Sportstech & Member News

Champions Innovate is a groundbreaking initiative that takes place in the months leading up to the men's Champions League final and brings together UEFA, commercial partners, the host city and start-up companies. Each season, the start-ups are tasked with finding innovative solutions to specific challenges set by the host city. After months of hard work to find ways to make the UEFA Champions League final more sustainable, the three Champions Innovate finalist start-ups – Pavegen, My Emissions and Pledgeball – presented their innovative pilot projects to a judging panel at a showcase event at London City Hall two days before the 2024 UEFA Champions League final. Each was teamed up with one of three Champions League sponsors – Rockstar Energy Drink (PepsiCo), Just Eat Takeaway.com and Mastercard.

In response to the first periodic review of 2019’s Sports Diplomacy 2030 strategy, the Government is giving national sporting organisations and peak bodies a seat at the table, reflecting their central role in advancing Australia’s interests through sport. Under the new arrangements, a number of internationally-focused national sporting organisations and peak bodies are being invited to join a new Sports Diplomacy Consultative Group, coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This will provide a regular forum to discuss strategic and economic opportunities and risks in international sport, including upcoming events in Australia and offshore, and the ways in which government and the sport sector can work together to advance shared priorities. This group replaces the Sports Diplomacy Advisory Council, 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and FanCraze today announced a multi-year partnership extension marking a milestone in the evolution of digital fan engagement with the launch of new products during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The announcement also detailed the upcoming launch of ICC Crictos SuperTeam, a Web3 fantasy game featuring officially licensed ICC digital video collectibles. With SuperTeam, fans will be able to build fantasy teams using their ICC Crictos and compete in contests to win amazing rewards on a daily basis, week after week proving their cricket nous to the world.

Intix, an independent ticketing provider for sports in Australia, has opened its newest office in New York City as it expands its global presence. The company has chosen New York City as its newest location to better serve its clientele in the US and wider region. The opening also follows a recent expansion to the UK. Intix platforms enables organisations to streamline their ticketing processes, enhance customer experiences, and drive revenue growth.

Rowing Australia has announced a strategic partnership with Sharp EIT Solutions (Sharp EIT), as they become the Official Technology Partner of Rowing Australia and the Australian Rowing Team. This collaboration signifies a significant step forward in the integration of advanced information technology within the realm of athletic performance. A critical factor for Rowing Australia in selecting an IT provider was the protection of their data and a strong focus on cyber security.

South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney has opened submissions for SXSW Sydney Pitch 2024 in October. The theme for SXSW Sydney Pitch 2024 is ‘What’s Next?’. Applications to the Sydney pitch are open to startups and founders across the following seven categories including Health, Biotech and Medtech covering health, nutrition, wellness and fitness and close 22 July.

The Olympic AI Agenda sets out a governance and oversight framework to identify and mitigate risk, and it will be a continuous process to leverage the insights and experience of prominent experts to support the deployment of AI for the Olympic Movement. It has been developed in collaboration with an AI Working Group – a panel of experts from around the world, including AI pioneers, academics, athletes and representatives of technology companies – convened by the IOC in 2023. The full agenda can be downloaded at: https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/International-Olympic-Committee/AI/Olympic-AI-Agenda.pdf

WSC Sports, the specialist in AI-powered sports content technology, has announced its evolution to an AI content management, creation, and distribution solution. The company aims to empower sports media rights holders to engage with fans through more personalised content, formats and viewing channels. As part of the company’s next phase of growth, WSC Sports is formally introducing three new solutions to its product suite: Around the Game, In-App Stories and Discovery Network. 

Lucia Ciric Bagaric became the first FANtium funded player to make a Grand Slam main draw, qualifying for the first round at Roland Garros.  This achievement comes with significant rewards including €69,000 in guaranteed earnings. As a side effect, her win triggered an immediate sell-out of her raise in less than 24 hours, raising $US 100k for her career. FANtium support some of the best next-generation tennis players, all carefully evaluated by a global network of tennis experts, offering athlete investment as a new asset class.

