Leanne Bats ᵍᵐ

Data and trends are telling us there are shifts happening in the way we deliver, engage and experience sport in Australia. The sport we knew, particularly pre-COVID is vastly different to where we are now and where we're going. Getting ahead of the curve is the best way to embrace these changes, Kieren Perkins OAM has articulated this beautifully in the piece below. We need sport. How we connect with sport is up to us, and its time for all sports to get in the boat and row.👏 #australiansport #sportforall #femaleparticipation #futureofsport

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In Australia, the importance, relevance and scale of the sportstech industry is becoming considerably significant with a healthier blend of established entities, emerging scaleups and innovative start ups. ASTN - Australian Sports Technologies Network have now published the ASTN Sports Innovation Report, Third Edition 2024. ✅ The Australian Sportstech sector has annual revenue of $4.69bn, employs 14,906 people with industry revenue and employment increasing by more than 10% in 2024. ✅ This represents 12% of the total sports industry. ✅ Australia’s top 115 companies in the sector represent 85% of the total revenue and 70% of the workforce. ✅ ASTN estimate that in the sports industry, less than 10% of startups have female founders.

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Sport New Zealand has recently released a futures report on how Sport and Recreation in New Zealand will navigate future uncertainty to build a resilient and sustainable future. 🌟 This comprehensive document dives deep into the 15 drivers of change that will shape our sector, providing invaluable insights for decision-makers and stakeholders alike. I will be posting more about each of the drivers but among these drivers, social and technological factors stand out as two of the most influential and disruptive forces we will face in the coming years. 🌍💻 As we adapt to shifting societal norms and embrace rapid technological advancements, the way we engage with sport and recreation will transform dramatically and at a rate we may not be ready for. What do you think? How can we best leverage these social and technological changes to enhance participation and foster community well-being? What other drivers are you seeing will have a large impact in your sport/organisation oin the near future? 🤔💬 #SportNZ #FutureOfSport #Innovation #CommunityEngagement #SportExperience #Technology #EmergingTechnology

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From digital twins and real time energy monitoring to automated AI generated replays and social media safeguarding of athletes from cyber abuse, there’s some exciting tech being deployed for Paris 2024. Australia has a thriving sports tech sector and it will be fascinating to see the application of technology and new innovations between now and Brisbane 2032. Can’t wait for the Games to begin! #sportstech #AI #Olympics #Paris2024 #AI #Innovation

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Australia’s Sports Technology Sector Is Now Worth $4.69B. It’s a remarkable evolution from growth to maturity stage. So, how has this all happened? It’s all highlighted by: → Market consolidation → Increasing investment from sophisticated investors → Widespread adoption of technologies across the sports sector. On a global level, the sports tech sector has seen rapid growth with the integration of digital technologies. These advancements have moved beyond elite sports, enhancing operational efficiencies and driving commercial outcomes for teams, leagues, and federations. Consumer adoption of smartwatches, connected fitness systems, and training apps has also surged, contributing to a 177% increase in new sports tech companies from 2012 to 2024. As of June 2024, 765 Australian sports tech companies were operating. The industry experienced accelerated growth from 2014 to 2018. Three major themes emerged from this study: 1. AI in Sports 2. Active Living, Fitness and Wellness 3. Virtual Sports, Esports Gaming MateVerse & Blockchain These innovations impact the sports industry ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and other major sporting countries. I've included the full study below in the comments. Done by Australia Sports Technologies Network (ASTN)

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Few considerations (somewhat personal) about this latest blog post from Ably: 1. I have pitched tennis in that region at least three times and never was able to win, still a scar in my long career, and there are some. Happy to collaborate with someone who did that, successfully. 2. If you have, at any time, worked with me on creating realtime sport fan facing digital experiences (Rauno De Pasquale, Christiano Coraglia, amongst many), you know how obsessed I was/am about UX (holistically), low latency, scale and the reliability of our products. 3. That is why when I saw Ably's Data Broadcast platform I immediately thought: "Why didn't I saw this before" or for most of it "Why was this not existing at those times!!!". We would have avoided a lot of brain power usage, endless programming challenges, sleepless nights, constant CDN cache configurations scares, late night carton box pizzas (not a big fan), juggling millions of fans. We did manage to create some outstanding experiences, nevertheless. But... True story. Here is Ably's post: https://lnkd.in/dMRBtXy3 Eleanor O'Neill Faye McClenahan Hannah Smallman Alex Buhaenko Jodie Pinkowski Matthew O'Riordan #realtime #sportstech #data #lowlatency #scale

