Sportstech & Member News

Australian Oztag is excited to announce a partnership with etrainu, an innovator in online learning solutions, to launch The Hub, a new digital platform designed to streamline referee accreditation and training. This partnership will standardise accreditation for referees within Oztag. With over 5,000 referees set to use the platform, Oztag will seamlessly combine on-field assessments with online learning to streamline the referee accreditation process. This will support their growing membership base of 150,000+ players. 

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Katy Perry’s AFL Grand Final performance is another signal that the use of mixed reality in Australian sports presentation is on the rise. A consortium including Champion Data, Mushroom Events, Silent Partners Studio, Vizrt, NEP Group, Inc., and Seven Network, joined forces with Katy Perry to help deliver a groundbreaking transformation to the Telstra pre-match entertainment at the 2024 AFL Grand Final in front of more than 100,000 fans. Daylight often presents significant limitations to the in-stadium entertainment spectacle, but by using cutting-edge “Virtual Camera” and Augmented Reality technology to deliver dynamic, automated graphic scenes, Katy Perry’s electrifying performance was elevated to new heights. 

Genius Sports has announced the launch of its fan activation platform FANHub, the only omnichannel marketing platform custom-built to reach and engage sports fans. Capitalizing on 20+ years of experience in data collection, curation, and activation and harnessing direct global relationships with 400+ leagues and teams including the NFL and NCAA, Genius Sports created FANHub to give marketers an easy-to-use platform, which combines programmatic and social media buying capabilities built with a sports-first mentality.

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

Broadcasting tech company Layercake has been shortlisted for the SportsPro 2024 OTT Awards in the Best Startup Category. The OTT Awards is a celebration of the trailblazers in the world of sports broadcasting and streaming, spotlighting the platforms, content creators and innovations that are redefining the way sports is consumed worldwide. Layercake provides two broadcasting and content asset solutions which include Streamcake and Mediacake.

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. 

OneFootball, a leading digital football media platform, and Major League Soccer (MLS) announced an agreement to showcase MLS to a wider international audience. This new program OneFootball becomes an official content distribution partner for MLS worldwide. The partnership will grant OneFootball access to MLS highlights, covering hundreds of MLS matches, MLS NEXT Pro matches, and MLS NEXT matches per season. he partnership will also leverage OneFootball’s video player network, which includes the newly announced co-branded content hub with Yahoo! Sports

VueMotion has been nominated as a finalist in the 2024 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence. Since their inception in 2021, these awards continue to spotlight pioneering companies that are driving innovation - including within this all-important Health-tech category.VueMotion powers better quality movement in sport and health with world-leading Computer Vision & AI. Other finalists in this category include Navbit, Artrya Ltd and nuroflux.The winner will be announced on 30th October 2024.

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.

Sportstech companies Vue Motion and 1080 Motion have collaborated to improve athletic movement analysis. This combines both kinematic and kinetic outputs to test a range of athletic-based movements. 1010 Motion are leaders in robotic technologies for neuromuscular testing and training in sports and rehabilitation. Vue Motion specialises in development of video and data analytics for athletic movement using computer visioning, AI machine learning and augmented reality. The technologies are crucial for decision making when it comes to interventions for improving performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation. 

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.

MLS announced the six companies selected for the second edition of the MLS Innovation Lab, a pioneering initiative shaping the future of sports and the league's continued growth. The project identifies and nurtures cutting-edge startups and advanced technologies, and the new cohort will enhance the league's key priority areas of fan engagement, on-field performance, and media technology. Select organizations will also be invited to present to MLS executives and owners at the second “Future of the Game Showcase” during the 2025 MLS All-Star Game in Austin.

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.

A total of $AUD 8.5 million in grants have been awarded to 12 quantum technology projects led by 5 Queensland-based universities as part of the Department of Environment, Science, and Innovation's Queensland Quantum and Advanced Technologies Strategy. The Quantum 2032 Challenge aims to accelerate the development of quantum and advanced technologies products and applications, attract investment and foster collaboration, build a skilled quantum workforce, accelerate decarbonisation efforts, and promote quantum-based innovations to support the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Projects focused on athlete performance theme including concussion diagnosis, wearables technologies, hydration and anti-doping as well as large-scale event-based themes including transport, communications and security.

After doubling customer deployments in the past 12 months, MyVenue has been named the 2024 Telstra Best of Business Awards (SA) winner for Outstanding Growth. MyVenue supports more than 140 venues across Australia, the US, Canada, and the UK using our next-gen POS solution. Their growth has been underpinned by proactive product development, ongoing investment in cybersecurity, and building support capacity.

