Australian Sportstech News

ASX-listed venture capital fund Bailador Technology Investments has increased its stake in people management software platform Rosterfy, investing an additional $AUD 3 million. In the 18 months since Bailador backed Rosterfy with $AUD 9.8 million in April last year, the platform has doubled its users to 3 million, including the 2023 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and US Superbowl, with the countries it operates in growing by 75% to 35.

Football Association of Wales have launched BE. Football Community. BE.FC is a combination of turn up and play sessions tailored to girls needs, and an App providing unique and bespoke content for teenage girls to access; to connect with their favourite football stars, learn new skills, gain badges and XP points and compete against their teammates. The App is also designed to house content to support girls through difficult life stages such as confidence, exam stresses and managing their menstrual cycle. Through a partnership with DMC Sport and Clubspark girls and parents can book onto sessions at https://play.faw.cymru. 

Queensland-based fitness engagement platform Coach Welly has announced a partnership with Fitness and Lifestyle Group's Goodlife Health Clubs and Fitness First Australia to bring innovative health and wellbeing offerings to employees across Government, Medical and Enterprise Business in Australia. The partnership strengthen Coach Welly's commitment to helping people measurably improve their health and wellbeing.

In mid-September 2024, Newcastle based live-streaming company BarTV Sports marked a significant milestone, having given back over $AUD 1 million to local grassroots sporting competitions through their innovative subscription model. More than 20 competitions have signed on with BarTV Sports’ subscription service since its inception, making the company one of the most prolific live streaming organisations in Australia. Popular with sports like rugby league and with an emphasis on promoting women and juniors, the company has grown year on year, producing more than 8000 matches so far in 2024.

The best and brightest in world sport will again travel to Victoria in 2025 for SportNXT Melbourne – Victoria’s sport business summit. Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced the three-day event will return to Melbourne next March bringing a host of high-profile speakers from around the world to discuss the latest in the business of sport. The SportNXT summit brings attendees from a wide range of organisations including previously, the NFL, the Walt Disney Company, NBA and Australian Sports Commission. The 2024 summit welcomed almost 1,000 attendees and included an issues rich program including the latest in sports technology.

Seven West Media’s community sport streaming platform Streamer saw more than 4.3 million minutes of local sport watched on the platform in September. The September tally was up 110% year-on-year, continuing the growth of the grassroots platform since its launch in early 2022. Australian Rules football, netball, hockey, skateboarding, school athletics and curling were some of the sports featuring in 188 matches broadcast in the final month of the winter sporting season.

Rosterfy, the world’s leading volunteer management software provider  has unveiled the launch of its revolutionary Volunteer App Years in the making, the Rosterfy Volunteer App marks a significant milestone in the company’s mission to innovate by making volunteering more accessible, encouraging more people to connect to causes they are passionate about. Available to Rosterfy customers and their volunteers and designed with the volunteer experience at the forefront, the Rosterfy Volunteer App will change the way volunteers find, apply and engage with their opportunities.  

Liveheats has signed a landmark deal with the largest youth action sports organization in the world - USASA United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association. USASA will be using Liveheats as its operating platform for membership, event registration, draws & startlists, live scoring, national rankings and more. Over 5,000 athletes compete in over 500 events through USASA.

PAM’s Smarter Navigation for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix has been named a finalist for the AV Fan Experience Award at the TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development Awards 2024. This award recognizes the best in integrated audio, video, display, and digital sensor technology to enhance fan engagement. PAM has been recognized alongside other projects such as BMW Park, Intuit Dome, and Sphere Entertainment Co. Winners are announced on December 3 at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester

BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, has announced that it is teaming up with sports gamification and content provider GTG Network (GTG) to deliver customized content and betting insights for sports fans. The multi-year agreement will roll out in phases, beginning with direct-to-consumer content followed by in-app product integrations. BetMGM will use GTG’s proprietary content engine to launch the partnership, harnessing trillions of data points to share valuable market insights, player statistics and win probabilities for MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, college basketball and college football. BetMGM’s emails, social media and blog, The Roar, will feature GTG-powered player and team insights. The partnership will eventually expand to cover all major sports.

