Sportstech & Member News

Football Australia has announced a groundbreaking, world-first partnership with Live Graphics Systems (LIGR) and its parent company, Crionet. The partnership will centralise the live production and distribution of over 3,500 games annually from state league level to flagship national competitions, such as the National Premier Leagues, the Hahn Australia Cup and Australian Championship. LIGR will provide technical broadcast management, live monitoring and end-to-end operational services across Football Australia’s multi-camera and single camera productions, including the integration of automated (AI) camera workflows at selected venues.

PlaySpark has announced the launch of a new gaming platform specifically for athletes. The platform brings a unique gaming experience that connects fans directly with the athlete, allowing for interactive engagement and exclusive content. With NIL (name, image, likeness) opening up endless commercial opportunities for athletes, PlaySpark gives them an avenue to create their own games and leverage their IP allows for deeper connections to their fans and also powerful sponsorship opportunities. 

PlayHQ has announced a landmark partnership with Basketball England, marking its first major collaboration in the UK. This strategic move will see PlayHQ provide a single, unified technology platform to support grassroots basketball across the country, streamlining operations and enhancing the experience for players, coaches, clubs, administrators, and volunteers. The solution will feature seamless registrations and membership management and simplified payments, competition scheduling, and real-time scoring.

United Sports, a company focused on improving sport globally through elevating standards for coaching, performance, and wellbeing has announced a partnership with Squash Queensland. All Squash Queensland Coaches have access to 3 new Squash specific modules focused on i. injury risk reduction, ii. load monitoring and management and iii. coaching fundamentals.

Genesis Fitness Clubs have launched its first Recovery space in Kelmscott, Perth. The pilot site redefines what wellness and recovery looks like within a big box gym setting. The Recovery space has been carefully curated to support our members’ health, performance and wellbeing, featuring Infrared Sauna, Red Light Therapy Room, Meditation Pod, CryoLounge+, Recovery Boots, HydroMassage, Massage Chairs and Massage Guns.

Most gyms rely on entry control systems to understand member usage, but those systems only tell you when members visit – not how they use your facilities. Newport Live, a leading charitable trust in Wales, wanted to move beyond guesswork and anecdotal evidence to truly understand how their members were using their flagship Station gym. By implementing the TwinLabs Gym Twin, Newport Live gained real-time insights into equipment and space utilisation. The data uncovered surprising trends - like the popularity of certain treadmills just because of their view of the TV, and how the free weights area was busiest on weekends despite assumptions otherwise. With hard data in hand, NewportLive is now making informed decisions on equipment upgrades, space allocation, and staffing - ensuring they invest where it matters most to their members.

Buffalo Bill safety Damar Hamlin (who suffered from cardiac arrest after he was hit in the chest during a game in 2023) is backing a recently launched venture capital fund that is targeting personalized and preventative healthcare startups. Former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis, like Hamlin, is on the board of the One Eight Capital fund, which is looking to raise $US 100 million by the end of the year. One Eight Capital has already raised $US 50 million with roughly $US 5 million deployed across three companies: Nucleus Genomics, healthcare service Sollis Health and fitness company VitalSpark AI. One Eight Capital looks to invest in roughly 50 early-stage companies once it closes.

Digital physical therapy platform Hinge Health has filed for an Initial Public Offering (IPO), aiming to trade on the NYSE. Last valued at $US 6.2 billion in 2021, the company has secured around $US 1 billion from investors and expects to raise $US 500 million in its offering. Hinge serves over 532,000 members across 2,250+ clients. Leveraging AI-powered motion tracking tech, Hinge automates and personalizes musculoskeletal care while reducing human labor hours by approximately 95%. It offers an FDA-cleared wearable e-stim device for pain relief alongside treatment programs, which have expanded to include women’s pelvic health and fall prevention.

When Chelsea’s owners began a complete overhaul of staff and operations at the club, shortly after taking over in 2022, they identified data science as an area the Premier League was significantly trailing American sports. Using one complex system they can assess every player in each position, using hundreds of data points, and make recommendations for who fits best together, based on strengths and weaknesses, in different formations and tactical systems.

