Sportstech & Member News

Italian football club Como 1907 has announced the launch of Como Ventures, a startup and investment platform powered by The Players Fund, the world’s largest athlete-led venture capital firm. Como Ventures is designed as a founder-first launchpad. Startups will gain access to Como 1907’s global brand and local operations, while also tapping into The Players Fund’s network of athletes, capital, investors and operators. The program opens applications this week, seeking startups across six growth themes including luxury hospitality and travel, media technology, merchandising and retail infrastructure, health technology and human performance, next generation mobility, and sustainability. 

GameDay has announced the re-signing of Athletics New Zealand as a partner, continuing a successful collaboration that began in 2013. Over more than a decade, GameDay has supported Athletics New Zealand in streamlining their membership management and event registration processes. The platform allows for a seamless, centralised registration process across the National Body, Centre, and Club levels, with integrated payment management. 

ASTN has led a sports innovation delegation of South Australian companies to the USA from 6-12 September. A total of ten companies participated in the delegation including Cellr, Earthling 3.0, Rubber Side Down, Sportal, Launchd, Advanced Armour (by SWAARM), CME, Your Brain Health, MyVenue and Lumin Sports. As part of the itinerary the World Trade Center Los Angeles convened a  Sports Technology Industry Roundtable, Workshop, and Networking Reception — a milestone gathering in partnership with the Government of South Australia, the ASTN - Australian Sports Technologies Network, and the Australian Consulate-General in Los Angeles. With the U.S. as the number one export market for Australian sports tech, LA as a global hub for sports innovation, and Australia as the 16th top foreign investor in the Golden State - the potential for cross-border R&D, market entry, and joint ventures is immense.

The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) and Dailymotion Pro, a global video solution provider, have announced a new partnership to bring ASTN’s long-running Sports Cutting Edge podcast series into a new video format. Together, the two organizations will launch a 10-episode vodcast series aimed at showcasing the latest innovations and voices in the Australian sportstech ecosystem.

ECAL, the world’s leading calendar marketing solution, has announced its official launch in France, in partnership with one of the country’s most popular and beloved sports organisations, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). The partnership brings ECAL’s smart, dynamic ‘Sync to Calendar’ marketing feature to fans of France’s premier rugby competitions, the TOP 14 and PRO D2. This technology delivers the latest match details straight to fans’ personal digital calendars, complete with direct access to ticket purchases, TV/streaming information, match centres, videos, news, and other key updates.

Private equity powerhouse CVC Capital Partners has launched a new global sports division, Global Sport Group, bringing together its $US 13.6 billion sports investments under one roof.  GSG will manage assets spanning LaLiga, Ligue 1, WTA, Volleyball World, Premiership Rugby, URC and Six Nations, while also targeting new opportunities worldwide. The division aims to unlock growth through shared expertise, operational excellence, and long-term investment, while preserving the independence of each league. 

FIFA has launched four new innovation challenges focused on artificial intelligence, refereeing and talent development. Companies, including start-ups and research organisations from across the world, are invited to submit proposals via the FIFA Innovation Portal. Applications are now open for solutions under the following challenges: audio transcription tool, basic referee body cameras, professional referee body cameras and innovative talent development tools. 

The NBA is seeking submissions for the fifth cohort of NBA Launchpad, the league’s initiative to source, evaluate and pilot emerging technologies that advance the NBA’s top priorities on and off the court. Priority areas include; the future of officiating, youth basketball player health and wellbeing, media and fan connection. Applications close 17th October 2025. 

A new high-speed camera has been installed at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (SOPAC), operating at 100 frames per second (fps) and delivering timing accuracy down to 0.01s intervals. This updated technology, having been tested at Swimming NSW (SNSW) winter events, means SNSW has confirmed it will now validate records timed by Olly Timing at SOPAC. With the new camera in place, Olly Timing unequivocally meets the requirements of both World Aquatics Competition Regulations and World Para Swimming Rules and Regulations, enabling world records to be validated.

