ASTN Member News

Australian compression apparel company Cape Bionics will receive non-dilutive funding through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) as part of ANDHealth+, Australia's leading health accelerator. A total of $AUD 3.75M from the Australian Government’s MRFF will be invested into six high-growth potential digital health companies over the next 16 months, via a two-stage investment process, which include Cape Bionics. ANDHealth+ is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care MRFF Early Stage Translation & Commercialisation Support Program.

Fremantle and Melbourne are among the first AFL clubs to have joined forces with analytics company Traits Insights as clubs look to power ahead by gaining an advantage with how they use data and new technologies. Traits is a player profiling platform used towards talent identification by recruiting and list management teams, as well as by coaching staffs to develop players already at clubs.

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has thanked the Australian Government for their record $283 million investment in sport over the next two years which lays the foundation for sustainable success in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond. The $283 million investment will support athletes, coaches, and support staff over the first two years of the four-year cycle to the LA 2028 Games and includes the biggest ever Paralympic spend to address systemic and structural barriers to performance for para athletes. Together, total investment in high performance sport will be $489 million over the next two years.

Next Level Racing and The Boeing Company have launched the Next Level Racing Flight Seat Pro Boeing Military Edition. The new Flight Seat Pro Boeing Military Edition is the newest addition to the Official Boeing Licensed range of flight products alongside the Boeing Commercial Edition and Boeing Military Edition Flight Simulator cockpits.

Pimax has announced an official Virtual Reality partnership with Next Level Racing®, with the two leading brands in racing and flight simulation immersion collaborating on live event experiences. VR headsets now allow enthusiasts to experience racing and flying as if they were truly behind the wheel of a GT3 race car, or in the cockpit of a Boeing 747. The partnership will focus on live events activations and exhibitions around the world, whilst creating exciting VR content for simulation enthusiasts. 

Healthcare practitioners across Australia will now be able to increase their knowledge about the assessment, management, and treatment of sports related concussions, thanks to a new, free online course launched by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). The Concussion in Sport for Healthcare Practitioners online course runs for 120 minutes and is available through the Australian Sports Commission Learning Centre. The course is available to all Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registered healthcare practitioners.

VueMotion CEO Ryan Talbot has arrived in Austin, TX! Together with his wife Steph, Ryan has relocated from Sydney to Austin to continue growing VueMotion's customer base in the great USA. Ryan has joined the Capital Factory and is excited to work out of this impressive startup co-working facility. Ryan said "I've been thrilled by the warm welcome I've received from everyone I've met at the Capital Factory. Being located in the USA is an incredible opportunity to introduce more athletes and coaches to VueMotion's human movement analysis platform. I'm very happy to be in closer timezone as many of our valued customers and partners!"

SLOCOACH has partnered with Netball NSW to develop The Resource Centre. The platform is an online hub that provides access to the latest training content, courses, and live sessions allowing a space that coaches, umpires and athletes can continue to learn and grow no matter where they live. Within the platform there are various interactive session hubs that enables participants to be able to listen and learn from Netball NSWs most experienced coaches and umpire coaches. 

The Australia and New Zealand Sports Technology Awards (ANZSTA) have been launched for 2024, ANZSTA celebrates excellence and innovation in technology across the Sports, Media, Entertainment, Health and Technology ecosystem. ANZSTA are supported by the Australian Sports Technologies Network, and winners will be presented in Melbourne on Wednesday 23rd October during Australia Sports Innovation Week.

Vicsport has announced a partnership with revolutioniseSPORT, an online management platform that currently works with over 260 governing bodies and 18,000 clubs. The partnership also includes the naming rights for the revolutioniseSPORT Digital Forum, an annual event run by Vicsport that looks at the latest trends and exciting technological solution throughout the sport and recreation industry.

USA Track & Field has partnered with etrainu to make significant upgrades to USATF Campus, the online learning management system used for coaching education courses. The move will make courses easier to access through integration with USATF Connect powered by Sport:80. The revived USATF Campus will be the hub for online learning  including the newly released USATF Level 1 and Developmental Coach courses.

Global Institute of Sport (GIS) has announced its expansion into the Middle East through a partnership with leading football performance specialists The Player. Aspiring footballers from across the globe can now study a GIS university degree whilst immersing themselves in an elite football environment in Dubai.

The ICC announcement that the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup would be held in the U.S. and the West Indies was made in November 2021, but the physical construction of Nassau County International Cricket Stadium (in East Meadows, New York) didn’t begin until February 2024. Populous, a company known for permanent sports venues domestically and abroad, was tapped by the organization to plot out the design of the temporary structure on Long Island. Hosting eight Group Stage matches in the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, the new venue was constructed in less than half a year which included architectural design by Populous and technological planning by PMY Group.

Deakin University has announced a three-year partnership extension with the Geelong Football Club, carrying the longstanding relationship between the two organisations through to the end of 2026. As a Co-major partner of the Cats AFLW program, Deakin University and the Cats will collaborate across Deakin's School of Exercise and Nutrition Science and Geelong's High-Performance teams, by sharing training facilities, access to the GMHBA Stadium, and enhancing student engagement opportunities.

Twinlabs.ai combine digital twins and real-time data to transform the sports events management space. The company recently won the Confluent 2024 Data Streaming Startup Challenge. Twinlabs.ai's digital twin technology utilizes Confluent Cloud’s data streaming capabilities to offer customers the ability to create and operate digital twins 100x cheaper than current solutions. They do this via pre-built integrations and templates, alongside a flexible and more affordable microservices architecture. Real-time data allows organizers to predict, optimize and plan in the digital twin’s risk-free environment while also generating a feedback loop where changes made in the virtual can be implemented in the physical.