Kings League, a seven-a-side next generation football competition led by Gerard Piqué that brings together entertainment and sports, today announced a €60 million investment round. Kings League has connected with the Gen Z audience through digital channels and platforms, integrating gamified elements into traditional football to produce dynamic, high-scoring 40-minute matches.

La Trobe University has signed an agreement with Sport Singapore to collaborate on staff and student exchanges, PhD research projects, specialised training and other initiatives focused on La Trobe University's expertise in sport analytics and sport science. The School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University will work with both the Singapore Sports Institute and the National Youth Sports Institute.

Rugby Australia and Fanatics, a leading global digital sports platform, have today announced an exclusive partnership that will see Fanatics launch and run the official Rugby Australia online store, serving fans of Rugby in Australia across the globe. The Wallaby Shop, which is now live, offers fans worldwide a full assortment of officially-licensed Wallabies and Wallaroos products, as well as a selection of Super Rugby merchandise, including jerseys, training, headwear, fan apparel and accessories.

The NCAA and the nation's five biggest conferences announced Thursday night that they have agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims, a monumental decision that sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start steering millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as the 2025 fall semester. They signal the end of the NCAA’s bedrock amateurism model that dates to its founding in 1906. The deal still must be approved by the federal judge overseeing the case. it will usher in the beginning of a new era in college sports where athletes are compensated more like professionals and schools can compete for talent using direct payments.

AusCycling have launched the AusBike Digital program with the support of Playbk Sports. Playbk Sports have been instrumental in the development of engaging content aligned with curriculum standards, empowering children aged 8-12 yrs with essential bike riding skills and knowledge in a fun and interactive manner. AusCycling is the National Sporting Organisation responsible for the development, facilitation and growth of all forms of cycling in Australia, formed by an amalgamation of Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA), BMX Australia (BMXA) and Cycling Australia (CA) and the 15 State Sporting Organisations (SSO's).

Springbok Analytics have expanded their NFL footprint with a new partnership to support the Houston Texans and their approach to personalized performance. Springbok Analytics MRI-based, AI-enabled muscle analytics technology helps sports organizations to improve training, minimize the injury burden, and improve return-to-sport decision-making. Springbok Analytics continue our work at the league level with National Football League (NFL) in the collaboration with UW Badger Athletic Performance and Australian Catholic University's SPRINT Research Centre as part of the ongoing HAMIR (hamstring injury) study, all in the name of athlete health and longevity.

The starter’s gun has been fired for procurement to begin on venues that will be used in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More than A$560 million in contracts supporting more than 1,000 local jobs will be up for grabs. EOIs for tenders were released this week for the Sunshine Coast Stadium and Chandler Indoor Sports Centre and precinct works. An EOI for the Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre will go to market in August 2024 and EOIs for the Aquatic Centre at Chandler and the Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Centre in 2025. The Australian and Queensland governments have jointly allocated funding from the $1.87 billion Minor Venues Program for investment in these projects.

dentsu Sports Analytics and consumer data specialists Fonto announced the official Australian launch of SponsorshipBI, a revolutionary platform that measures a sponsorship’s true business impact. This announcement follows a successful pilot program with Cricket Australia, demonstrating the platform’s capability to provide deeper insights into the business impact of commercial partnerships in sport. SponsorshipBI is an industry-first platform that links traditional “top of funnel” brand impact metrics of sponsorship to actual transactions by fans.

DMC Sport are working with Major League Baseball (MLB) Europe, BaseballSoftballUK, Youth Sport Trust and the Greater London Authority to bring MLB First Pitch to kids and schools around London. DMC Sport are supplying fit for purpose equipment, logistics and support to all stakeholders to help bring baseball to more people and locations! MLB First Pitch, an entry-level baseball programme created for players ages 8-12, and designed so that adults with little to no prior baseball experience can deliver the programme with ease and confidence.

Life Time, the luxury athletic country club operator that’s in expansion mode, has made its app free to non-members, so anyone can access Life Time’s premium wellness offerings, including on-demand fitness classes. Life Time app users can access barre, boxing, cardio, cycle, dance, strength and yoga classes, training videos, nutrition and exercise coaching programs, meditation experiences, articles and podcasts. There is also an opportunity to shop for health and wellness products across apparel, nutrition and beauty products with exclusive in-app pricing.