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) has teamed up with etrainu, a leading online sports learning management system, to provide officials training on building a positive youth sports culture. The PCA's course, Honoring the Game, is based on the latest research into sports psychology. Honoring the Game is available for purchase through US Youth Soccer (USYS) University and can also be purchased by sporting organizations through etrainu. 

The Sports Management Association of Australia and New Zealand (SMAANZ) have announced that Professor Emma Sherry has been named the recipient of the 2025 SMAANZ Distinguished Service Award. Emma is currently a Professor at RMIT University and has been a driving force within SMAANZ, from her early days as a student representative on the Board through to key leadership roles, conference organisation, HDR workshops, and mentoring. She has also been instrumental in shaping sport management scholarship more broadly, with internationally recognised research in sport for development and gender equality in sport, and through her leadership in research groups such as the La Trobe Centre for Sport and Social Impact and the Swinburne Sport Innovation Research Group.

Talent identification and development platform Rookie Me has announced that they have been selected as a State Finalist in the 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards. Among over 22,000 businesses nominated, Rooke Me were recognised as one of six finalists in Victoria under the category ‘Building Communities’.  Rookie Me's ecosystem of face-to-face products and SaaS solutions aims to unlock possibilities in the sporting landscape for individuals at every level, across various sporting codes.

SCALERR, a company that specialises in servicing startups and scaleups has announced a new partnership with OSOME. OSOME is a leading platform making business administration effortless for entrepreneurs worldwide. Through this collaboration, SCALERR's partners and clients will now have direct access to Osome’s expertise in company incorporation, accounting, compliance, and more, helping founders and businesses scale faster, smarter, and with less friction.

From 17–21 December 2025, the Southport Sharks will welcome 500+ international participants to compete in this world-class robotics challenge, the 27th International Robot Olympiad (IRO). The International Robot Olympiad (IRO) is more than a competition—it’s a global celebration of youth potential, technological curiosity, and cross-cultural collaboration. Each year, young participants from around the world come together to challenge themselves, build lifelong friendships, and share their passion for science and technology.

ASTN premium member and sports travel specialists SportsLink Travel, have been awarded Agency of the Year for the Envoyage Australia network with includes 450+ travel agencies across Australia.

Komo Technologies today announced major updates to its platform with the launch of its Engagement Operating System (OS), enabling brands to move beyond transactional campaigns and loyalty programs to build meaningful, engagement-first customer relationships. At the core of the new platform is Kai, Komo’s AI co-pilot, which helps marketers ideate and launch interactive campaigns in minutes. The Engagement OS also introduces Komo Loyalty, which rewards participation, attendance, and feedback, and enhanced Komo Surveys, designed to capture real-time customer feedback at peak attention moments. 

Layercake, a global leader in media workflow automation, has announced the integration of Ant Media Server into its Streamcake platform. This marks a significant step forward in intelligent streaming technology. The collaboration brings together sub-second real-time video delivery with automated scheduling and orchestration capabilities, enabling robust, scalable and adaptive media workflows for both live and on-demand experiences.

Apollo Global Management is preparing to launch a $US 5 billion sports investment vehicle, marking its first permanent capital allocation dedicated to the sector. The New York-based private equity giant, with more than $US 800 billion in assets under management, has already been active in sports, including a £80 million ($US 107 million) loan to Premier League club Nottingham Forest earlier this year. According to the Financial Times, Apollo will focus on lending to leagues and teams, as well as buying club stakes. The launch would add Apollo to a growing list of private capital players building long-term exposure to the fast-growing sports finance market.

The ASTN and Sports Tech World Series (STWS) have launched the 2025 edition of the Australia & New Zealand Sports Technology Awards. The Award presentation will be held in the Sports Innovation Week in Melbourne on 28th October. Entries are now open across the following eight categories - Stadium & Venue Tech, Sports Management & Ops Tech, Media & Broadcast, Fan Engagement, Esports, Fantasy and Gamification, Fitness & Wellness, Data Analytics and Equipment & Apparel. Applications close 12 October 2025.