Squash Queensland is teaming up with QUT (Queensland University of Technology) Protobuild students, under the guidance of Vibhor Pandey and the Innovation Central Brisbane (IBC) team, to develop sport technology solutions, specific to squash. In May ICB gathered 80 participants from Queensland's sport community, government, academia, and big tech for the QUT (Queensland University of Technology) Sport Innovation Workshop to explore what's possible in sports tech. Last week the group gathered again, this time with hand-selected QUT students for the QUT Sport Innovation Hackathon! Five teams will build a prototype of their project over the next 8 weeks.

Leading calendar marketing and communications company ECAL is expanding, acquiring US-based company Rokt Calendar in a deal adding more than 25 tier-one brands to ECAL’s portfolio. As part of the deal, ECAL – which syncs users’ favourite live events, sporting fixtures, shows, ticketing and venue information directly to their calendars – will add an extra eight million users to the platform. The NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, Indycar, EuroLeague, Fox Sports, Big Ten Network, The Skimm and SiriusXM are just some of the household brands moving to ECAL’s suite following the acquisition. The acquisition expands ECAL’s reach, connecting it with 24 million users globally, eight million monthly active users, 15 billion data points per month and calendars translated in more than 35 languages.

Aura has been announced as a finalist in the Technology Platform category of the ACT iAwards to be held on June 12 2024 in Canberra with this year's theme being ‘Shaping Our Future’. The iAwards are Australia’s longest running and most prestigious tech innovation awards.

Since 2019, PMY has been collaborating on the iHawk initiative, managing the data it generates and integrating it with existing match and player data for the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB). PMY also handle the video feeds, allowing users to view footage from multiple perspectives, such as the umpire behind the stumps or the square leg umpire, with or without data overlays. This technology provides players, coaches, scouts, and umpires with comprehensive access to video and data, revolutionising the ECB's analytical capabilities.

Dribl, an Australian-based leading provider of football technology solutions, has announced its partnership with CONIFA, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations. This strategic alliance marks a significant step forward for Dribl, helping CONIFA streamline operations for their global football competitions, promoting efficiency and providing a dynamic platform for community and fan engagement.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Olly Timing has been selected to provide their swimming timing solution to the Sydney Open Unisport Nationals this weekend. Olly Timing has developed the world's first AI-powered swimming timing solution, and is available for permanent installation or temporary events. 

Football Australia has partnered with etrainu to develop the Football Australia Learning Centre. The new Learning Centre will consolidate the previous Learning Management System (LMS) and Qualification Management System (QMS) into a single platform, providing Football Australia with greater flexibility and control over their education pathways.

United Sports and Hockey Queensland have embarked on an exciting new partnership aiming to improve player development and wellbeing within the hockey community. Working together Hockey QLD's mission is to improve participation and injury rates in sport, improve access to appropriate injury management options, raise standards for coaching and performance, and elevate our collective conscience for health and wellbeing in sport.

The team at Infront Sports recently released their 2024 Employment and Salary Report. The market report delves into the future of sports recruitment, job seekers' expectations and company culture alongside labour market trends, and includes remuneration data to support hiring decisions with the latest salary trends.

Playing video games can help boost children’s wellbeing in ways including making them feel competent, empowered and socially connected to others, according to a QUT study featured in a new UNICEF report on the impact of gaming. The UNICEF report was released today, with the Australian component based on a QUT study led by Professor Daniel Johnson from the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, QUT School of Computer Science and the QUT Games Research and Interaction Design Lab.

Cape Bionics have been recently requested to demonstrate its body scanning units to the European Space Agency, and trial two of scanning technologies at NASA in Houston. NASA plans to deploy the Cape Bionics technology on orbit to understand how the body changes shape in microgravity, and how that impacts the fit and performance of compression garments worn during space missions. Cape Bionics are also helping NASA with customised compression garments for missions as well!

Celtic Soccer Academy, the International department of Celtic FC have partnered with etrainu, a specialist eLearning platform and training solution, to help transform how they interact and develop coaches and clubs globally. With well over 1,500 coaches and volunteers across these partner clubs it presents a unique challenge when it comes to regular engagement and standardising the coach education content delivered by the club both at home and abroad. The first course available on the etrainu platform is ‘Coaching Fundamentals’ which has been designed for parent volunteers and grassroots coaches who are starting out in their coaching journey. The courses are designed to be educational yet simple to understand utilising video and other interactive content to engage the learner. 

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SEN have launched Stadium 2.0, their zero-latency live sports commentary app which is available anywhere fans happen to be, on WiFi or 5G. SEN Stadium complements SEN 'Sync' for major live sport calls in the SEN app to provide listeners with the ultimate variety of choice. SEN and RIOT Enterprises have been working together to launch SEN Stadium 2.0 and SEN Sync. These new technologies are world leading and home grown in Australia.

The NCAA has selected Teamworks to provide name, image and likeness (NIL) services to student-athletes and member schools. Under the agreement, Teamworks will develop a process to collect disclosures of NIL activities and create and provide educational materials to all NIL stakeholders. It also will build and maintain a registration process for agents and other professional service providers offering NIL services and make that registry available to student-athletes.

3D Measure Me has announced the release of its innovative body measurement tracking app in Open Beta version. 3D Measure Me have developed a simple yet powerful app that allows users to track shape changes and body measurements with ease and precision. The app lets users create 3D avatars and obtain accurate body measurements using just a few photos, your height, and gender. The solution is already being used by personal trainers and health professionals in the Open Beta to streamline manual measurements.