Not all game-changers wear boots. Some arrive with prototypes, data, and a vision to redefine the game.
This May, Southport Sharks launched an innovation challenge giving sports tech startups the chance to turn bold ideas into real-world solutions.
Now, the club is on the lookout for startups ready to prove their product on the oval, not just on paper.
The Gold Coast Sports Tech Open Innovation Challenge is a six-week program built to fast-track the commercialisation of emerging sports technologies.
Delivered by Southport Sharks, in partnership with the Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN), Invest Gold Coast, and the Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP), the initiative will select three local startups to embed within the club’s elite football environment.
It’s the opportunity to test in a real-time, high-pressure proving ground, where the selected companies will have access to players, coaches, operations staff, and facilities.
The aim: to test and validate ready-for-market sports tech solutions in four key areas—player safety, performance enhancement, operational innovation, and fan or community engagement.
With expressions of interest closing on Sunday 18 May and the program kicking off Thursday 23 May, the challenge is expected to draw serious interest from Gold Coast-based founders and innovators.
For Southport Sharks, this initiative builds on years of quietly growing influence in the innovation space. As one of Queensland’s most respected sporting clubs—with over 55,000 members, 1 million annual visitors and a proud premiership record—the club is using its scale and reach to drive more than just wins on the scoreboard.
“At Southport Sharks, we’re not just early adopters—we want to be active drivers of sport innovation,” said Matthew Palmer, Southport Sharks High-Performance Manager and Head of Sports Technology.
“We’ve worked with great startups before, and now we’re opening the door even wider. Our club can be a launchpad for start-up businesses looking to scale, validate and commercialise their ideas.
“Our vision as a club is to not only improve long-term participation and growth within our community, on and off the field, but to also make sure we are providing grassroots to senior players with the safest football program in Australia.
“And by inviting new sports tech solutions into our club rooms, we can achieve this and more.”
That vision is already bearing fruit. The club has previously played a hands-on role in the development and trialling of two standout sports tech products now in operational phases: BrainEye and Fempro.
BrainEye is a powerful tool for assessing brain performance, delivering rapid and accurate concussion detection in seconds, directly from a smartphone. It’s just as effective off the field, helping players and medical staff monitor recovery and track cognitive function throughout the return-to-play process.
Through real-time access to Southport’s playing group, the system was able to evolve from concept to commercially viable product with direct input from end users.
FemPro, meanwhile, is redefining confidence and safety in women’s sport. The company developed female-specific body armour, designed to protect players from high-impact collisions while maintaining flexibility and comfort.
Trialled with Southport’s QAFLW program, the armour not only offered physical protection, but gives athletes the confidence to play with more freedom and ferocity.
These partnerships serve as proof that Southport Sharks is more than a football club—it’s an incubator for innovation.
The upcoming challenge is as much about the region’s economic and technological future as it is about the game. By working alongside stakeholders in the Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct, the club is helping to position the city as a national leader in sport tech and health innovation ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Startups selected for the program will receive tailored mentoring, performance feedback, commercialisation support, and unrivalled access to a professional sporting ecosystem—an opportunity few early-stage companies ever encounter.
Only three will be chosen.
For those with a product ready for the big stage, Southport Sharks is offering more than a trial. It’s offering a platform. And the game starts now.