The Governor has hosted the investiture ceremonies for recipients of awards in the Order of Australia in the 2025 King's Birthday honours. ASTN Co-founder and inaugural chair, James Demetriou received this Member of the Order of Australia (AM), in the King’s Birthday Honours, at the ceremony for his service to sport, to education, and to business.

ASTN has opened applications for Australian growth SMEs to participate in the 16th cohort of the ASTN Accelerator Program. The ASTN Accelerator Program provides free guidance & advisory for selected startups including access to a broad pool of ASTN experts, up to 20 hours free advisory as well as a number of themed workshops. More than 90 Australian sportstech companies have participated in the program over 8 years. These companies have raised more thank $AUD 85 million since participating in the program, and have generated more than 350 jobs. Applications close 21 September 2025. The program is supported by Queensland Investment Corporation and Meshpoints (a Spacecubed Foundation initiative) supported by Lotterywest.

Flinders University has announced that it will host the 32nd annual Sports Management Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference from 2-4 December 2026 in Adelaide. Adelaide is one of Australia’s premier sporting hubs, home to unique events such as the AFL Gather Round, LIV Golf Adelaide, the Tour Down Under and world-class cricket.

Australian sport is entering a defining moment. As AI and digital transformation accelerate globally, many of the models that have guided the sector are reaching their limits. Sports investment and advisory firm XV Capital explores how sports organisations can embrace change, strengthen leadership, and build the digital foundations needed for long-term success — with Brisbane 2032 as the catalyst.

Netball Australia is the driving force behind one of the nation’s most beloved sports, leading the game from grassroots to the global stage –  home to the world’s best netball league, Suncorp Super Netball. Netball Australia’s fan survey aimed to gain a deeper read on who their audience is, and was conducted as part of their marketing plan to reach new audiences and grow commercial outcomes. With over 4,000 fans responding to the survey Netball Australia were able to get deeper insight on their fans. This included Engagement Level - casual viewers vs core fans; Platform preferences  - where fans are, and where to spend ad dollars and Lifestyle insights - to fuel content and sponsorship ideas.

The National Football League and Front Office Sports (FOS), a leading multiplatform media and news organization covering the business of sports, have announced a new content partnership. The relationship will bring fans closer to the business stories that dominate mainstream conversation through access-driven and behind-the-scenes content from key NFL moments. FOS will collaborate on creative development and execution of projects tied to major NFL tentpole events, including NFL International Games, the Super Bowl, and the NFL Draft. 

Serena Williams has set her sights on new playing court: basketball. The retired tennis star has invested in the women's 3-on-3 basketball league, Unrivaled, now valued at $US 340 million. The Unrivaled league claims to offer players the highest average salary in professional women's sports league history. It began as a way for WNBA players to earn money in the offseason, without having to play abroad. Its second season tips off in January 2026. Bessemer Venture Partners, a venture capital firm, led the Series B investment round. 

Smart glasses company Minimis has been selected as the first-ever Aussie startup for The Pitch Show Season 14 in the US. Started in 2015 and part of the Vox Media Network, The Pitch Show is like Shark Tank. The Pitch Show digs deep with authenticity into founders’ stories and real pitches, following up with featured startups even after they’ve secured funding.

Adelaide-based sportstech company SportMatch has launched version 2 of their solution in the Apple App Store. SportMatch is playing an important role in talent identification for organisations such as the South Australian Sports Institute as well as supporting education for schools all over the State. SportMatch has engaged with more than 10,000 students / athletes to data, and enhanced student engagement in assisting them in successfully completing assessments relating to Health and PE. SportMatch are looking to work with Schools, Universities, Institutes and any other organisations who want to innovate their TalentID and PE curriculum.

BlackRock- and Goldman Sachs-backed media startup Minute Media, which owns properties like Sports Illustrated, The Players’ Tribune, and 90 Minutes, announced Monday that it is acquiring VideoVerse, an Indian AI startup that lets broadcasters extract highlights and create content from sports footage. VideoVerse’s clients include the Indian Premier League and Women’s Premier League (cricket) tournaments, FIFA+, and broadcasters Nippon TV and Clubber TV. While Minute Media or VideoVerse didn’t provide a valuation for the deal, sources told TechCrunch that VideoVerse was valued between $US 200 million and $US 250 million during its last round in 2023, and Minute Media’s deal was in a similar range.