SpeedSig, a Perth-based sports data analysts software solution is revolutionising the way athletes and teams monitor injuries while leveraging pre-existing motion capture technology. By combining complex algorithms with a user-friendly interface, SpeedSig provides teams with actionable insights that enhance player performance while reducing the risk of injury. After a trip to the US in early 2024 several US College and NFL teams signed on as his first clients, which has caused a domino effect that paved the way for greater market access.

DMC Sport & Netball New Zealand have announced the continuation of their partnership for a further 4 years that will see DMC Sport provide solutions for the futureFerns programme as well as the Silver Ferns merch. DMC Sport are specialists in game development and participant engagement and will deliver the entry-level Woolworths futureFERNS programme through to Silver Fans fans. 

The FIA has announced that it has entered into an Official Licensing agreement with Next Level Racing – a global manufacturer and distributor of industry-leading simulator seats and cockpits. Next Level Racing will deliver FIA Official Licensed Products in over 50 countries, with the latest gear available both commercial and private customers maximising the potential reach for this growing motor sport discipline.

Sunshine Coast schools will be able to embed sports tech teaching into their curriculum through a partnership between industry and Council. Sunshine Coast Council has joined forces with Sports Tech College to provide students a stepping stone into the emerging multibillion-dollar industry. Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the collaboration would make a sports technology, sports digital and sports innovation curriculum available to the region’s primary and secondary schools, with council funding the program over the next three years.

The rise of weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy has added momentum to Australian fitness technology company Evolt which has just raised $20 million in fresh capital to drive international growth ahead of a potential stock market listing. The Gold Coast-based Evolt, formerly known as Evolt 360, has secured $20 million in fresh capital backed by existing investors Regal Funds and Washington Soul Pattinson. Its bioimpedance scanners are registered with the FDA and TGA, while they are also CE approved for distribution in the European Union. Evolt has revealed that it conducted more than 2.3 million scans in FY24, representing a 57 per cent increase on the previous year.

Synergy Fitness, a pioneer in strength equipment manufacturing since 1976, has announced its merger with South Korea's leading fitness equipment brand, DRAX Inc. The two companies have joined forces under the new name DRAX Fitness Australia, marking a major step in expanding their presence and enhancing their product offerings across the global fitness industry. Over almost five decades, Synergy Fitness has built a strong reputation for high-quality, durable strength equipment that serves commercial gyms, sports facilities, and fitness centres worldwide.

VALD, a global health technology company and the system of choice for musculoskeletal (“MSK”) health professionals has announced a significant growth equity investment from FTV Capital. The undisclosed investment will enable VALD to grow its global team into new markets, launch new product offerings and capabilities, and continue to utilize AI to create unique applications for the company’s industry-leading, proprietary dataset of tens of millions of MSK health records. VALD also serves blue-chip sports customers including over 75 percent of all major league US sports franchises (e.g., NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS), over 90 percent of Power 5 NCAA colleges, 20 Premier League teams.

TAB and ESPN have joined forces to launch a new podcast, 'ESPN Hoops & Hits', aimed at the burgeoning interest in American sports among Australian fans. The podcast aims to provide a local perspective on major US sports for Australian fans and punters. The podcast is a result of TAB's exclusive wagering partnerships with the NFL and NBA, and ESPN's local and US sports coverage. 

Tennis Australia have launched the AO Schools Block Buster Tennis Challenge in collaboration with the Australian Esports League (AEL) as part of its Minecraft Education Esports Program in Schools. The Challenge is open to Years 4-11 across the nation and is designed to inspire creativity and teamwork, emphasising STEM skills and sustainable design, and encouraging students to integrate eco-friendly features. The prize pool for the Challenge is more than $25,000, with winners to be announced in December.

