Innovation, investment & engagement in sports tech — key takeaways from Sports Transform

While technology offers significant opportunities for sport, adopting it is only part of the challenge. 

A recurring theme at yesterday’s Sports Transform event was the importance of understanding the problems that need to be solved and ensuring that organisations are ready to turn innovation into meaningful results.

From protecting athletes to building sustainable businesses and strengthening fan relationships, Lauren Hicks and Morgan Lewis break down the key takeaways.

Innovation needs a clear purpose

Investment in technology should start with a clear understanding of what a sports organisation needs — both now and in the future. Is a solution addressing a genuine problem or creating another challenge for the organisation to manage? 

The discussions highlighted how organisational structures, changes in leadership and difficulties integrating new workflows can leave promising projects stuck in the pilot phase. Successful adoption requires more than the right product — it needs clear leadership, internal communication and an understanding of why change is necessary. 

For technology providers, building relationships and testing ideas with sports organisations before going to market is essential. Patience matters but it should support considered decisions rather than become a reason to delay progress.

Athlete protection must go beyond a tick-box exercise

Protecting athletes in a digital world remains a significant challenge, particularly when it comes to online abuse. The discussion highlighted how combining AI detection, human intelligence and specialist investigation can help to identify serious abuse and credible threats, find the people behind them and support meaningful action. This includes escalation to law enforcement. The key takeaway was how technology can help to turn detection into effective athlete protection, rather than treating safeguarding as a tick-box exercise.

Be open to building, not just buying

Sports organisations should be prepared to look beyond off-the-shelf solutions when it doesn’t meet their needs. Working with developers to build a bespoke solution can offer an alternative to adapting existing processes around a product that isn’t quite right. The takeaway wasn’t that building is always better than buying but that organisations should be braver about exploring both options. Starting with the problem and being open to collaboration can help organisations to find a solution that works for them, rather than trying to make themselves fit the technology.

Sustainable businesses need more than an innovative idea

For sports technology businesses seeking investment, innovation needs to be supported by commercial traction, sustainable growth and a convincing explanation of the problem being solved. The discussions emphasised the importance of understanding the sports market and demonstrating a genuine commitment to it, rather than viewing sport simply as a route into other industries. 

Cost management is also crucial for start-ups, alongside resisting the temptation to rush products to market before properly understanding the complexity of the challenges involved for sports organisations.

Fan data is an opportunity to build stronger relationships

While clubs have access to substantial amounts of fan data, the real opportunity lies in turning that information into a better understanding of their supporters. The discussion highlighted the potential to translate data into meaningful insights that strengthen fan relationships and create commercial value. It’s not simply about collecting more information but using it to make engagement more relevant and worthwhile for fans. 

For clubs, this means looking beyond the number of people that they can reach and considering how they can build deeper connections with their audiences. A better understanding of fans’ interests and preferences can help to shape communications, content and experiences that supporters genuinely want to engage with. This also creates opportunities for more effective sponsorship. Fan insights can help clubs and sponsors to develop activations that feel relevant to supporters, rather than relying on brand visibility alone.

Turning potential into progress

Across the discussions, a consistent message emerged: successful sports technology starts with understanding people, organisations and their needs. The strongest opportunities lie not simply in introducing something new but in combining innovation with clear purpose, strong relationships and a credible plan for delivery.

Sports Transform is a network of leaders committed to equip, steer and connect the world of sport and technology. It's built on the belief that we're all tackling many of the same challenges and can achieve more by working together, sharing experiences and learning from one another.

Our objective with this network is to create meaningful conversations, valuable connections and practical takeaways that attendees can implement. Interested in getting involved? Register to join.

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