The owner of Ticketmaster is being sued by the US government over claims it is running an illegal live event "monopoly" which is driving prices up for fans and pushing out smaller competition. The complaint says a break-up between Live Nation and Ticketmaster is on the table and experts claim this combined with other solutions could help fans and artists. Ticketmaster, which merged with Live Nation in 2010, is the world's largest ticket seller across live music, sports, theatre and more. The company said it distributed more than 620 million tickets in 2023.

The IIT Madras Centre of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA) is planning to support nearly 200 sportstech startups over 5 years across the domain areas of computer vision, data analytics, AI, ML, and biomechanics. Going forward, IIT Madras is working on four areas in the sector, which include technology to enhance player performance, analytics, education, and supporting sports tech startups.

The New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS), a leading hub for sports innovation and research, and NTT DATA, a global digital business and IT services leader, have entered a strategic technology partnership to leverage technologies and create new value propositions for NZCIS's sports and accommodation facilities. The partnership will realize the full potential of data-driven insights and innovation in the sports industry through joint activities and proof-of-concept projects.

Sports Environment Alliance (SEA) has welcomed its newest member, the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS). The VIS is at the start of its sustainability journey, with one of its earliest initiatives being the formation of a Sustainability Squad. Comprising 18 enthusiastic staff as well as 5 athlete representatives, the Squad is in the early stages of developing the VIS Climate Action Plan.

Australian Catholic University has announced the launch of the new High Performance Hub. This state-of-the-art facility, available in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, is designed to enhance sport and exercise science education through cutting-edge research and personalised fitness services.

Thousands of Kiwi volunteer football coaches and managers have started using hi-tech online coaching platform called CoachMate. The platform, supported by McDonald’s New Zealand and New Zealand Football, provides world-class tips and tricks for both coaches and the army of parents, managers and supporters who volunteer their time to keep the 80,000-odd youth and junior age-groups players staying in the sport. Also being used by Basketball NZ, Golf NZ and Halberg Foundation, the platform is designed to equip volunteer coaches with tools and resources so they develop more confidence in working with young kids.

Smart dumbbell maker, Kabata, secured $US 5m in a seed round led by Menlo Ventures, with participation from numerous athlete-investors, including NFLer Bradley Chubb. Building on a $US 2m raise two years ago, the company is preparing to ship its first units later this year. Kabata dumbbells use built-in sensors to support velocity-based training (VBT), measuring reps, time under tension, power, and calories. Its AI-driven software develops a training program based on users’ ability, automatically adjusting weight while adapting exercise based on form quality.

Melbourne Victory recently completed a successful alpha test of Victory Pass at AAMI Park, Melbourne, with 50 Melbourne Victory members experiencing the game like never before through immersive virtual reality. This groundbreaking initiative, developed in partnership with Melbourne Victory Football Club, Swinburne University of Technology and iReel, allows fans to get closer to the action and feel the game like never before.
 

RedBird Capital and Weatherford Capital are launching a college sports-specific investment fund, one that could lend as much as $2 billion to athletic departments across the US. Led by RedBird founder Gerry Cardinale, Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS) is hoping to cash in on a college sports industry in upheaval, with athletes on the verge of more robust compensation and schools seeking new funding sources to stay competitive.  The new venture plans to initially partner with five to 10 athletic departments, offering $50 million to $200 million to each.

The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has announced the launch of ASTN’s Venture Capital Partner Network, signing Gandel Invest as the inaugural partner. The ASTN Venture Capital Partner Network is an industry first for the sportstech sector – fostering connections between Venture Capital (VC) firms and thriving sportstech startups. The Network offers VC firms access to sportstech startups with technologies that are primed for scaling and commercialisation, thereby facilitating robust deal flow.

BridgeAthletic, the premier provider of strength and conditioning software, announced today the closing of a strategic growth capital investment and the acquisition of Game Plan, the leading learning management system built to serve athletic organizations and teams. The combination of BridgeAthletic and Game Plan offers the industry's first integrated athlete development solution trusted by every major professional sports league and more than 10,000 sports teams and tactical groups globally.

