A remarkable swimming pool stadium transformation, Off-field magic worth noticing during the NRL's Magic Round
A remarkable swimming pool stadium transformation, Off-field magic worth noticing during the NRL's Magic Round
A remarkable swimming pool stadium transformation signals a new era for major swimming events, and sets a new benchmark for future Olympics
The off-field magic worth noticing during the NRL’s latest Magic Round and the state of the Australian Sportstech Industry
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Nestlé Australia announced Mackenzie Arnold as its newest Milo brand ambassador, who will feature in their new Milo ‘It’s Go Time’ campaign
Founded in 2015 by former Demons David Neitz, Paul Hopgood and John Ahern, Brewmanity Beer Co. became the official beer partner of Melbourne Football Club
The NRL reported significant rugby participation growth in Victoria, up 21% on 2023 - the largest growth of any state
The Australian Open 2024 delivered a record-breaking $533.2m injection into the Victorian economy according to a Nielsen Sport report
Wollemi Capital Group Syndicate, headed by Tesla chair Robyn Denholm, teamed up with Larry Kestelman to take a controlling stake in the WNBL
Ash Barty launched a brand new children’s book series, called ‘Tennis Camp Diaries’
The NRL were busy promoting State of Origin Game 2 in Melbourne in partnership with Hyped Media, including out the front of AFL Headquarters
Football Australia’s Disney+ docuseries ‘Matildas: The World at Our Feet’ has been nominated for a Logie for Best Factual or Documentary Program Award
The ARLC confirmed they were ready to kick-off their quest to expand the NRL to potentially 20 teams, with tentative plans to introduce an 18th team by 2027
X (formerly Twitter) announced it’s considering plans to produce behind-the-scenes sports-themed docuseries
Producey’s ‘Clubby Sports’ launched a new ‘everyday apparel brand’ called Clubby Sportswear
Robbie Williams took to the streets to showcase his passion for Carlton Football Club
To assist warm-up & recovery, Nike and Hyperice unveiled new tech-enabled 1) Boots that offer heat & dynamic air-compression massage on demand 2) A vest that enables instant heating and cooling without the need for ice or liquid
Carlos Alcaraz signed a new Nike contract and announced a new custom logo will be created for him as part of a deal that will run until the middle of next decade, reportedly worth between US$15m-$20m per year
This remarkable swimming pool stadium transformation signals a new era for major swimming events, and sets a new benchmark for future Olympics
The US Olympic Swimming Trials just became the largest swimming event ever, drawing a world record 22,209 fans to Lucas Oil Stadium – the home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
To host the USA Swimming event, the NFL stadium was transformed into a swimming arena for the 10-day competition.
The transformation...
It took 3 years of planning, design, and preparation, including 8000+ hours of integrated expertise from over a dozen different suppliers including those specialising in:
Construction and dismantling of large-scale temporary pools
Plumbing, pumps & filtration
Event management & entertainment services
Event workers spent 3 weeks on the transformation - removing turf, goals posts and seats before constructing the pools.
A massive amount of inputs and materials were required:
78,000 square-feet of decking
55 tons of stainless steel
1,175 meters of floating lane ropes
Almost 2 million gallons of water
The result:
A 50-meter, 10-lane Olympic-sized swimming pool fit for competition
25-meter warmup-warm pool, separated by a massive curtain down the center of the stadium
A custom-built deck wrapped around the pool to make it appear the pools were dug into the stadium floor
Corporate suites below deck, providing underwater views
30,000 seat capacity
World class stadium presentation (screens, lighting & production) comparable to other forms of sport & entertainment such as the WWE
This new innovative approach to hosting major swimming events seems to have triggered inspiration for the upcoming olympics.
LA28
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics just announced changes to its venue plan, including that LA’s $5.5b SoFi Stadium will undertake a similar transformation to host swimming in front of a 38,000 capacity crowd (setting a new world record).
Brisbane 2032
There has been plans to host swimming at the proposed newly-built $2.5b Brisbane Live venue using a drop-in pool, but there are now some new reports urging organisers to transform Suncorp Stadium into a swimming venue to enhance the spectacle.
Whilst a drop-in pool can deliver a one-off solution for the games, Swimming Australia has previously called for something more permanent that will leave a lasting legacy - a new national aquatics centre with state of the art technology and innovation.
Stadiums Arms Race
This is another example of the stadium arms race taking place in Australia and across the globe, where governments, owners and private-equity are building new stadiums and upgrading existing ones to improve the fan experience, generate more matchday revenue & new commercial revenue streams, attract & retain major events, and stimulate economic growth.
The off-field magic worth noticing during the NRL’s latest Magic Round
During the league’s most recent Magic Round, the National Rugby League partnered with Advance Queensland – an innovation initiative launched in 2015 by the Queensland Government to support the creation, scale up and international success of innovators and businesses.
