by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers for the work pioneered by Virtual Eye.

Rely and revolutioniseSPORT have announced a partnership to protect sports communities. The partnership focuses on connecting integrity workflows directly with verified member and venue data, reducing complexity in managing complaints, issues and investigations and supporting the people who keep our sporting communities safe. Hockey Australia, Water Polo Australia and Squash Australia have become early adopters in embracing the benefits of the partnership.

For decades, sportstech hovered on the fringes, an experimental space where early adopters tinkered with data tracking, AI-driven analysis, and rudimentary wearables. In the early 2000s, the sector resembled a fledgling startup, fueled by youthful energy, innovation, and determination. Fast forward to 2025, and it is clear - sportstech has at last matured beyond its introductory phase and is now squarely in its growth phase.

Kirsty Richardson and the GravityFit team have won Queensland’s Startup World Cup regional final. GravityFit will now head to Silicon Valley to compete for $US 1 million in investment. GravityFit’s science-backed tools and apparel are transforming human performance by strengthening deep muscle systems and improving posture and movement.

Originally founded as a software solution for personal trainers, Hapana pivoted to bricks-and-mortar fitness studios in 2017 and took on a more global outlook, but its hard-earned victories in the US were unravelled by COVID-19 and the ensuing gym closures. This could have been a death knell for the Sydney-based tech startup if not for the eagerness of burgeoning Australian fitness brands to embrace innovation. In a post-COVID period the company has gone from strength to strength. Hapana has grown rapidly since raising $AUD 17 million last year, and now has its sights set on an AI-first re-platforming to add further value to the fitness sector.

The Institute for Sports Technology Standards (ISTS) has been established to improve quality assessment and decision-making in sportstech. ISTS will conduct three main streams of activity. Firstly, spearhead the development of public, accredited test standards for the quality assessment of sports technology. Secondly, develop and conduct tech quality assessment programs for federations, governing bodies and leagues. And thirdly, conduct sports tech quality assessment and R&D testing, according to test standards.

The federal government is backing three medtech incubators with nearly $AUD 100 million in grant funding, in the hopes of helping Australia’s next great healthcare innovators bring their products to market. Brandon BioCatalyst, Biointelect, and ANDHealth have each secured funding for new incubator programs, supporting startups as they commercialise proof-of-concept projects. The funding comes as part of the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and its $AUD 450 million Medical Research Commercialisation Initiative.

Optus has accepted an offer from Nine Entertainment Co and Stan to obtain the rights to Optus Sport football content, including the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup and more. From 1 August 2025 Optus Sport will close, and the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup, J.League and National Women’s Soccer League will move to Stan Sport. This means that the Premier League and UEFA Champions League will now be reunited, in one place, Stan.

Adobe and the Premier League announced a multi-year partnership to bring new AI-powered personalised digital experiences to fans around the world and provide new opportunities for fans to express their creativity. Adobe's creativity, marketing and AI technology is central to the Premier League’s digital transformation and is unlocking new ways for fans to create and share Premier League content, engage with their Fantasy Premier League teams and enjoy more personalised digital experiences. Adobe Express and Firefly generative AI, will give fans new ways to create and share Premier League content and enhance their digital and Fantasy Premier League experience.

The Female Founders Co-Investment Fund provides grants that are pre-approved and are subject to an investment raise by women-founded and led innovation driven enterprises that are approaching new investors as part of their early-stage capital raise. The Fund provides grants from $AUD 50,000 to $AUD 200,000 (excluding GST) matched at a 1:3 ratio for a funding round led by an eligible investment entity. To be eligible businesses must be headquartered in Queensland and be majority female owned (51%+).

An AI-powered stats platform called Superstat has been launched in Melbourne with AFL as the beta market. The platform creates statistics and highlights packages and is ready to launch for the 2026 AFL season. Superstat's beta user waitlist in now open, giving the first 100 players registered a full season of stats.

The GLP-1 boom is still sending ripples and waves throughout the fitness industry they also have fitness professionals asking users to only take them once well-informed.  Evolt 360, the brand’s body composition scanner which measures lean muscle mass and fat via bioimpedance technology, is an ideal tool for anyone looking to use GLP-1 medications safely and effectively. By tracking skeletal muscle mass, fat composition and body fat distribution, and creating individual macronutrient profiles to better understand proper protein, carb and fat intake, the device is the guide all GLP-1 users need right now.

Hudl launch an enhanced Statsbomb analysis platform, integrating Wyscout’s video library with Statsbomb’s industry-leading data and analytics. Recruitment workflows have previously been disjointed and fragmented, forcing users to switch between platforms and solutions to collect all the information they need to make informed decisions. Now, in the new platform, they can perform talent identification, video scouting, clip generation and playlist creation all in one unified solution that will save analysts and scouts hours every single week.

