Podcasts

The biggest week in Aussie sportstech kicks-off just days away in Olympic City, Brisbane on August 30. The Australian Sports Innovation Week includes a master class, start-up & investor day, field tours and partner workshops. The two headline acts are the Sports Tech World Series and the Australian New Zealand Sports Tech Awards. Johann Odou is co-founder of the Sports Tech World Series- the largest global sporstech conference series in the world. Johann joins us to preview the week, and reflect on his time in sportstech.

Rick Burton is the former marketing boss for the US Olympic Committee and Miller Lite, and has worked with the NHL, Nike, Visa and Fedex. He also ran Australia’s National Basketball League, and is a Professor at Syracuse University, in New York. Rick is now North America Chief for Playbk Sports- a company creating new digital information and engagement commodities for clubs and leagues. Rick gives us the game plan of how Australian sport can harness rapidly evolving technology to grow global brands.

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 grand career in law, commerce, sport, governance and innovation. In 2012, James founded the Australian Sport Technologies Network, as a mechanism to grow Aussie sportstech companies, and help propel them on to the world stage. In that time, James and ASTN have helped take a $250 million industry, and turn it in to a $3 billion phenom. This is the story of James Demetriou, and ASTN.

Steven Gatt is Chief Operating Officer of Netball Victoria, co-founder of Sports Accounting Australia, and a Director of the Sports Excellence Scholarship Fund. Steve takes us on Netball Victoria’s journey of big sportstech decision-making. He tells us how tech has the power to connect the vast netballing community. We also discuss how the Sports Excellence Scholarship Fund is providing more equality of opportunity for Aussies to make their sporting dreams come true.

When Pete Hull’s international Motocross career was cut short by injury, he channelled his flair and energy in to building a functional fitness gym. He started in a “small tin shed” in Brisbane, and pre-covid had built a 22-strong gym franchise. When covid hit, Pete Hull seized the day with a rapid tech intervention that saw his business explode. Fitstop now have more than 80 gyms, and they’re sizing-up the Northern Hemisphere.

Sarah Wall is a three-times National Championship-winning Netballer. Sarah founded NETFIT Netball as a means to community-build, empower girls and women, and increase healthy living and netball participation. NETFIT powered through Covid with the aid of elite sportstech, and now caters to more than 100,000 people across more than 60 nations.

Ken Lee and Daman Foy are co-founders of Playcasta, a company pioneering Metaverse technology in Australia. Playcasta are tech creators of the State of Origin Metaverse revolution, with Queensland Rugby League’s ‘Ultimate Queenslander NFT’. On the eve of the NFT’s first exclusive drop we talk to the people behind this cutting edge sportstech.

From grassroots through to the elite level, there is a referee and umpire crisis in Australian sport. On the eve of this Aussie Rules season, there was a shortage of 6,000 local umpires across the country. Refbook has stepped-up at this dire time to provide cutting edge tech solutions. Joining us on the show is Australian and international basketball referee Jon Chapman, who co-founded Refbook, and helped create its referee and umpire management software. Jon also gives us a great insight in to the life of a sports official.

In a Sport’s Cutting Edge exclusive, we can reveal Queensland Rugby League are pioneering the Australian metaverse, with ‘The Ultimate Queenslander NFT’ for State of Origin 2022. Wally Lewis, Karl Stefanovic, Johnathan Thurston and the Stafford Brothers have all signed-on, and will be available in NFT form as legendary Queenslanders. The QRL will drop ‘The Ultimate Queenslander NFT’ on Twitter and Discord, with 10,000 tokens available July 6, and a pre-sale of 1000 exclusive tokens June 29. Exclusive fan experiences will be available across the pre-sold tokens. Ministry of Sport founder Ben Parsons is driving this QRL NFT revolution and joins us on the show!

Donna Johnson is the mastermind behind Zena Sport’s world-first female protection garment for the upper torso. Donna identified a major safety concern for women’s sport, and created the solution. She is passionate about preventing injury, enhancing safety and empowering women to participate in sport. Donna and her partner-in-crime, AFL Legend, Brad, are a dynamic wife & husband sportstech start-up, and they’re now taking on the world!

Sydney 2000 Olympic Gold Medallist Scott McGrory has one of Australian sport’s most inspiring and most heartbreaking stories to tell. As you’ll hear, this man is resilience personified. And Scott is now an Olympic commentator with the Seven Network, and he tells us the supreme role technology plays in cycling. Karma Armani returns to the show, having just completed her double-Masters in Business & Sports Administration. Karma has just landed a plum sportstech gig in New York City, and brings us the latest news from around the globe.

Jon Shepherd is an Aussie who went to the US and became a College Basketball Star, he’s since become one of the sharpest minds in education and coaching, first with the Australian Sports Commission, and then as an entrepreneur. Damian Hecker has been a leading light in Australian education and coaching for the past two decades, with Australian Sports Commission, as Netball Australia’s Coach Development Chief, and as an entrepreneur. Jon and Damo teamed-up and founded edtech business Leaders of Evolution, which became a global phenom. Now they are back with a brand-new start-up, this time in sportstech and education, Playbk Sports. The entrepreneurial pair share their story, and give great insight into a business already booming within the AFL, NBL, Winter Olympics and Special Olympics.