The ‘Magic Round Tech Showcase’ offered 22 x businesses the opportunity to showcase their innovative products to the NRL, that could help the code with:
Increasing revenue through innovative fan engagement/experiences
Event operations and broadcasting improvements
Improving athlete performance
Using visual data to help coaching during live games
Any other tech solution that could help improve the NRL's product offering
Who were the exhibitors?
Immersive holograms, scientifically-backed AI-based apps used to help diagnose & treat concussion, female-focused protective gear, revolutionary athletic performance apparel, social media moderation tools… these are some of the new innovations showcased via the following start-ups:
Axiom Holographics
BoostAR
BrainEye
Cérge
Chronicler
Cinefly
CrowdCanvas
Digital Art Projection
Fempro Armour
G-Suit GravityFit
GeoMe
Imagine Realities
Indigenous Innovation Ventures
iNSPIRETEK
Isidore
Myriad Studios
Safe365
SocialProtect
Sports AI Holdings
tagSpace
Talk All Sport
WearOptimo
More about the 22 exhibitors here
*Over the next 3 years, $750,000 has been committed to support selected start-ups pilot their technologies with the NRL.
This concept is similar to the Tennis Australia's ‘AO Startups’ which gives tech start-ups a chance to trial innovations at the Australian Open in exchange for the opportunity to invest.
It also forms part of a broader global trend of large sporting organisations working closer with start-ups, and partnering & investing in them via accelerator programs and venture capital. The NBA and NFL have both launched investment arms over recent years, specifically to invest in start-ups.
The state of Sportstech in Australia
Innovation has been recognised as a future key-driver of the QLD economy, and this importance was marked by the attendance of Premier Steven Miles at the event.
According to a 2023 report from Australia’s peak body for sportstech, The Australian Sports Technologies Network, Australia has emerged as 1 of the top 6 sportstech innovation regions and:
Generates $4b+ in annual revenue (equal to fintech industry)
Employs 13k+ people
Has 758 sportstech companies operating in the country
Has grown fast (11.8% YoY growth across 10 year period, when only 284 companies were in existence in 2012)
Currently, only 19% of companies are based in QLD though so initiatives like the above are looking to fuel this start-up growth in the state, in preparation for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
A-Leagues - Head of Executive Office
Adelaide Crows - Events Manager (14-month contract)
Amplify - Sports Talent Manager
ASICS Oceania - Sports Marketing Coordinator
Athletics Australia - Events and Competitions Coordinator
Athletics Australia - Sporting Schools Coordinator
Australian Football League - Paid Performance Media Lead
Bastion - Account Manager PR
Bastion - Experiential Producer
Central Coast Mariners - Partnerships Manager
Cricket Australia - Business Development Manager, International Growth
Football Australia - Event Coordinator
Fremantle Dockers - Brand and Marketing Team Lead
Harness Racing Victoria - Marketing & Events Manager
James Hardie - Brand Activation Manager
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment - Integrated Designer
Minor Hotels - Director of Entertainment and Sports
MKTG Sports + Entertainment Australia - Public Relations Manager
National Rugby League - Strategy Manager
Nike - Lead, Partner/Omnichannel Marketing Professional Pacific
Nike - Lead, Brand Planning & Operations Professional Pacific
Nine - Sport Sales Executive
North Queensland Cowboys - Marketing and Communications Executive
Perth Glory - General Manager Commercial
Perth Glory - Corporate Partnerships & Sales Executive
Queensland University of Technology - Client Services Officer, Sport
Racing Victoria - Communications Advisor
Red Bull - Creator Marketing Specialist
Rip Curl - Retail General Manager
Seven Network - Sports Sales Executive
Sole Motive - Operations & Events Manager
Southern Cross Austereo - Sales Coordinator - Sports & Partnerships
Sportsbet - Business Analyst
Sportsbet - Digital Product Manager
Sports Entertainment Network - Digital Strategy & Campaign Manager
Sports Entertainment Network - Strategy and Solutions Coordinator
Stan. - Sports Programmer - Olympics
Stan. - Sports Scheduler - Olympics
St Kilda FC - Social Media Content Creator
Tabcorp - Social Media Manager
Tennis Australia - Marketing Partnerships Lead
Tennis Australia - Head of Precinct Operations
Tennis Australia - Business Development Lead (New Business)
Tennis Australia - Tournament Spaces Creative Lead
Tennis Australia - Experience Design Lead
The Star Entertainment Group - Marketing Manager - Partnerships & Events
TGI Sport - Event Manager - Brand Activations Account Director
TGI Sport - Event Manager - Major Events Account Manager
TGI Sport - Implementation Executive
Ultimate Fighting Championship - International Business Development Coordinator
VicReturn - Sport and Sponsorships Lead
Victorian Institute of Sport - Chief Executive Officer
Not yet a subscriber? Discover specialised sports marketing insights, tailored for sports industry professionals within Australia and across the globe. If you work in sports for an agency, brand or rights-holder then this is for you.