International Rugby League is further professionalising its technical education by providing IRL members with a comprehensive online education management system. IRL has partnered with leading education solutions provider etrainu to maximise the way coach and match officials learn. All IRL technical courses and the progress of practitioners through each program will be logged on a customised IRL education portal. 

Hockey NSW has announced a new 3-year agreement with Veo Technologies to become its Official Video and Analysis Partner. The partnership gives Hockey NSW access to AI-powered Veo Cam 3 5G units and video analysis software. Hockey NSW will be using the cameras to aid in officials development as well as athlete development initially. Veo’s solution includes the AI-powered Veo Cam 3 5G, which automatically tracks the ball and players during matches, allowing coaches and athletes to record games, analyse performance, and create highlight videos effortlessly, all without the need for a camera operator.

SailGP has officially opened SailGP Technologies, its new innovation, design and engineering centre in Southampton, UK. The site, which will serve as the technical base for the global championship, currently employs over 100 designers, engineers, boat builders and specialists across areas including composites, hydraulics and aerodynamics. The global racing league says the $US 10m facility has been established to support the ongoing development and maintenance of the league’s F50 catamarans and accelerate the construction of additional boats.

Sportradar has launched Bettor Sense, a personalized, proactive, and data-driven approach to user protection. BETesporte will be the first operator to implement the solution, reinforcing its commitment to safer and more responsible practices in Brazil’s newly regulated betting market. Bettor Sense is an AI-powered solution that detects early signs of gambling-related risk and enables personalized interventions to protect end users. Developed with proprietary technology and grounded in behavioral research, Bettor Sense allows operators to act quickly and efficiently, promoting responsible gambling and strengthening brand reputation. 

SURJ Sports Investment has announced its investment in the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) as part of the organisation’s Series C funding round, alongside founding investor Sir Michael Moritz, Cordillera Investment Partners and Verance Capital. The funding will support the PTO’s continued international growth at both elite and mass participation levels, plus innovation in race formats and long-term athlete and fan engagement. SURJ is understood to have invested around $US 20 million to make its first move into triathlon.

Leading GPS racing technology provider tripleSdata has announced a partnership with TAB NZ and Entain to roll out next-gen SMART 4G GPS technology across 27 racecourses (90% of New Zealand's race courses). The partnership will reshape data commercialisation, powering real-time tracking, timing, and data for clubs, syndicates, operators and punters.

Helping more Australians develop their physical literacy – the movement skills, confidence and motivation required to be active for life - is at the heart of a new national action plan launched by the Australian Sports Commission. Focusing on children from preschool to high school, the Physical Literacy Coalition Action Plan 2025-2027 calls for a coordinated approach to ensure physical literacy is a core component of every child’s development. The two-year plan includes engaging with education policy makers, supporting schools to implement the Physical Literacy Guide for Schools, developing an early primary school physical literacy program, and incorporating the Australian Physical Literacy Framework into schools, sporting organisations and communities.

Melbourne healthtech startup Everlab has raised $AUD 15 million in a seed funding round led by global growth equity firm Left Lane Capital. The funding will be used to expand its AI-driven preventive health platform and grow its clinical network across Australia and beyond. Everlab is a digital health platform focused on proactive and personalised prevention. It works on a membership system where members receive year-round access to a suite of diagnostic tests. These include whole-body MRIs, blood testing, DEXA scans, VO2 max, ECG, glucose monitoring, CT coronary angiograms, and food journal analysis. 

Two ASTN members, GravityFit and Cool Beans Underwear, have been selected as finalists in the Startup World Cup in Queensland. The program and event, to be held on 29 July, is supported by the City of Moreton Bay, Advance Queensland, University of Sunshine Coast, Creative HQ and Pegasus Tech Ventures. GravityFit is a solution that activates the deep muscle system to improve power, agility, balance, and better all round stability and posture, and is used in golf and fitness. Cool Beans Underwear is an innovative, cooling underwear product designed to boost sperm health and improve the likelihood of conception. 

MyVenue continues to got from strength-to-strength in the USA, deploying another 560 points of sale at Lumen Field for the Seattle Seahawks, as the team’s official concessions POS technology provider. Selected for its unmatched performance, proven reliability, and venue-wide scalability, Lumen Field is also utilizing MyVenue’s native in-seat ordering solution and a unique two-way integration with the frictionless Just Walk Out technology.

Flutter Entertainment, one of the world’s leading online sports betting and iGaming operator has announced the extension of its long-term strategic partnership with Boyd Gaming Corporation to 2038 and the buyout of Boyd’s 5% stake in FanDuel Group. Under the terms of the Agreement, Flutter will pay Boyd approximately $US 1.755 billion to acquire Boyd’s 5% stake in FanDuel at an implied valuation of $US 31 billion. FanDuel is the clear number one in the market with a 43% market share in sports betting and 27% in iGaming.

