Industry Insights

By Dr Martin Schlegel, Executive Chair, Australian Sports Technologies Network. For ASTN, our progress and achievements this year is thanks to our strong community of founders, startups, investors, partners and government bodies that we work incredibly closely with. We are lucky to have a sports community that is passionate about positioning Australia as one of the world’s most advanced and integrated sports innovation ecosystems.

Insights from ASTN: How stadiums of the future are transforming fan engagement with new advanced technologies

ASTN’s recent Sport’s Innovation Report 2024 revealed that approx. 10 per cent of sportstech companies ceased operations in the past four years (2022-2024)¹. Funding challenges are a significant factor behind these closures, particularly impacting women founders.

Amy Crosland, COO, ASTN speaks with Teresa Simonetti, Chief Engineer, SportsGrid for the Women in Sports Innovation Report.

As Australia gears up for Brisbane 2032, sports innovation, broadcasting and entertainment will be on the brink of a major leap. In February this year, the Apple Vision Pro began shipping to consumers in the US. At ASTN, we believe this Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) innovation presents an opportunity to drastically transform how sports events are experienced by viewers.

Amy Crosland, COO, ASTN speaks with Karen Pearce, OAM, Executive Manager Equity, Growth, Inclusion, Football Victoria for the Women in Sports Innovation Report

Australia is a sporting nation. That’s no secret. Less well known is that Australia is also one of the world’s leaders in sports technology. Of the nine recognised verticals of sportstech, at least three are dominated by Australian companies. Australia now has over 750+ sportstech companies that generate more than $4 billion in Gross Value Add to the Australian economy every year and employ almost 13,500 people.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is widely regarded as one of the top five sporting leagues in the world. The organisation has achieved this ranking largely because of its appetite to embrace and experiment with innovative technologies. On a recent trip to the USA, Cam Vale, the General Manager of the Australian Sports Technologies Network, visited an old friend - Dennis O’Connor, VP sales and service at NBA team, The Memphis Grizzlies.

Spotlight on Ben Turner, Head of Sports Content Partnerships APAC and Head of Global Basketball at Sportradar.

Dr Martin Schlegel, Chair, Australian Sports Technologies Network reflects on 2023 and ASTN’s progress to ‘connect the dots’ by linking industry, both locally and globally, to facilitate a thriving Australian sportstech ecosystem.

Life after sport: Only a small percentage of athletes are made household names and can leverage their ‘star-power’ to become an ambassador, media personality or coach. And after many athletes dedicate a lifetime to their discipline, they suddenly find themselves asking – where to from here?

Over the past few months ASTN has had the pleasure of hosting several key events with a focus on providing a platform for women in sportstech to debate important issues and share their stories and expertise on the rapidly changing sports technology landscape.

ASTN shares its ‘Born Global or Die Local’ Playbook – built on the success of hundreds of sportstech companies in the ASTN network over the past decade. The Playbook outlines the strategies and tactics specific to Australia’s unique sportstech sector to build a successful, scalable and globally significant sportstech company. It has been given credence by international market success of ASTN member companies.

James Demetriou, Founding Chair, Australian Sports Technologies Network reflects on a career of pushing boundaries for the betterment of Australian sport. James helped pave the way to a more inclusive sector and had the foresight to predict the potential impact technology would have on the business of sport globally.

The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) facilitated a trade delegation to Europe between 13 June and 23 June 2023. With support from Federal and State Governments, the trade delegation gives sportstech startups and scaleups a unique opportunity to make global connections, providing genuine networking opportunities with local agencies.

Last month, ASTN Director John Persico attended the inaugural International Olympic Committee (IOC) Esports Series in Singapore from 22-25th June 2023. For the Olympic movement, it was potentially defining moment at the cutting-edge of Esports, Emerging Sports, Virtual Sports and the Digitisation of Sport.

Making a real impact to communities through the power of education is the vision of etrainu, a Brisbane based company that was the first ever eLearning provider to build the online Responsible Service of Alcohol training program back in 2007.

ASTN Director John Persico recently spoke with ABC News around the possibilities of new sports technology as we head towards the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane – sharing how the latest innovations in sportstech will change sport as we know it, for both athletes and spectators.

As we kick off a new year, ASTN is working closely with Women in Sports Tech (WiST) to drive meaningful change over the next 12 months and beyond to help increase representation of women in the sportstech industry in Australia, which research shows drives business success in businesses of all sizes.

As the year comes to a close, Martin Schlegel, Chair, Australian Sports Technologies Network reflects on 2022, highlighting key milestones and looking ahead to what 2023 will bring. This year we continued our legacy of facilitating local sportstech success, and ASTN would like to thank our partners, members, network of sportstech businesses and employees, and wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.

Mr Andrew N. Liveris AO, President of Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee spoke at the Queensland Media Club in early October to share his insights on how innovation and sports technology will define Brisbane as host.

On Monday 29 August 2022, the Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) hosted a women in tech panel discussion at the Australian Innovation Centre of Excellence (ASICE) on behalf of the Digital Innovation Festival Victoria.

Reflecting on a decade of sportstech. The year was 2012, London was hosting the Olympic Games and Usain Bolt won the 100m and 200m sprints. Lance Armstrong was banned from the sport for life, and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. Roger Federer won his seventh Wimbledon title. Locally, the Swans beat the Hawks in the AFL grand final and Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in a record longest grand slam final of nearly six hours.

ASTN and UoM contribute to new book: Clusters of Innovation in the Age of Disruption

ASTN’s beginnings, its history and development over the past 10 years is inherently linked to its founding Chair: James Demetriou is one of the great success stories of modern Australia. The first-generation Aussie became the first person of Hellenic background to represent the Essendon Football Club in the VFL/AFL, in 1975. After footy, James carved out a career in law, commerce, sport, governance and innovation.