Sportvot, a pioneering cloud-powered sports production platform that has transformed grassroots and sub-elite international sports streaming coverage, is officially launching its operations in Australia. SportVot announced it has added Table Tennis Australia to its list of clients. SportVot provides high quality, affordable broadcast services for over 30 sports, across 20 countries and has produced over 300,000 matches. The business offers flexible and feature rich live production, as well as the creation of fast turnaround post-match clips and highlights that are now key to driving fan engagement and commercial outcomes. Tim Anderson has been appointed as SportVot Australia’s Managing Director, solidifying Sportvot’s commitment to elevating sports broadcasting in the region.

DAZN, one of the world’s leading sports entertainment platform, has announced a multi-faceted, long-term strategic partnership with LIV Golf. Through the partnership, DAZN has also secured the exclusive broadcast rights for LIV Golf in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal and Switzerland, strengthening LIV Golf’s global reach, alongside the LIV Golf+ service. The LIV Golf+ service on DAZN will make LIV Golf available to millions of fans in more than 200 markets around the world to enjoy on a free, ad-supported basis on DAZN’s platform.

Blind and low-vision fans of the Phoenix Suns will now have the opportunity to enhance their home game experience. The Suns have teamed up with OneCourt and Ticketmaster to become the third professional sports organization to provide OneCourt’s haptic display at PHX Arena. Powered by Ticketmaster, the device transforms real-time gameplay into trackable vibrations that fans can follow live through their fingertips. Using generative audio and haptics, users can track everything from score updates to the ball’s location. The device even indicates when a player shoots, and if the shot goes in, the hoop will vibrate twice.

The United Football League announced that it is launching a new technology-focused innovation division this season – FAST – Football Advancement through Sports Technology. Designed with the intent to advance the game of football, FAST will work with both established and emerging sports media and technology companies to test and launch innovations and services that will improve the sport. FAST will provide its technology partners with access to over 600 players and coaches for testing and development. In addition, the division will provide to those partners executive guidance, football specific expertise, operational support and experimentation.  

Champion Data, a pioneering sports data company based in Melbourne, has acquired UK-based specialist sports brand agency WORKS, a global leader in high-end sports event dressing and broadcast design packages. This move marks a significant milestone for both companies, bringing together industry-leading expertise in data analytics, broadcast graphics, and creative design to deliver enhanced next-generation solutions for sport globally. WORKS creates solutions that engage global audiences through brand identity development, event branding rollout, broadcast and motion design and has worked on more than 420 global events, including 57 World Cups and 35 European finals.

Football's global governing body FIFA has partnered with AI technology firm Magnifi to transform how fans experience match highlights and key moments across its digital platform FIFA+. The collaboration will leverage Magnifi's artificial intelligence capabilities to deliver real-time highlights, crucial match moments and personalised player clips to football supporters worldwide. The technology will be deployed across more than 600 matches in the first year, processing approximately 1,200 hours of content.

Thanks AI and the trillions of data collected in 30 years on Technogym's Mywellness Open Platform, Technogym is able to offer the Healthness solution. This includes a range of products and services including the Technogym Checkup, the new assessment station based on AI is able to analyze psycho-physical and cognitive parameters and automatically calculate Precision Training programs. The new AI-based Biostrength and Biocardio product ranges allow users to deliver Precision Training Programs automatically thanks to the Technogym App, enabling them to track data and adapt the program to progresses. Heatlhness health prevention programs tangible thanks to data and AI.

Hudl has acquired FasModel Sports, the provider of best-in-class game preparation, scouting and recruitment tools in basketball and ice hockey. Hudl will combine its own video, analytics, and content ecosystem with FastModel’s industry-leading play diagramming, scouting, and recruiting products. This will enable Hudl to deliver a one-stop-shop solution to coaches and video coordinators. FastModel services the majority of NBA and WNBA teams, and thousands more in college and high school basketball. FastModel found similar success in ice hockey, with teams in the NHL and PWHL as well as college and high schools.

Twenty-five teams of innovators from around the world, all using emerging technologies to accelerate sport’s contribution to sustainable development, have been selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to join its new Tech365 Explore think tank. In the second phase of the project, Tech365 Incubate, think tank members will have the opportunity to apply for grants up to $US 40,000 to develop and scale their innovations. Australian start-up, Invictus Sport, a platform that connects grassroots athletes with elite athletes and coaches to receive personalised feedback to improve their skills, has been selected as one of the 25 startups in Tech365 Explore.