CME, a sports lighting and sustainable energy specialist, has been selected as a finalist for the 2025 South Australian Premier's Business and Export Awards. Established in 1985, CME has delivered lighting solutions to more than 400 sports fields, 40MW+ of renewable energy and over $AUD 100m in work.

The British & Irish Lions have teamed up with sustainability experts Everclime to help offset the carbon impact of the Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia 2025. The British & Irish Lions and Lions Rugby Travel have made history by fully offsetting all fan travel emissions, thanks to contributions from 6,500 supporters. Fans can join the Match Day Impact Card campaign, with Everclime. Everclime have launched a platform where fans can collect ‘Impact Cards’ at each of the nine fixtures. Doing so contributes to the Lions trusted charities that are changing lives on and off the pitch.

Leading sports streaming company, DAZN, has launched a sports tech Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Hyderabad, India. The GCC, which will be a base for the company’s global sports tech operations, will have 3,000 employees by the end of 2026. The centre will drive the development of next-generation sports technologies by scaling engineering and product innovation.

Leading sportstech investment advisory firm Drake Star has reported $US 52 billion in sportstech deals in first half of 2025. The first half was particularly active with consolidation and private financing across youth sports and digital media segments. M&A activity is anticipated to continue being strong as both strategics and private equity-backed platforms are very active in the market. 

USA Pickleball, the national governing body for pickleball in the United States, has teamed up with leading education provider etrainu to launch a centralized, federated training platform designed to upskill ambassadors and other membership stakeholders sport. The first phase will target training and education for over 2,000 ambassadors and other membership stakeholders. With etrainu’s learning management system (LMS) and integration with the Sport:80 membership platform, USA Pickleball will now deliver and track training across areas including employee onboarding, volunteer training, and referee / official certification. 

Sciana has partnered with NeuroFlux to provide AI-powered concussion screening to communities across Australia. Sciana's platform is equipping GPs, pharmacies, and allied health providers with a powerful tool for early, objective screening. NeuroFlex uses virtual reality to test oculomotor reflexes, cognitive and vestibular reaction times.

Sports streaming platform FrogBox has announced a new partnership with Gray-Nicolls, an iconic name in world cricket. Now, through FrogBox’s livestreaming platform, Gray-Nicolls is connecting more directly with the millions who play and follow grassroots cricket each week. This collaboration combines heritage and innovation, equipping clubs with the tools to stream matches, and share their stories with passionate communities.

The 2025 Sports Tech Startup and Investor Day will give founders the opportunity to pitch their company via a short two-and-a-half-minute video as part of the Sportstech World Series in late October in Melbourne. Australia Sports Tech Startup and Investor Day (on 30th October) is designed to give innovative grassroots businesses an opportunity to showcase their product to the broader sports tech industry. Submissions close 3pm Friday 24th October.

3D body scanning company 3D Measure Me has announced that they are a finalist in the 2025 AUSactive National Awards – People’s Choice Small Business of the Year. 3D Measure me is revolutionising body measurements using smart phone-based 3D scanning, enabling accurate, touch free, private progress tracking. The business is developing partnerships across the health and fitness industry, empowering individuals and professionals to drive better health outcomes. 

DMC Sport has announced that it signed on to continue working with England Golf to support two fantastic grassroots programs – Girls Golf Rocks and Get into Golf Rookies. From innovative product design and manufacture to seamless delivery to participants, DMC Sport is helping grow participation in golf across the UK by making golf fun, accessible, and inclusive for young players.

Veloce Media Group has acquired a majority stake in Quadrant, the digital media and apparel business founded by Formula 1 driver Lando Norris in 2020. As part of the deal, Norris has become a shareholder in Veloce while retaining more than 20% of Quadrant and continuing to license his name and brand to the company. Quadrant has built a following of over 6.9 million across digital platforms. The brand has expanded its presence from gaming and esports into merchandise, digital content, and live experiences.

PlayHQ, Australia’s leading sports registration platform, and Oho, Australia’s first dedicated credential verification system, have announced an exclusive strategic partnership set to significantly enhance child safety through the creation of PlaySafe, powered by Oho. Basketball Victoria is leading the way as the first sport to integrate this Australia-first innovation. The partnership between PlayHQ and Oho is set to transform child safeguarding by introducing a technology-enabled solution that tackles the longstanding administrative burdens and compliance gaps faced by grassroots sports organisations.

Australian wagering technology company, BetMakers Technology, has raised $AUD 13.7 million in an oversubscribed retail share purchase plan as well as an institutional placement. The money raised will be used to fund strategic acquisitions, repay debt, and support its growing presence in the US racing and wagering market.