Wingfield, a leader in AI-powered performance analysis for racket sports, and The Picklr, the world's fastest-growing pickleball franchise, are partnering with DUPR Coach and DUPR to launch the sport’s first end-to-end, AI-powered pathway for player development. By combining AI-driven player assessments with automated DUPR match submissions, The Picklr becomes the first club network to leverage AI for both evaluating skill level and competitive play.

StubHub is targeting a valuation of up to $US 9.2 billion in its U.S. initial public offering, the ticket reseller said, becoming the latest company to resume listing plans delayed in April due to tariff uncertainty. The New York-based firm is seeking up to $US 851 million.

The City of Gold Coast formally opened the Expressions of Interest process on 28 August for its Gold Coast Arena project – a 12,000-plus capacity entertainment and sports venue that has already been confirmed as a Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games venue. The project will seek proposals from major Australian and international consortia to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the landmark venue. 

ASTN has opened expressions-of-interest to participate in cohort 10 of the ASTN-GSIC (powered by Microsoft) Pre-Accelerator Program. The 10 week 20 session program is designed to help fast-track the knowledge of early-stage sportstech startups. More than 200 early-stage entrepreneurs, including researchers, athletes, sports administrators and practitioners, have participated in the program over the last 5 years. The program addresses three critical areas that often receive limited attention during the initial phases of development: Customer Discovery, Market & Competitor Analysis and Business Model Development. Application are now open with priority access for founders from Queensland and Western Australia. Applications close 19th September 2025.

c51 Consulting have announced the official launch of Skillcourt in Australia and New Zealand, bringing the cognitive-movement training system to sports, rehabilitation, education, and fitness organisations across the region. Skillcourt combines neuroscience, cutting-edge hardware, and interactive software to create measurable improvements in reaction time, decision-making, coordination, and recovery outcomes.

ECAL, the world’s leading calendar marketing and fan engagement platform, has officially launched in Saudi Arabia, marking a major strategic expansion with The Saudi Pro League (SPL)as its first major client. Introduced through Global Victoria’s trade mission in November 2024, this move cements ECAL’s position as a truly global pioneer in sports engagement solutions. ECAL empowers fans with the latest match information, personalised ticket alerts for home games, fantasy game updates, man-of-the-match voting, post-match scores and highlights, all delivered in the user’s preferred language, including Arabic, directly via their personal calendars.

Liveheats and Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) have signed a new deal that will see SLSA adopt our competition registration and payment solution. For the past three years, SLSA events have run on Liveheats’ event management and scoring tools. With this expanded two-year deal, surf lifesaving athletes and clubs nationwide will enjoy a seamless experience - from registration and payment, right through to heat draws, scoring, and results, all on one platform.

Champion Data's Head of Machine Learning and AI, Dr Stuart Morgan, joined Dr Claire Naughtin on the latest episode of ABC's Download This Show. The episode explored how AI’s accuracy can work alongside human experience to build trust, the role of technology in injury prevention and athlete well-being as well as how fan confidence and experiences are being shaped as AI becomes embedded in sport.

Leading British sports executive Nick Pink has been announced to guide TidyHQ's UK expansion. Nick has led at the highest levels of British sport - former CEO of England and Great Britain Hockey and England Golf, Chair of Safe Sport UK, and trusted voice in the NGB CEO Forum. TidyHQ works along side registration, competition and learning management systems to track governance and safeguarding, improve communications and operations and strengthen volunteer and workforce engagement.

ATP and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) have unveiled ATP Tennis IQ Powered by PIF, an enhanced performance analytics platform delivering richer data insights to all singles players across the PIF ATP Rankings. The platform delivers richer data and analytics in real time, in the form of advanced scouting, video analysis and wearables insights. The platform will empower around 2,000 players across the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger Tour.