The International Sports & Entertainment Free Zone Cluster (ISEZA) is poised to become the UAE’s inaugural dedicated sports and entertainment business cluster within the Free Zone environment. It will function as an industry-centric business hub, enabling licensing for various sports and entertainment business activities, and nurturing a collaborative ecosystem that aims to promote the industry’s growth. The Zone will deliver a cohesive platform for licensing businesses across established sectors, including sports management and marketing, event management, talent representation, and media and broadcasting, while also driving growth in emerging fields like e-sports, AI-driven sports tech, and fan tokens. 

The West Coast Eagles, in partnership with Playbk Sports, have launched Eagles Active, the club’s first Learning Management System. The first program within the online portal, Freestyle Footy, is available to all teachers. This free and innovative eLearning course, delivered by Eagles players and experts, is designed to empower teachers with the knowledge and resources to bring Aussie Rules to school yards across Western Australia in a fun, safe and inclusive way.

Aescape, which has developed massage robots using artificial intelligence, has raised $US 83 million in strategic funding. Aescape said its Aertable uses sensors and AI to map, understand, and adapt to each body’s unique contours and areas of tension. The system captures 1.2 million unique data points about the body’s muscle structure to create a personalized massage experience. The funding will enable the company to expand into new markets, and grow its partnerships with global brands.

Research shows that women and men have differently shaped feet: For example, women tend to have a different heel-to-forefoot ratio and higher arches than men. But across sports, women’s shoes have historically been sized-down versions of shoes engineered and molded to fit a man’s foot. However, companies are springing up to change that. As women’s sports grow—and the market for signature women’s shoes soars—there is a growing push to move away from the traditional unisex model and design for women’s anatomy specifically. 

International Sports Group (ISG), a financial holding leader in innovative sports technology, has announced its acquisition of Iterpro, an all-in-one sports data management platform. Both ISG and Iterpro share a clear vision: to transform traditional sports management by consolidating data and streamlining operations into a single, unified system. Iterpro’s cutting-edge capabilities perfectly complement ISG’s commitment to driving peak performance, ensuring that sports operations is optimised for success.

Basketball Victoria has joined the TreadLightly program as its newest partner, supporting efforts to reduce the millions of sports balls that are discarded into landfill each year. TreadLightly is an industry-led national recycling program established in 2021, powered by the Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA). The program is dedicated to empowering Aussie sports enthusiasts to reduce their environmental footprint by recycling their sports footwear and balls. The TreadLightly Sports Ball Program was launched in August 2024 and has since recycled over 25,000 kgs of sports balls.

The first rugby league video game since 2017 is set to be released later this year. The NBA, NFL, and football release their games annually with NRL bosses hoping fan interest can drive growth in the space. The main concern about such a venture for the game and video game developers is the small market rugby league holds internationally. Despite the potential drawbacks, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo confirmed a new game is on the way, with reports stating its release to be in early October in conjunction with developer Big Ant Studios.

Techtel, a leading provider of broadcast technology solutions, has successfully delivered and installed a high-performance video production system for the West Coast Eagles at their headquarters, Mineral Resources Park in Perth. This upgrade empowers the club with industry-leading tools for seamless remote interviews, studio call-ins, and live-streaming to multiple social media platforms simultaneously.

The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has partnered with the International Sports Technology Association (ISTA) and Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference (SEICon) to expand collaboration between the two clusters of innovation to maximise opportunities in the sports, entertainment and innovation sectors. By joining forces, ASTN, ISTA, and SEICon look to unlock new opportunities with a focus cross-sector collaboration. The partnership aims to foster strong connections between Australia and the US, driving economic growth in both countries, with the goal to strengthen ties between these two clusters of innovation.

ASTN has opened applications for 9th cohort of ASTN-GSIC (powered by Microsoft) Pre-Accelerator program. The Program, which has been completed by nearly 200 startups over 4 years, is designed to fast-track education for early-stage sportstech startups. This pre-accelerator program is open to startup founders, entrepreneurs with an athlete, practitoners or research background or intrapreneurs of sports organisations or businesses who have a technology-based idea, consider establishing a business or develop a minimal viable product (MVP). Applications are open until 4th April.

Fanatics has launched the Fanatics Ticket Marketplace after partnering with Ticketmaster. The Fanatics app will allow people to buy resale tickets alongside apparel, merchandise, and collectibles. The partnership is part of a wider collaboration between the two which enables Ticketmaster tickets to be listed on Fanatics while Fanatics merchandise becomes available on Ticketmaster.