Perth-based cycling equipment company, Cycliq has been recognized with a Good Design Award in the Product Design category at the 2024 Australian Good Design Awards. They were acknowledged as setting a new standard in cycling safety with its integration of a 4K camera and dual-lens LED illumination with its Fly6 Pro product. The advanced design was recognised for not only improving safety but also providing a valuable tool for recording and reviewing cycling experiences.

STEPN GO have announced the continuation of their collaboration with adidas through the launch of the STEPN GO x adidas Genesis Sneakers, an exclusive NFT collection. This is the second phase of a year-long partnership, following the successful April 2024 launch of the STEPN x adidas Genesis Sneakers, which saw the two brands collaborating to blend fitness and digital fashion. The new Genesis collection will be available exclusively on STEPN GO and through a raffle mint on MOOAR, FSL’s NFT marketplace. A total of 1,000 Genesis Sneakers will be up for grabs at 10,000 GMT per entry, with a refund provided for those who don’t win. The partnership highlights adidas’ commitment to exploring the future of wearables in the Web3 space, with more exciting projects to follow.

Xplor Technologies, a global leader in software, payments, and growth solutions for the fitness industry, has announced the official launch of Xplor Gym in Australia and New Zealand. This platform is specifically designed to streamline gym operations, enhance member engagement, and drive business growth for gyms, fitness centres, and health clubs across the region. Xplor Gym is used by over 2,500 gyms across 20 countries.

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) have appointed sports production company JAM TV and global media services and facilities provider EMG/Gravity Media as the new production partners of the A-Leagues. The appointment follows a three-month tender process, and will see JAM TV and EMG/Gravity Media produce all Ninja A-League Women and Isuzu UTE A-League Men matches for the next two seasons for broadcaster Network Ten and Paramount+.

One of the global leaders in performance analysts, Catapult, has welcomed Bayer Leverkusen as a new customer. The first team will be using MatchTracker to contextualize their players’ physical match performance within a tactical framework by combining the most relevant datasets with video analysis.

Leading global sportstech company Hudl has launched the Hudl Coach Academy, a 5 week online course designed to provide coaches with additional core knowledge to assist them in becoming better coaches. The course was designed by Hudl’s global imple­men­ta­tion and education experts who work closely with coaches every day. The course covers Game Model, Finding Winning Insights, Capitalising on Resources, Presenting Key Insight and Coach Innovation. The course commences 10 October 2024.

Next Level Racing has launched the Next Level Racing® Wheel Stand Lite 2.0, an innovative, entry-level wheel stand solution designed for racing fans and enthusiasts across all consoles and PC platforms. The solution is designed for casual gamer and budding sim racing enthusiast, and is engineered to provide increased immersion and realism. 

Sports Design Australia have launched the inaugural SDA Awards, with a mission to give sports creative more recognition. Individuals or creative teams can apply, across a range of categories tailored for designers, creators, and content specialists. Entries will close on October 18th, 2024, and open to Australian and New Zealand residents only. Winners will be announced week commencing November 11th, 2024.

Alta Global Group, a pioneering technology company dedicated to transforming the landscape of martial arts and combat sports training, has announced its partnership with UFC Gym Group, marking Alta's first major enterprise partnership. This collaboration integrates Alta's innovative products across UFC Gym's extensive network of over 150 global gyms.

Health technology platform Coach Welly has officially launched after years of development. the platform will be available to members at the O2 Performance Gym on the Sunshine Coast of Australia. Along with the AI-powered proactive chatbot that can assist with goal-setting and workout ideas, Coach Welly offers Heart Rate Variability (HRV) tracking and Readiness Scores, which can be accessed with a simple camera scan. The platform also provides gym members with gamified rewards for workout and health activity completion, motivational engagement, and personalized workouts. 

National and state-level sporting organisations across Australia must have an equal split of men and women on their boards from 2027 or risk having their funding withheld, the federal government has announced. The National Gender Equity in Sports Governance Policy, launched by the Albanese government this week, aims to address the chronic under-representation of women across governance and leadership positions in Australian sport by creating a financial incentive for organisations to make their boards more equal.

