It is with great pleasure that we introduce to you the newly established Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN). The ASTN has been formed to address a gap acknowledged for some time by leaders in the Australian sports industry. Our role is to provide leadership in assisting Australian organisations involved in sports technologies to grow and develop, and take advantage of national and international market opportunities. For the first time in Australia, organisations across the entire sports `eco-system` can work together to develop and commercialise sports technologies. This means coordinated collaboration between national sporting organisations, sports technology researchers, universities, sports technology businesses, sport retailers, investors and practitioners to develop sports technologies. Australia is a strong consumer of sports - both through participation and as audiences. We are also highly regarded globally in elite sports, and it is acknowledged that Australia has world-leading approaches in athlete innovation. Despite these strengths, we have a relatively poor track record in commercialising sports technologies beyond elite sports application. Although there is considerable research and development as well as commercial activity around sports industries in Australia, there remains significant potential for further development of a globally competitive sporting industry. For Australia, this means developing technologies for global consumer markets and capturing a larger slice of the $600 billion sports market. Importantly, the continued development of the sports technologies industry addresses both the `high performance` needs of leading sporting organisations and their `participation` issues in attracting and retaining people within their sports. To this end, the leading sporting organisations are the testing grounds for new technologies, whilst the weekend warriors are the consumers of these technologies. The impetus for development of the ASTN grew from a group of sports technology businesses and researchers who saw the benefits of collaboration. From an initial meeting in 2010, the idea of forming the ASTN developed, and at a workshop in October 2011 a group of foundation members was formed. Acknowledging the role that ASTN can play in driving the commercialisation of sports technologies in Australia, the Federal Government quickly provided seed funding to support its establishment in April 2012. Federal Minister for Sport, Hon. Kate Lundy, officially launched the ASTN on 26 April, 2012. The ASTN is a not-for-profit member-based organisation. Importantly, organisations are seeing the value that a knowledge network like the ASTN can provide them in achieving their goals. Since the ASTN`s formation, we already have more than 40 active members (and growing). Members include nine universities and research institutions, the Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Sporting Goods Association, IMG Sports Technology Group and Australian Sports Technology Ventures (a sports technology investment and commercialisation consultancy). We want to engage with all part of the Australian sports eco-system, and accordingly, we have developed an affordable membership offering to attract industry participants. Some of our current projects include: - Sports Technology Investment Pitching Competition - more than $15,000 of prizes aimed at uncovering high potential early stage sports technology opportunities. - ASTN Annual Conference - a full day event to be held on Friday 2 November 2012 showcasing industry capabilities, needs and trends. - ASTN Sports Technology Bootcamp - an exclusive day for ASTN members to be held on Thursday 1 November 2012 exploring sports technology commercialisation, entrepreneurship, investment and opportunities to grow the sport technology industry. - Australian Sports Technology Industry Study - an indepth market study aimed at understanding the capacity of the industry in Australia, as well as identifying commercial project opportunities. Over the coming year, we will host networking event in most states of Australia, and in time initiate industry promotions, trade missions and export plans to pursue international opportunities for our members. As acknowledged by the contribution by some of our members in this special edition of Sports Technology, there is considerable talent within the Australian sports technology industry to develop future commercial opportunities. We look forward to playing a crucial leadership role in developing the Australian sports technologies industry, and sharing with you in the future some of the successes of our members.
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