ECAL, one of the world’s leading calendar marketing solution, announced its official launch into the Japanese market, partnering with the celebrated J.League club, Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The landmark partnership will introduce ECAL’s powerful ‘sync to calendar’ technology to Japanese sports fans for the first time, delivering a new era of dynamic, real-time digital communications for the club’s passionate supporters.

LiveLike, a global leader in fan engagement and loyalty solutions, has partnered with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and Futureverse to launch PFL Rewards — a next-generation global fan loyalty experience. PFL Rewards blends physical and digital incentives, transforming passive viewing into active participation. Fans can earn points for everyday interactions — downloading the official PFL app, streaming live fights, submitting predictions, or watching highlights — and redeem them for exclusive rewards including merchandise, event tickets, and VIP access.

LIV Golf, the global golf league have announced a landmark partnership with Fever, a leading discovery platform for culture and live entertainment. Fever will become the official global ticketing and demand generation partner for LIV Golf, powering ticketing operations and enhancing fan engagement across the league’s rapidly expanding international schedule. The partnership launches ahead of the 2026 LIV Golf League season, with Fever serving as the central destination for ticketing and demand generation across all 14 international events. 

Sports lighting innovator CME has won South Australian Premier's Business Award Family Business of the Year. The 40 year old business is a leader in integrated electrical solutions in the sports lighting, sustainable energy, construction, and facility servicing sectors. CME has worked on over 400 sports fields globally.

Basketball WA has announced a partnership with Edith Cowan University (ECU) through a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding. This collaboration will see Basketball WA work closely with ECU to explore opportunities in evidence-based education and knowledge translation, research in long-term athlete development, performance, and injury prevention and joint projects that align with both organisations’ strategic priorities.

DAZN today announced it has acquired live rights to a wide range of U.S. college football and basketball content through a multi-year sublicensing agreement with ESPN. From the 2025 season, fans across selected territories in Europe and the MENA region* will be able to enjoy up to 25 college football games per week during the regular season only on DAZN. Significantly expanding its U.S. basketball offering, DAZN will broadcast approximately 20 games per week across men’s and women’s basketball, as well as 63 March Madness games.

IDA Sports, a woman founded and led company that designs cleats exclusively for women athletes, has been named a 2025 Most Innovative Brand by Front Office Sports. The Most Innovative Awards, in partnership with Sports Innovation Lab, recognizes trailblazing brands transforming how athletes and fans experience, embrace, and advance sports culture worldwide. DA cleats are built around the unique foot morphologies of female athletes, backed by extensive research and design that includes foot scanning, data collection and real-life feedback from professional and amateur athletes.

SportVot Australia has announced a partnership with Volleyball Victoria to deliver live broadcast coverage of the Victorian Volleyball League Finals.  Volleyball is now the tenth sport that SportVot has covered since launching in Australia less than 6 months ago. All Victorian Volleyball League Finals broadcasts will be remotely produced from Mumbai, India.

AmpThink, a leader in the deployment of complex technology systems in stadiums and arenas, have released details on what stadium owners spend the most on in technology. Large format display account for 41% of spend, followed by audiovisual at 25%, broadcast at 19% and base technology (such as networks, wifi and telephony) at 15%. These numbers tell an important value story. Real business value is often defined less by technical sophistication or advanced engineering and more by the problems solved and the revenue unlocked.

Reclink Australia has announced a partnership into STWS Conference to share insights on Game Changers Games sports social inclusion program. Reclink Australia provides evidence-based sport and art social inclusion programs to disadvantaged Australians that create socially inclusive, life-changing opportunities. An innovation and extension for these programs is Game Changer Games, a social event with purpose where teams compete in various sports, promoting physical activity, social connection, and mental well-being to solve inactivity and loneliness. Dave Wells, CEO of Reclink Australia, will be delivering a keynote at Australia Sports Tech Conference in Melbourne on Wednesday 29th October 2025 at the MCG on this topic.

Women Sport Australia has entered a partnership with Sports Tech World Series (STWS) for Australia Sports Innovation Week, continuing to lead the change to achieve fairness, inclusivity, and the right for every woman and girl to pursue her passion for sport without judgment, limitations or barriers.