Populous, the renowned global sports and entertainment venue and events design practice, announced today a strategic investment in OnePlan, the world’s leading event site and venue planning software company. OnePlan’s innovative GIS mapping collaboration platform is used by over 50,000 events in 110 countries, delivering up to 85% time-savings for its customers. The platform simplifies the planning of live events and venues through easy-to-use, collaborative mapping tools. 

The NRL held its Magic Round in Brisbane - a full weekend of rugby matches with teams from across Australia and New Zealand. As part of the weekend, Department of Environment, Science and Innovation organised a tech showcase, highlighting 20 leading companies with applications for stadiums, fan egagement, human performance, health, inclusiveness, and other application for sport. Companies showcased included the likes of WearOptimo, Chronosoft, tagSpace, Axiom Holographics, iNSPIRETEK and GravityFit.

The Melbourne & Olympic Parks precinct (M&OP) has confirmed its place as a powerhouse of Victoria’s sports, entertainment, and live events culture, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to the Victorian economy and supporting over 5,800 jobs in 2022–23. An inaugural ‘Precinct-wide Social and Economic Value Study,’ has revealed the precinct’s pivotal role in shaping Melbourne’s status as one of the world’s most liveable cities, delivering widespread economic benefits and supporting a dynamic ecosystem of business and sporting excellence.

Indian sports-tech firm Stupa Sports Analytics has raised ₹28 crore in a Pre-Series A funding round led by Centre Court Capital and Peer Capital. The funding happened at a post-money valuation of ₹98 crore. The firm has raised ₹7.5 crore so far in three separate rounds. The latest fund pool will be deployed to attract top AI/ML and engineering talent to build advanced solutions in the rapidly growing sports-tech industry. The fund will also power Stupa’s ambitions to expand globally into markets like the US, UK, Australia, and West Asia while deepening its existing presence in regions like Europe and Asia.

AO Adventure was the number 1 visited sporting experience on Roblox in April, 3 months after the Australian Open finished. The Emirates-sponsored obstacle course and ESPN-branded tennis game had 672k visits in April and 17.7 million over its lifetime. AO Adventure continues to grow and lead Tennis Australia's strategy to make the AO the world's most accessible sports and entertainment event. 

Netflix is no longer simply in the “sports-adjacent” business. On Wednesday, the streaming giant announced a three-season deal with the National Football League that will include showing two Christmas Day games on its service this year. It’s the first time Netflix has become partners with a major sports league.

Sharp Alpha Advisors has successfully closed its second venture capital fund, Sharp Alpha Fund II, surpassing its target with a $US 25 million raise to invest in early-stage companies within the sports, gaming, and entertainment sectors. Sharp Alpha Fund II focuses on seed investments between $1 million and $2 million. 

Neo-Bionica, a joint venture between the Bionics Institute and the University of Melbourne, has secured $5 million from Breakthrough Victoria. Neo-Bionica’s expertise includes developing and commercialising AI-powered implantable and wearable medical devices designed to restore human function and smart sensors capable of intelligently monitoring human physiology.

A fear of illicit drug test results and psychologist session notes being leaked onto the dark web is helping drive a call from AFL players to improve data collection and storage in the sport. The leaking of Port Adelaide players’ personal information following a data breach late last year has awoken the industry to the risk of hackers, and the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) issued an urgent plea on Tuesday for an improvement in collection and storage practices.

Garmin has reported a 40% revenue increase to $343 million in its fitness category during Q1 of 2024, setting a new first-quarter record that the tech company says was led by strong demand for advanced wearables. Notably, revenue from Garmin’s outdoor segment trended upwards. Earlier this year, Garmin released its 2023 Fitness Report, showing that users logged 19% more activities using fitness equipment in the year, with double-digit growth in strength training, stair climbing and elliptical activities. Although strength training has dominated fitness industry discourse, Garmin’s report showed that HIIT activities soared in 2023, with a 112% year-over-year increase. Outdoor activities, such as walking, trail running and cycling, also ramped up.