Spanish LaLiga football club Sevilla FC has become the first sports organisation to be invited to join the global AI Alliance. The club was recognised by the group in light of its pioneering work on artificial intelligence (AI), most notably regarding attendance prediction solutions. The AI Alliance was co-founded by IBM and Meta and includes other technology partners and academic institutions. Sevilla has incorporated AI into its ticketing, sponsorship and Fan 360 tools, with a special emphasis on attendance prediction solutions, which have had a significant impact on the management of the secondary ticket market.

United Soccer League has expanded their partnership with Spiideo & SportsEngine Play to transform streaming, data & scouting in pre-professional men’s and women’s leagues. The United Soccer League (USL) is the largest and fastest-growing soccer organisation in the United States, impacting more than 200 communities nationwide. The USL is the first and only organization to offer a comprehensive youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women under one ecosystem. Spiideo is used by thousands of teams and installed in more than 6,000 venues across 60 countries.

In less than 2 years since developing their first tennis system, Bolt6 has shared the results from their first tennis Grand Slam at the Australian Open. Throughout the tournament, they brought the latest in tennis technology to the biggest stage, including Automated Foot Fault Detection (successful offline trials), Limb Tracking, Electronic Line Calling (including the world’s first fully remote match), live Augmented Reality and broadcast enhancements. Bolt6 tracked 480,000+ bounces, 1300+ matches, across 17 courts.

Local innovators are capitalising on the nation’s $AUD 4.69 billion sports tech industry while helping drive team performance, make sports safer for women and girls, and bring people closer to the games they love. Melbourne is the sports tech capital of Australia. The city hosts many of the country’s major sporting events, alongside leading sports federations and professional clubs. More than 40 per cent of the nation’s sports tech businesses are headquartered in Victoria. The City of Melbourne hosts some of the leading Victorian sportstech companies including iReel, Rosterfy and Boob Armour. In the feature article these orgnisations explain why the City of Melbourne is a great destination for locating and growing a sportstech business.

adidas and Fastbreak AI have joined forces to launch a groundbreaking initiative that will provide more than 6,000 athletes across the United States with access to premier athletic camps and tournaments. This partnership aims to break down the financial barriers that prevent many young athletes from competing at the highest levels. adidas will serve as the program's founding sponsor, fully funding fees and expenses to enable participation for these athletes. Fastbreak AI's Impact platform (AI-powered scheduling, tournament management and sponsorship platform) will manage the selection and placement of participants into top-tier camps and tournaments held in Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, and Houston. The Athletes to Tournament initiative focuses on basketball and soccer athletes between the ages of 8 and 19. 

Tennis Australia's AO Adventures on Roblox has now hit 25 million sessions since it was first launched in January 2024. Every 1 Million sessions come from approximately 450,000 new users who are likely engaging with the Australian Open brand for the first time. And less than 1% of these users are from Australia.

Playbk Sports, a leader in innovative eLearning and sports technology solutions, announced its recognition as the recipient of the Sports Technology and Innovation Award at the 56th Gold Coast Sports Awards. This accolade underscores Playbk Sports commitment to personalised sports education through cutting-edge Learning Management System (LMS) technology and digital products for top-tier Australian sporting organisations. 

TitletownTech Startup Draft located in Green Bay has opened its application period for startups to apply to their 2025 program. Top companies on the board will be invited to the TitletownTech Startup Combine on April 3rd and 4th. The program provides startups the opportunity to showcase their business in front of prospective customers, receive coaching from leaders in the market, and compete for a $US 1 million investment from TitletownTech and $350,000 in credits from Microsoft for Startups.

TKO Group Holdings has closed its acquisition of IMG, On Location and Professional Bull Riders (PBR) from Endeavor Group Holdings. The deal was first announced back in October, with all three to be acquired in an all-equity transaction valued at $US 3.25 billion. IMG is a sports marketing agency servicing more than 200 rights holders including The R&A, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (Wimbledon) and Major League Soccer. On Location is a provider of premium hospitality and live experience, and is an official partner for the likes of the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026, the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The ATP and Overtime announces a content partnership that will deliver behind-the-scenes tennis content to Overtime’s 100M+ millennial and Gen Z/Alpha audience. The partnership aims to expand the reach of one of the world’s most popular sports to younger audiences through the launch of new Overtime tennis platforms across social, featuring popular Overtime talent and some of the biggest names in tennis. Overtime will produce content at numerous ATP Tour events worldwide throughout the year including ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, the Nitto ATP Finals and the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. 