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The Australian Open is a highlight of Australia’s sporting calendar 🎾 We were thrilled when Tennis Australia engaged Higher Ranking to find high-net-worth individuals who might be interested in attending the Open as part of a premium package 🥂 A goal this specific requires a killer custom strategy. And with a lead generation plan in place, we opened the door to a much larger audience 👋 The result? Thousands of connections 💯 Hundreds of new leads. In other words: game, set, match. Read about it here: https://zurl.co/iTSs #CustomerReviews #SEOStrategy #ClientSuccess #Testimonials #FiveStarService #HigherRanking #B2BMarketing #DigitalMarketing #SEOSuccess #SuccessStory #CustomerSatisfaction

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An important day for Para-sport in Australia, Paralympics Australia and the sports sector. An historic $283 million investment in sport announced by the Federal Government. This unprecedented funding, which includes an additional $54.9 million for Paralympic sport, represents a monumental shift in the recognition and support of Para-sport in Australia. Thanks to the leadership and unwavering support of the Federal Government, who have set a new benchmark for the advancement of Para-sport, and we are profoundly grateful for your commitment. This investment is the single largest increase in Paralympic spending by an Australian Government. It signifies not only a significant financial boost but also a renewed dedication to addressing the systemic barriers that Para-athletes face. #ImagineWhatWeCanDo

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Exciting news! Our Sports Tech Startup Prolete Sports has been accepted into the Plus Eight Pre Accelerator Program at the Western Sydney Startup Hub! We're grateful to Investment NSW and Spacecubed for providing this opportunity to take our company to the next level. This program will give us the chance to connect with like-minded founders, mentors, and advisors who can help us achieve our goals. We can't wait to see where this opportunity takes us! #SportsTech #Startup #AcceleratorProgram

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LATEST NEWS: Football NSW Builds Female Leadership Pipeline Read here 👇 #Football #Soccer #FootballNews

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USING GPS Catapult was originally formed in a partnership that included the Australian Institute Of Sport to maximise the performance of Australian athletes at 2006 Sydney Olympic Games. 18 years later Catapult exists to unleash the potential of every athlete and team on Earth. But why do we use GPS today? Using GPS units in sport we can: - provide objective feedback to athletes - understand and prepare athletes for game demands - benchmark athletes to be at their best - help to reduce injury risk #tracking #gps #data #analysis #catapult #unleashpotential #sport #technology #athlete #feedback #game #demands #benchmark #injuryrisk

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**For academics and researchers with interests in, or adjacent to, sport...** In the lead up to the Sports Technology Conference as part of Sport Innovation Week in Melbourne next week, Deakin University is hosting the  Academic Day on Wednesday 23 October: https://lnkd.in/gmW-q_ji The session aims to bring together researchers and universities with an interest in areas of data, technology and innovation within sport. A range of short presentations (spanning media tech, VR and virtual sport, wearables health applications, consumer behaviour and on field analytics) will be followed by a short industry focussed workshop activity for participants For those interested, here is how you can be involved: ⭐Register to present: Presentations will be 5-6 minutes and provide an opportunity to share some background on your work or areas of interest. These might be projects or areas with a current application to sport or could be an area which might have a potential future application to the sport industry. ⭐Register to attend: There will be places available for those who want to attend the presentations or learn more about different areas of sport and technology. Please register via the link - or reach out directly if you would like to share your work as part of the session.