German healthtech EGYM has raised approximately $US 200 million of growth capital at a valuation of over $US 1 billion from L Catterton, a leading global consumer-focused investment firm, and Meritech Capital, a leading Silicon Valley technology-focused venture firm. The investment will support the continued expansion of the EGYM Wellpass corporate wellness network and further development of innovative digital solutions, smart strength equipment and tech-enabled products for data-driven and personalized training, allowing fitness club operators to deliver a distinctive experience to its members.

Uplift Labs has built a reputation with movement analysis software widely used by college and professional sports teams.With just a pair of tripod-mounted iPhones or iPads, the company’s Uplift Capture software can use sophisticated computer vision techniques to track how athletes move, evaluate their performance, and offer guidance to avoid injuries. The company is offering a new app—simply called Uplift—designed for individual athletes. The app allows users to track their jumping performance which can be used as part of tracking their overall athletic performance.

As part of its mission to bridge the worlds of sports and crypto, the Chiliz Group is launching Chiliz Sports an independent division that will focus on leveraging the Group’s position as a pioneer in sports and blockchain to foster business opportunities between sports and brands. The Chiliz Group launched of the Socios.com platform and the first Fan Tokens in 2018. Over 70 organizations across nine sport verticals relying on them to grow, engage with, and reward their digital communities. In 2023, Chiliz took a further step in its mission with the launch of the Chiliz Chain. The Sports Blockchain currently hosts a growing ecosystem of over 150 brands and organizations from sports, crypto, and beyond, all of which work together to drive and promote innovation.

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+.

ActiveKIT (Knowledge | Innovation | Technology) is a call to action to ‘shift the dial’ on investment in the Active Industry to drive physical activity participation in Queensland. The initiative aims to encourage better utilisation of knowledge, harnessing innovation and leveraging technology to enable more Queenslanders to be physically active more often,. A total of 47 innovation solutions totaling $AUD 4.3 million in grants were awards in the Super Round of funding. There were a number of sports-tech related projects awarded grants which included GravityFit, Champion Life, Chicks Who Ride Bikes and Cinema on the Fly

Champions Innovate is a programme designed to solve modern, meaningful and relevant challenges identified by UEFA and the host city of the Champions League final. The UEFA Innovation Hub launched this program last season, culminating in a successful first edition around the 2024 final in London. The aim of the program is to foster collaboration between commercial partners, innovative companies and the city (and national association) hosting the climax of the European club season, with the objective of leaving a lasting, positive impact. This year the collaborative partnership program includes the City of Munich, the German Football Association (DFB) and UEFA Champions League commercial partners Mastercard and adidas.

Global sports broadcast platform, DAZN, has recently announced a partnership with Tradable Bits, a leading provider of fan engagement, data, and marketing solutions, to enhance sports telecasts in Taiwan. The companies will pilot a series of activations designed to increase viewers’ engagement with content before, during, and after sports events. Fans who interact with DAZN’s content by scanning QR codes that appear in telecasts will have a chance to be rewarded with prizes, merchandise, game tickets, and more.

Hudl will be the exclusive performance technology partner for Rush Soccer—which includes video, data and analytics on all of its 55,000+ athletes. Rush Soccer will integrate Hudl Focus Cameras, allowing member clubs the opportunity to capture and analyze every aspect of their games—whether home or away.

Tradable Bits has partnered with AFL team, Fremantle Football Club, in a 'Best Seat in the House' campaign to undercover new fans and potential members. Over forty thousand fans entered the campaign, ten thousand of which were newly discovered (i.e. not captured anywhere else in their database). At every home game, fans in the stadium were given an opportunity to scan a QR code (displayed on stadium screens) to “Scratch” for the chance to win an upgrade to 2 VIP seats in the stadium, VIP service and access to the Bankwest Club. Over forty thousand fans entered the campaign, ten thousand of which were newly discovered (i.e. not captured anywhere else in their database). 

Boob Armour, breast protection inserts for female contact sports, is now more accessible than ever with its distribution expanding to Australia's largest sports retail group Rebel Sport. From young girls just starting their sporting journey, teenagers playing for fun or elite athletes & everyday women, Boob Armour products cater to all sports with contact, impact, or ball play, including activities like AFLW, soccer, basketball, netball, cricket, hockey and the list goes on.

PMY has won the 2024 Victorian Exporter of the Year Award. Founded in 2009, PMY has become a global leader in venue and event technology. With a presence in 14 countries and a portfolio of cutting-edge services, including their AI-driven OPTIC platform, PMY has redefined the industry, enabling venues and events to create unforgettable experiences. The company's success and dedication to providing independent, impactful technology solutions have made them a trusted advisor and partner to some of the world’s most prestigious venues and events.  