The National Rugby League used Komo Technologies to power interactive digital experiences across the Rugby League Fan Hub, Fan Fest, and Game Day at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, keeping fans engaged while giving sponsors new ways to connect. With live trivia, instant-win games, an event-wide cumulative leaderboard, and more, the activation brought fans closer to the action while making every interaction count.

Paris Saint-Germain has launched PSG Labs, a global initiative designed to accelerate cutting-edge technology in sports, fan experience, and performance, with stadiums and training grounds one of three focus areas. PSG, which is owned by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), has said the first international PSG Lab will be based in Doha. PSG Labs will work closely with select partners in key technology ecosystems to accelerate the development of breakthrough innovations in fan experience, stadium and training ground and health and performance.

Australian bookmaker PointsBet Holdings (ASX: PBH) finds itself at the centre of a bidding war between Japanese sports and entertainment giant MIXI and local betting firm BlueBet (ASX: BBT). PointsBet agreed this morning to a $US 353 million takeover by MIXI via a binding scheme implementation deed, under which PointsBet shareholders would receive a cash consideration of $US 1.06 per share. BlueBet merged with Betr in April 2024 and recently bought Queensland operator TopSport as part of a bid to grow its market share.

The top 100 franchises are worth $US 470 billion collectively with a cutoff of $US 2 billion. The leader is NFL team Dallas Cowboys coming in at $US 10.32 billion, followed by 3 NBA teams, the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and LA Lakers. The first football / soccer team comes in at number 17, Manchester United followed by Real Madrid at 18. The of 100 includes all 32 NFL franchises, all 30 NBA franchises, 15 MLB franchises, 10 European football teams and 8 NHL franchises.

Hudl, a global leader in sports performance analysis and scouting, has announced a renewal of their exclusive partnership with United Soccer League, a driving force behind the growth and development of soccer in the United States. This three-season exclusive agreement includes matches from: USL Championship, USL League One/Jägermeister Cup, USL Super League, USL League 2 and W League. All scouting video and data from the licensed competitions will be made available on Wyscout—the world’s largest database of football video and data. 

Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional track competition, launched by four-time Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, announced it has selected global sports AI, tech and data leader Stats Perform as its exclusive global data and betting rights distributor and integrity partner. Grand Slam Track™ will host four Slams taking place this year between April and June in Kingston, Jamaica, Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. A total of 96 contracted men’s and women’s star athletes will race over three hours, across 12 event groups for three consecutive nights.

The Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) launched the VALD Systems Testing Workshop in Nadi, Fiji, aimed at enhancing athlete performance across the Pacific region. The 4-day workshop, coordinated by the Oceania Sports Education Programme (OSEP) is a key step in ONOC's ongoing efforts to support high-performance sports, combining cutting-edge technology with innovative training approaches to prepare athletes for future Olympic and Paralympic success.

In 2024, USA private equity investments in the sports sector reached over $US 10 billion. That is more than twice as much as in all European top leagues combined. In total, private equity firms have invested around $US 55 billion in U.S. sports leagues since 2019. USA sports leagues have introduced changes to allow this kind of investment in teams. Major League Baseball (MLB) led the way as the first U.S. sports league to allow private equity firms to purchase minority stakes in teams, a move adopted by the NBA and NHL. In August 2024, the NFL permitted private equity firms to acquire up to 10% of team shares. 

Australian smart navigation platform PAM has been selected in the 2025 Comcast Sportstech Program. The highly regarded program allows PAM to collaborate with industry leaders like NBC Sports, NASCAR, The Premier League, PGA TOUR, University of Notre Dame, Comcast Spectacor Golf Channel, Comcast Business and more to push the boundaries of smart navigation and enhance the fan experience. PAM was one of ten companies selected in the 2025 cohort. PAM follows Australia sportstech companies GeoSnapShot and Aircast who were also selected in recent cohorts of the Comcast Program.

PSG becomes the first European club to offer live broadcasts of select Ligue 1 matches in virtual reality. Produced in partnership with YBVR and Monks the virtual reality broadcast exclusively on Xtadium, the world's leading immersive platform. The broadcast was made possible through a partnership with beIN Sports and accessible on META headsets in the United States.

Techtel has announced the completion of a cutting-edge broadcast-quality green screen installation for the Fremantle Football Club, WA. Designed to elevate the club’s media capabilities, the new creative space features a full-wall green screen that enables dynamic and immersive visuals for interviews, promotional content, and sponsor branding.