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💡Interesting article from Insider Sport highlighting the massive, untapped potential of the US market for The Premier League clubs 💡With US soccer fandom surging, the Premier League is in a prime position to capitalize on this momentum 💡Due to US soccer continuously growing domestically and its interest in European leagues also rising in interest, this represents a “huge” opportunity for European clubs to take advantage of a potential annual revenue stream 💡But what does this mean for brands? Here's why the US market represents a goldmine for potential sponsors: 🔎𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞: CLV GROUP estimates that there are up to 83 million US-based soccer fans, with 44% (36 million people) not knowing which team to support, particularly what European club to support 🔎𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: US fans are passionate and highly engaged, presenting a valuable audience for brands seeking deeper connections 🔎𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬: Sponsorships can be tailored to target specific demographics or regions within the vast US market 💡The article highlights two other key aspects: 🔎𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭-𝐭𝐨-𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 (𝐃2𝐂): Sell merchandise directly to fans, cutting out the middleman and fostering stronger brand loyalty. 🔎𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬: Collaborate with other US sports leagues or content creators to maximize reach and brand awareness With Premier League teams actively engaging in US tours this summer, fostering even closer connections with American fans, the potential for brand partnerships is poised to grow #sports #sportsbiz #sportsbusiness #football #premierleague #sportsponsorship #sponsorship #partnership #content #engagement #merchandise #revenue SportQuake

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The Evolution of Futsal: Beyond a Soccer Development Tool to a Standalone Sport ✅The Inevitable Rise of Futsal ✅Benefits for Youth Players ✅Starting Futsal at a Young Age READ MORE: https://lnkd.in/eawArZEx

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Is your sports club looking into the future? A key factor that sports clubs need to consider when strategic planning is the future trends of the county and how these will impact on how we cater for our players, coaches, administrators and every other connected stakeholder. Population projections in New Zealand predict we may reach 6 million people in the next decade or two. Add to this the regional migration trends of residents moving out of the main centres and we could have a very different looking sports system in years to come. From infrastructure to human resources to finance, these are all going to be stretched to the limits. Are you ready? https://lnkd.in/gfhERj6C

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Go Australia! While the overall sport investment from the government (Austrialian Sport Commission) is impressive, the direct investment in adaptive sports is wonderful to see. Per the article, “Para sport investment doubled by an additional $54.9m over two years.” The Aussies are serious. They want to win more medals. And they clearly understand the link between basic participation and the podium. In fact, if you look at the medal counts, the countries who make strategic investments in their adaptive and Paralympic sports industries win more medals. In the Paris 2024 Paralympics: China was 1st with 94 medals. Great Britain was 2nd with 48. Team USA was 3rd with 36. Australia sees an investment opportunity as they were 9th in the Paralympic medal count with 18. China and GB both invest heavily in the Paralympic pipeline. Word is that GB has more wheelchair basketball players than we do! IMHO The US should win many more Paralympic medals than we do. However, we have massive gaps in awareness and even larger and more embarrassing gaps in participation. We have significant funding challenges across the industry. We have no centralized, sustainable, reliable funding for adaptive sport providers like Angel City Sports, that are on the ground in communities across the U.S. And worse yet, many sister orgs in California have been going out of business or struggling the last few years. Let’s fix this in the US! But my hat is off to the Aussies! Clayton Tanya Bennett Jessica Reid Cindy Hook Andrew N. Liveris Brisbane 2032 United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee https://lnkd.in/gitTMaWU

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31% of sports news available in Victoria during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 focused on women's sport - a step up from 15% in the year leading up to the tournament. It goes without saying that this heightened focus and visibility is a good thing. Want to know what else we found? During the tournament, opportunities for women journalists to contribute content also increased. In fact, bylines by women increased from 27% in 2022-23 to 34%. With women journalists previously found to be more likely to cover women's sport, this increase also widened the gap between men and women in the profession, with women journalists 77% more likely to report on women's sport than their male counterparts during dates of the tournament. Interested to learn more? To read The Conversation of Sport case study for yourself, head to the Change Our Game website: https://bit.ly/41exiBM #ChangeOurGame #WomenInMedia #SportsBiz #GenderEquality #TheConversationOfSport #Journalism #FIFAWWC

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ICYMI. Here is the Substack of the last Sunday Column.

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Non-Drafted Free Agency (NDFA) period begins for MLB today. What is it, and how can teams use it to improve their organizations via depth and finding hidden gems? #ndfa #mlbdraft #playerevaluation #scouting #baseball

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