Checkmate Live has successfully conducted another test tournament to assess the efficacy of its ongoing anti-cheat efforts, in partnership with the Artificial Intelligence Institute (AAII) at the University of Sydney. AAII's groundbreaking research is establishing a robust real-time chain of evidence for all players, anytime, anywhere, on any device, to safeguard the integrity of online chess and ensure fair play. This work extends Checkmate's in-platform computer vision and multi-model anti-cheat technology, for FIDE-level Hybrid Games and high-stakes skill-based competitions on Checkmate Live.

In the wake of the WNBA's monumental growth and anticipation surrounding the upcoming 2024 season, Cipher Sports Technology Group has announced the launch of its groundbreaking WNBA picks, props, trends, and parlay products on Dimers.com.

Club Ducks has announced a partnership with Sport SA, supporting their mission, and supporting clubs and state sporting organisations with sponsorship and member management solutions. Through this partnership, Club Ducks aims to help Sport SA and its affiliated organisations streamline their operations, strengthen their sponsorship efforts, and enhance member engagement.

Alta Global Group (NYSE American:MMA) an Australian pioneering technology company dedicated to transforming the landscape of martial arts and combat sports training has announced its strategic acquisition of Hype. Hype's software platform strengthens Alta's vision to convert 640 million MMA fans to participants by providing tools to the gym owner, coach, and athlete partners to not only grow their revenues, but also operate more efficiently, save costs and enhance the offerings to their members and community. This acquisition is expected to accelerate Alta's technology roadmap, bringing forward new subscription revenue opportunities to Alta.

COX, a leading Australian architectural firm, has been chosen as the Lead Design Consultant for the Macquarie Point Multipurpose Stadium in Tasmania. The new stadium in Hobart would be home to the Tasmania Football Club of the Australia Football League (AFL). COX has designed sports venues including Optus Stadium, Sydney Football Stadium, Dunedin Stadium and the redesign of the Adelaide Oval.

QUT will invest $4.5 million into sports data science over the next five years as part of a new national research hub that will help build better athletes in the lead-up to the 2032 Games and beyond. The Australian Sports Tech Analytics & AI Research (AusiSTAR) Hub was launched today (May 14) at its QUT headquarters in Brisbane – the host city of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The hub is a consortium of universities, sports associations, government agencies and private companies. It will train a new generation of sports data analysts to help address a national shortage of these experts, who provide vital insights into areas including performance and injury prevention.

DraftKings has agreed a deal to acquire Sports IQ Analytics, a business that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide software solutions to the online sports betting market. Sports IQ supports companies with software for online sports betting. Solutions cover more than 12,000 events every year, offering access to hundreds of in-play markets.

Sports Tech HQ Inc., an initiative launched by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. in June 2022, has secured $US 4.5 million from the IEDC to fund its operations for the next two years. That amount is double the $2.25 million that the IEDC initially invested two years ago. The goal of Sports Tech HQ is to build Indiana’s sports technology sector, in part by luring startups here and helping them connect with the state’s existing sports ecosystem.

WHOOP, the human performance company, announced Cristiano Ronaldo, the legendary football icon, as an official global ambassador and investor. This represents one of Ronaldo's most significant investments to date. Ronaldo joins the company’s growing roster of global ambassador investors, including Patrick Mahomes, Michael Phelps, Eli Manning, Rory McIlroy, and more. This partnership signifies the company’s global growth trajectory and commitment to revolutionizing the world of human performance.

Australian sportstech company Komo Tech has partnered with Fanatics Events - the live and special event division of Fanatics - to provide Komo’s next-generation customer engagement platform at Fanatics’ events in the US this year. Komo, which offers a complete Customer Engagement Platform that helps brands and properties connect with their customers through gamified experiences and interactions, will work with Fanatics Events to unlock new levels of fan engagement at each stage of the fan journey through interactive and immersive experiences at several of their events. The partnership will kick off at the newly announced Fanatics Fest in NYC. Sitting at the nexus of sports fandom, culture, and collecting, Fanatics Fest NYC will bring fans across all sports to celebrate their passions under one roof at New York City’s Javits Center from 16th to 18th August.