WSL Football set for major technology advancement with Sportable

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Image credit: Sportable

The Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) will collaborate with Nike and Sportable, a data and analytics company in the sports landscape, making it the first football league in the world to use advanced tracking technology.

 

Where innovation meets football

Sportable’s Connected ball technology will feature in Nike’s Official WSL Matchballs, promising a new level of insight and analysis into the game.

The product is currently undergoing a trial and test process, but may launch at an even larger scale from the start of the 2026/27 season. Potentially operating at every Barclays WSL match in the very near future, Sportable’s cutting-edge technology stands as a springboard for the future intersection between data technology and the beautiful game.

Moreover, Sportable CEO, Dugald Macdonald, expressed his excitement at what the product can bring for the women’s game.

“The opportunity to create a consistent, data-rich view of performance, from training pitches to stadiums, is truly groundbreaking and we are excited to help unlock the next level of insight for teams across the league and their fans via an enhanced, data-rich, broadcast experience,” Macdonald said via official media release.

Furthermore, with analytics and data taking a leading role within clubs to maximise performance, Sportable are providing clubs in the WSL with a vital tool in an elite, highly competitive landscape.

 

What does the technology provide?

Certified by the FIFA Quality Programme for Electronic Performance Tracking Systems (EPTS), Sportable’s Connected ball and player tracking system presents many benefits to clubs and athletes alike.

For example, across both training and competition, aspects such as ball speed, spin, flight, high intensity plays, team shape, tactical patterns and off-the-ball actions are all measured. Therefore, Sportable’s technology will play an essential role in backing current and future athletes with the information they need to maximise their potential.

“Nike’s new partnership with us is built on innovation and putting players first,” outlined Chief Revenue Officer for WSL Football, Zarah Al-Kudcy.

“Their desire to elevate the role of the ball through Sportable’s technology will enable us to provide enhanced performance data to our clubs as well as tell richer stories to our fans. We are excited to be the first football league in the world to use this technology.”

 

Read here for more information about Sportable.

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Bentleigh Greens sign Astoria GWM as Major Partner in two-year deal

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Image Credit: One Nil Media

Bentleigh Greens has signed  Astoria GWM as a new Major Partner, with the local business committing to back the club for the next two seasons.
The agreement gives the Cheltenham-based Greens long-term commercial support for their senior men’s, women’s and junior programs at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex, and adds another local name to the club’s growing list of business partners.

Bentleigh Greens President Abraam Gregoriou said the deal showed business recognising the value of football in the community.”Seeing local businesses like Astoria GWM put their hand up to back the Greens is exactly what football in this country needs,” Gregoriou said.

“Clubs like ours look after hundreds of players, from our youngest juniors right through to our senior men’s and women’s sides, and that growth simply doesn’t happen without partners who are willing to invest in it.

A two-year commitment gives us the stability to plan properly, and it shows that business sees real value in the game and the community around it.”

The multi-year term is significant for a club at NPL level, where commercial income underpins everything from senior squads to junior and women’s pathways, and where certainty beyond a single season allows for longer-term planning.

Astoria GWM is a well-established business in Melbourne’s south-east, and the club has described it as a great fit for the Greens and their local community.

“Astoria GWM are part of the same neighbourhoods our members and families live in,” Gregoriou added. “That’s what makes this partnership so meaningful for us, and we’re looking forward to building something strong together over the next two seasons.”

The partnership continues the Greens’ approach of aligning with businesses that share the club’s commitment to community and long-term development.

About Astoria GWM
Astoria GWM is a well-established local GWM dealership based in Murrumbeena, serving drivers and families across Melbourne’s south-east.

Showroom: 961 North Rd, Murrumbeena VIC 3163
Sales: (03) 9599 2155

Soceroos and Matildas sue Football Australia over financial dispute

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Image Credit: Football Australias

Players of the Socceroos and Matildas have launched legal action against Football Australia over a multi-million dollar dispute relating to their revenue-sharing agreement in the NSW Supreme Court.

According to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), the players’ union, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), are enacting on behalf of the players and are understood to be pursuing a seven figure claim.

The PFA is expected to argue the revenue-sharing agreement between the governing body and national team players is not being fulfilled properly.

The PFA is yet to comment.

But the FA has acknowledged the legal dispute, claiming it is in relation to, “a third party in connection with a separate matter currently being conducted before the National Dispute Resolution Chamber (NDRC)”.

‘The Supreme Court’s role is limited to the subpoena process, and its involvement ends once that process is complete,’ an FA spokesperson said.

‘As the NDRC matter is ongoing and subject to confidentiality obligations, Football Australia will not comment further,’ they stated.

In 2023, a collective bargaining agreement was signed between the players’ union and FA. It gave the Socceroos and Matildas stars a portion of the national teams revenue which contributes up to half of FA’s overall earnings.

Additionally, the agreement included incentives for players and FA to work together, allowing both sides the chance to reap even larger rewards.

Registration fees or sponsors for programs that fund grassroots football are strictly prohibited in relation to the players’ cut of revenue. 

However, as long as it relates to the national team the players receive an 18-20 per cent portion of all relevant finances. This could include ticketing, kit sales, broadcast or sponsorship contracts. Through the CBA this money makes its way back to the players.

Matildas icon Lisa De Vanna, who played 150 times for the national team from 2004-19 has already made her opinion heard on there lawsuit via X.

“1 of the best-paid teams in the world, w best elite environments: 40 personal staff,business flights,5 star hotels, private chefs N baristas n still not happy,” she said.

“Instead of knocking game when it’s at its lowest, maybe play for pride n not greed.”

The disagreement comes just before the Socceroos head to the Middle East during the November international break.

With the squad set to be announced later this week, the ill-feeling between players and the governing body will hopefully remain separate from the performances on the pitch.

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