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) announced that it has selected 11 finalists to compete in the 2024 SFIA Start-Up Challenge. The Start-Up Challenge, now in its eighth year, champions innovative entrepreneurs who are revolutionizing the sports and fitness sector through cutting-edge products, technologies, and concepts.

Springbok Analytics have announced a partnership with the Detroit Pistons, who became the latest NBA team to add their MRI-based, AI-powered muscle analysis to their health and performance operations. The Pistons evaluated Springbok Analytics through their partnership with Henry Ford Health and decided to move forward to support their athlete assessments and how they personalize athlete care and performance.

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.

FitnessAI, the AI-powered gym workout app owned by Appex Group has announced the launch of its BodyScan feature. This technology enables users to perform detailed body scans with their smartphone cameras, offering insights comparable to those of costly medical-grade scans. FitnessAI has partnered with Prism Labs, a leader in AI-powered wellness solutions, to launch this innovative feature.

UniSport is committed to delivering an exceptional sporting experience through 2024 Nationals in Canberra, while minimising environmental impact. In partnership with Everclime, UniSport have developed two UniSport impact cards for students to choose between, that represent an impact contribution to either ACT Wildlife Conservation or the Forever Reef Project. UniSport have allocated $AUD 5 per registration to these organisations selected by the Student Organising Committee which will begin building an impact legacy for the events UniSport host. UniSport are activating the investment through Everclime blockchain technology and encouraging every student to make a choice.

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.

Layercake has announced the launch of an innovative and revolutionary approach to broadcast production, using software defined video networks. The Streamcake Platform, a Layercake product, forms the backbone of a pioneering collaboration between Grass Valley, NEXTDC, AI-Media and Sharon AI. Streamcake brings together best-in-breed technologies orchestrating network connectivity, video processing, captioning and media enrichment, and on-demand cloud GPU infrastructure.

The NBA is seeking submissions for the fourth cohort of NBA Launchpad, the league’s initiative to source, evaluate and pilot emerging technologies that advance the NBA’s top priorities on and off the court. The six priority areas include; Future of Officiating, Future of Youth Basketball, Future of Player Health & Wellbeing, Future of Media, Future of Fan Connection, and Future of NBA Impact. Applications close 18th October 2025.

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. 

The NFL and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have extended their long-term partnership, first commenced in 2017. The global partnership will be on display during this week’s games with the debut of a new AI-powered Next Gen Stat that changes how we understand and analyze tackles in football. Powered by AWS, the Next Gen Stats platform collects more than 500 million data points each season. This data serves as the foundation for innovation throughout the NFL - from enhancing fan engagement through advanced statistics, to transforming the viewing experience by enabling alternate broadcasts and new ways of visualizing the action on the field.

Revolve Athletic has formed a partnership with athlete management system firm Lumin Sports to enhance systems for athletes, coaches and clubs to enhance performance and athletic development. Revolve works with over 700 athletes and coaches in south-east Queensland across rugby league, AFL, netball, basketball, soccer and rowing. Lumin's system provides clubs with easy access to athlete information and data such as load monitoring, athlete wellbeing, strength programming, medical modules and injury reporting.

Fast-growing Australia-based stadium tech company has acquired Australian sports creative agency, KOJO. PMY provide solutions to more than 1,000 stadia and venue across the globe. The acquisition will further strengthen PMY's intelligence, technology, and experience offerings globally. KOJO has an impressive portfolio of collaborations and partnerships including AFL, Cricket Australia, NRL, and FIFA, along with iconic brands like BMW, MINI, and Wesfarmers. KOJO collaborates with entertainment giants like Sony Pictures, Netflix, Warner Bros., and Universal Studios, while maintaining long-term partnerships with major ANZ stadiums, including Optus Stadium, Adelaide Oval, Suncorp Stadium, and Sky Stadium in Wellington.

etrainu has been named the Official Education Partner for the 2024 National Officiating Summit, empowering sports officials with world-class online learning solutions and ensuring they stay at the forefront of their sport. Their leading online learning platform has made them the provider of choice by officiating organisations, including US Youth Soccer, Pickleball Australia, NRL Touch Football, Basketball Australia, USA Track & Field, and Football Australia

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.

ŌURA, maker of Oura Ring, the smart ring that delivers personalized health data, insights, and daily guidance, announced that it’s entered into an agreement to acquire Veri, a Finnish personalized metabolic health company and Oura partner that guides users to the right foods and habits for their bodies through an app enabled by continuous glucose monitors (CGM).