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.