Kusal Goonewardena is one of the world’s leading sports physiotherapists. Kusal founded Elite Akademy at Melbourne University, he is the sports physio to Women’s Tennis Doubles star pairing Vera Zvonareva & Laura Siegemund, he is on ABC Radio National, and is a highly regarded author. Kusal is at the cutting edge of global sports physio research and tech, and he gives us a powerful insight today on the show. Ken Fretwell has turned his tech genius mind to inventing new technology for the horse-racing industry: to increase safety, reduce injury and increase performance. Ken takes us inside his StableForm workshop, and tells us about the latest tech and what’s next.

Marilou McFarlane has spent the past 30 years as a dynamic force for good in the United States of America. The all-star businesswoman has dominated sport, media and tech, and has made it her mission to help elevate and empower young girls and women. Marilou shares her insights from an incredible career, and tells us all about her company Women in Sports Tech (WiST) Simon Murphy is the acclaimed Chief Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Melbourne University, and founder of RefLIVE. His new company Trophie shows the power of tech to energise a lifeblood of the Aussie community- local sport.

Adam Bishop is helping to drive the future of athletics in Australia with the latest tech and innovation. He’s been integral to the revolutionary ‘Active Bands’ technology launched by Athletics Australia and Weet-Bix, helping to engage and inspire Aussie kids in exercise. KORE Software is a global giant of sportstech, currently managing $USD 47 billion worth of assets. Last year they recruited young Aussie sportstech star, Marc Roufeil to head-up their APAC operations. Marc gives us the inside story on the latest tech being launched by KORE- the Helix fan intelligence platform.

David Geddes is a leading figure in Global Sports Tech. Dave’s background is in the US Defence Industry- where so much of the world’s new tech is born. Dave is Founder & President of the International Sports Tech Association, and is now President of E-Sports’ Team USA. We hear the latest sports tech and E-Sports insights from a man who is always in the know! Molina Asthana is a highly esteemed legal eagle in Australia, and is President-elect of the Law Institute of Victoria. Molina is Founder of Multicultural Women in Sport, and works with great vigour and success to create a more inclusive environment in sport, media, commerce and society. She is also an AFL Commissioner and an ICC Champion for this year’s World T-20, as well as board member of Gymnastics Victoria and Table Tennis Victoria. Molina shares her inspiring story, and describes how sports tech can help create a more diverse and inclusive community.

Sharelle McMahon is one of Australia’s all-time sporting greats, and now Head of Female Cricket at Cricket Victoria. Sharelle is now becoming just the fifth sportswoman to be immortalised in statue form in Victoria. There are 29 sportsmen represented in statues in the state, and three racehorses. On today’s show, we discuss the importance of female representation in sport, and the role modelling impact it has on younger generations of women and girls. Sharelle also shares insights in to the role of sports tech and analytics at Cricket Victoria. Andrew Fagan has spent nearly three decades in the upper echelons of sports management in Australia- from the AIS, to the Brumbies, Rugby Australia and the Adelaide Crows. Andrew has now turned his focus to the future of sports tech, and how it impacts fitness, health and wellbeing. We hear how Andrew's started venture capital firm XT Ventures, looking to fuel the next gen of sports tech success stories.

Bennett Merriman is co-founder and CEO of Rosterfy- the world leader in workforce managment technology. A company that started in a spare room is now in 23 countries, and has clients including the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup and Dubai’s Expo 2020. Bennett tells us how Rosterfy turned their dream in to a reality, and gives us an insight in to the tech lessons learnt over the journey. Cory Mostran is a five-time Queensland State of Origin representative in Wheelchair Rugby League. Cory is a powerful champion of wheelchair sports and inclusion across Australia. An epically inspiring man, Cory shows us all that- no matter the odds- where there is a will, there is a way!

Australian Rugby Union Immortal Stirling Mortlock, and Global Sports Tech Leader, James Godfrey are behind the ‘Smart Ball’ that has launched in Super Rugby and the NRLW. ‘Stirlo’ and ‘Goddes’ run XV Capital Advisory, and their client Sportable have created this revolutionary new technology. We get the scoop on the Smart Ball’s mechanics, it’s utility, and it’s future. Global Sports Tech Leader John Persico is a founder of Australia’s Sports Tech Industry, and he champions the Aussie cause all over the world. John has just returned from Dubai’s Expo 2020- and he tells us about Australia’s place in the future of sports tech.

Mark Zucco is the Strategy Boss at Gemba- a world leader in sports entertainment. Mark shares key insights about the future of sport entertainment, and the crucial role of technology and innovation. Aussie country footy legend Rob Clarke and his great mate, Ian McAdam- a legendary Indigenous leader- came together a decade ago to start the Redtails Right Tracks Program in the Northern Territory. ‘Clarkey’ joins us to share how they use sport to bring people together and empower young men and women to live their best life. Our Europe Correspondent, and former Top Flight European Footballer, Chelsea Disseldorp joins us, for the latest insights in sports tech from the Northern Hemisphere.