In a ground-breaking deal, Alta Global Group has supercharged its partnership with Conor McGregor who becomes an Alta Global Ambassador, increasing Alta's revenue potential. This 3-year partnership includes McGregor receiving 700,000 performance share rights tied to certain share price milestones. McGregor will actively promote Alta's Platform and products, which includes TrainAlta.com, Hype.co and MixedMartialArts.com. Alta Global Group is a technology company that is enabling the global martial arts and combat sports industry to maximize commercial opportunities by increasing consumer participation.

LALIGA club, Valencia CF, has reached an agreement with AQUAME as Official Partner for the next three seasons. AQUAME, an Australian sports technology company, will equip the Valencia CF 's first men's and women's teams, as well as the VCF Academy, with its innovative smart water bottles and hydration solution. This innovative collaboration will enable hydration to be managed and monitored based on data-driven insights, helping to improve performance, recovery and well-being.

Femmi, an innovative app designed to tailor fitness training to the unique needs of women throughout their menstrual cycles, has been named a finalist in the Health, Biotech, and Medtech category at the 2024 SXSW Sydney Pitch. Now in its second year, SXSW Sydney Pitch presented by VentureCrowd showcases some of the global startup ecosystem’s most exciting, mission-oriented innovations, startups and people creating impactful companies, products and solutions that will change our lives.

Recently, Komo Technologies, a leader in fan engagement and activation technology, joined forces with Leap Event Technology to supercharge the fandom at the biggest sporting fan festival the world has ever seen. Fanatics Fest 2024! Working closely with Leap, who was responsible for the event app (amongst other things), Komo seamlessly embedded Komo games, competitions and activations via SSO into the native event app. This included live trivia games, speed and memory tests, scratch and win games, swiper games, fan-generated content and general quizzes.

Racing and Sports has entered into an agreement with Pragmatic Play, one of the leading suppliers in the iGaming industry. This partnership will Racing and Sports SaaS trading platform, horse racing and greyhound analytics and editorial content, integrated into Pragmatic Play's Sportsbook offering. This collaboration not only extends Racing and Sports reach into global regulated markets but also solidifies their position as a key provider of premium racing solutions in the wagering and racing industries.

Based on the success of the Move-and-Earn lifestyle app STEPN, "STEPN GO" aims to revolutionize social fitness in daily life. STEPN GO has partnered with G-SHOCK for a NFT sneaker that incorporates the sports watch maker G-SHOCKS's designs that can only exist in a virtual space. These NFT sneakers were sold by the operators of “STEPN GO,” FSL, on the marketplace in a limited raffle of 800 pairs from August 26th to August 29th.

Advance Queensland, in partnership with The University of Queensland and FOME.ai, is investing over $AUD 1.5 million to develop an AI-powered system that ensures fair and accurate classification for Para athletes worldwide. This innovation will break down barriers, making Paralympic sports more accessible, especially for those in remote regions.

Three innovative businesses have been awarded funding as part of Advance Queensland’s Private Sector Pathways Inclusive Sport Technology Challenge. Each company – Cerge, Able Digital Wellness, and BowerBird Industries will receive $AUD 100,000 to propel their solutions that aim to transform the accessibility of sports for people with disabilities.

For the first time ever, the Department of Transport (DoT), Western Australia has been able to consider data-driven interventions such as whether to update DoT charts based on boating activity or install a navigational marker to reduce the likelihood of accidents or fatalities occurring. The DoT Maritime Navigational Safety team had become aware of a submerged rock at the southern end of Dirk Hartog Island which had contributed to a number of near misses and collisions. The DECKEE Analytics dashboard was able to provide visibility on anonymised, aggregate recreational boating activity in that precise area, revealing the close proximity of boaters to the hazard in the past 12 months. 

Fitness First Australia has opened the doors to a new $AUD 8 million flagship club in the Melbourne. The club include the brand’s inaugural Revive zone - an immersive 250 square metre recovery space featuring infrared and traditional saunas, cold therapy rooms, red light therapy, compression boots, massage beds and massage guns.