Sportstech & Member News

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has released new National Science and Research Priorities for High Performance Sport to help guide science, research and innovation initiatives ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games. The document highlights the importance of technology in relation to performance optimization, competitive equipment, and strategic insight.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced their joint exploration of a new professional men’s basketball league in Europe that would bring the sport to more European fans and accelerate the game’s growth across the continent. The NBA and FIBA will continue discussions that began more than a year ago with prospective investors, teams, arena developers and commercial partners.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has rapidly expanded its global sports footprint through billion-dollar investments and high-impact partnerships — all aligned with its Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy, boost global influence, and become a sports and entertainment powerhouse. Just in Q1 of 2025, we've seen a wave of major deals and potential investments. This includes Saudi's Public Investment Fund's subsidiary SURJ Sports Investment $US 1 billion minority stake in DAZN, a $US 5 billion proposed investment by PIF into a basketball league that will span Asia and Europe, a potential $US 500 million investment in a new Global T20 Cricket League and $US 300 million by SURJ into One Cycling, envisioned as a 'Super League' for cycling.

The Government of South Australia's Department for State Development in collaboration with the Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) and Helix Group will host a 2025 South Australian Sports Technology Showcase on 10th April. The Sports Technology Showcase will be held during SA’s bustling 2025 Gather Round Festival, celebrating the creativity, innovation and leadership of South Australian companies already servicing the sports sector, or those that are keen to explore.

NBA team owners are expected to discuss an initiative to launch a professional basketball league in Europe during meetings this week. The proposed league would be comprised of eight to 10 teams generating up to $US 3 billion in annual revenue. Franchises in cities such as London or Paris could sell for at least $500 million, according to Sportico. 

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has awarded Queensland University of Technology (QUT) the country’s first gold tier status under the Elite Sport Education Network (ESEN). The ESEN is comprised of AIS-endorsed universities, TAFEs and other education providers who have committed to supporting elite athletes, coaches and officials for the duration of their course of study. The gold, silver and bronze ratings have been introduced to the ESEN to help athletes, coaches and staff balance a career in sport while pursuing higher education.

Embraced by skiers and snowboarders since launching in 2020, Nobody’s Princess has enjoyed fast track global growth by addressing a once neglected market of females wanting both form and function in a size that fits their body. Today the brand announced its first professional athlete sponsorship and bespoke design. Nobody's Princess will be designing the Vanuatu Winter Olympic uniform for Jeanne Crane-Mauzy who is a freestyle athlete competing originally for the USA and now for Vanuatu as a dual citizen.

A new 63,000-seat stadium will be built at Brisbane's Victoria Park for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Gabba, once touted as a future Olympic stadium, is now set to be demolished after the Games to make way for urban renewal. The cost of the stadium, which is set to host the athletics and opening and closing ceremonies, is yet to be announced, although the 100-day review said it would come in at an estimated $AUD 3.785 billion. A new national aquatic centre with a Games capacity of 25,000 and multiple pools will be built at the Centenary Pool at Spring Hill. The cost of the Games is set to climb from $AUD 7.1 billion to $AUD 8.8 billion.

Smart mouthguard manufacturer HITIQ announces a strategic shift to focus on the consumer market, targeting amateur and community-level athletes of all ages across a variety of sports with its new HITIQ PROTEQT system. This direction is reinforced by a significant milestone: a three-year partnership with the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), naming HITIQ as the VAFA’s ‘Official Concussion Technology Partner.’ HITIQ PROTEQT integrates proven elite-level technology—previously validated by partners like Monash University and Virginia Tech—into an accessible, boil-and-bite smart mouthguard. 

Colosseum Sport, Startup Nation Central and Accelab have partnered to launch the Global Sports Tech Startups Program to strengthen the sports innovation ecosystem in Morocco and Israel, leveraging the momentum of the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Up to 10 Moroccan and Israeli startups will complete the 3-month online curriculum which will help them to enter and expand in local and regional markets, and foster innovation and collaboration between entrepreneurs in the sports technology sector. 

CAPE has two studies in work with NASA and SpaceX. NASA plans to use CAPE's 3D scanning technology in space so astronauts can accurately and easily identify how they change shape in microgravity. Further NASA work, and the SpaceX study, are looking into compression garments to protect against orthostatic intolerance (fainting) when returning to Earth, and management of blood flow when entering microgravity.

Paramount Australia and SportsPick Live have revealed a new multi-year partnership aimed at increasing football viewership across venues in Australia, an action that aims to enhance the sports presence in a local landscape in settings such as pubs, clubs, casinos, and gyms. The partnership with Paramount Australia, the home of Australian football, grants commercial venues the distribution rights to Paramount’s exclusive and extensive package of domestic and international football matches.

Queensland University of Technology have announced a number of upcoming initiatives to drive sports technology and innovation in Queensland. This includes the Sport Innovation ProtoComp with QUT Sport students starting 28th March and AusCycling Esports National Championships to be held on 11th April. QUT will also host a Sports Innovation Community of Influence roundtable which will explore key challenges and unlock opportunities to accelerate technology adoption in sport.

World Athletics has partnered with ECAL, the leading provider of calendar marketing solutions, to ensure fans don’t miss a single moment of the World Athletics Indoor Championships held in Nanjing from 21-23 March. This collaboration brings convenience and personalisation to the fan experience, allowing attendees to sync the entire championship schedule or favourite events into their digital calendars.

Ahead of the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations Championship, IDA Sports and Guinness have announced a game-changing collaboration for women in sports – the IDA x Guinness “Never Settle” Cleat, the first-ever soft-ground cleat  engineered for female athletes. The partnership brings together IDA’s expertise in creating female-specific footwear, while reinforcing Guinness’ support of women athletes and women’s rugby with their iconic branding. As the first female-specific soft-ground model available, the cleat features strategically placed metal studs to deliver exceptional traction on wet, natural grass.

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has announced a series of new international media partnerships, significantly expanding its global reach ahead of the 2025 season. With coverage spanning over 130 countries, the new deals ensure broader access to live matches and highlights across key international markets. ESPN has secured exclusive rights in Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil, the Caribbean, the Netherlands, and Sub-Saharan Africa. For Australian audiences, Optus Sport has acquired exclusive rights to all NWSL matches and highlight packages, ensuring full coverage for fans across the country.

Sportradar, a leading global sports technology company focused on creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors, announced that it has agreed to acquire IMG ARENA and its global sports betting rights portfolio. IMG ARENA’s portfolio will enhance Sportradar’s content and product offering and further strengthen its strategic position as a leading content provider in the most bet upon global sports, including tennis, soccer and basketball.

Racquet sports facility operations platform Playtomic has raised $70 million in equity and debt in a funding round led by Match Invest. Playtomic, with more than 6,000 partner clubs across 63 countries, is well-established in Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and Latin America, and derives most of its business from padel. Playtomic plans to fuel expansion by administering loans to burgeoning padel clubs to scale their businesses in exchange for those clubs adopting Playtomic’s platform. Playtomic is developing new modules where players can connect with coaches and build leagues, in addition to finding facilities and booking court time. 

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.