Elite Skills Arena’s Smart Training Tools for Every Level of the Game

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Image Credit: Elite Skills Arena

Elite Skills Arena is a designer and manufacturer of football products, invented to enhance the productivity and efficiency of footballers at all levels.

The company was founded in 2014 by ex-football chairman Eddie Mitchell, famous for owning AFC Bournemouth FC and taking them from the bottom of League Two to Premier League contention.

Elite Skills Arena have sold their technology and products to major league clubs across Europe, including FC Barcelona, Manchester City FC, Southampton FC, and many others, accounting for over 60 clubs and national teams.

Recently, the company signed a tech partnership with the Rangers FC, supplying them with the latest ICONs and Circuit products to be used in the club’s youth programmes and first team.

The company’s mission is to empower coaches by giving clubs the equipment to identify talent, rehabilitate players faster and prevent risk of reinjury, and other technical development while keeping the enjoyment of the game alive.

The ICON

Their flagship product, the ICON, is a dodecagon (12-sided) ‘arena’ with sensors on each panel to analyse the player’s movement, touch, awareness of their surroundings, and passing ability.

The ICON was first mocked up in 2014, later released on the market in 2016, and got the attention of football clubs for its ability to individually analyse and identify each player’s strengths and weaknesses using data. The training product has been used by professional footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suárez, and David Beckham.

The equipment is designed to mimic match-realistic movements for players to fine-tune their skills and abilities on the field and off of the field for footballers who are rehabilitating after injury.

The ICON can also benefit youth development in the sport, allowing coaches to test the skill level of their young players, give appropriate and useful feedback on their game, and give each training session with the ICON a chance for players to express what they’ve learnt.

The ICON comes in several types: the most popular 2.5 m diameter arena Fast Foot, the range of versions each with their own specific features, the ICON Q (known as the ICON Wall) used for academy training, and the ICON CUBE, which is marketed to “force the player away from the centre”.

Elite Skills Arena also provides professionally designed programmes for the ICON to help players target much-needed skills to focus on, as well as develop their physical and mental capabilities while on the field.

The Wireless Circuit

Among other products, Elite Skills has released a range of safe and controlled wireless training products designed to help a football player rehabilitate from injuries without the risk of further pain.

The product, called the Wireless Circuit, covers individual obstacles, training drills, and scoring and sensor equipment to monitor the level of efficiency of the player’s fitness.

Separated into four different modules as well as custom drills, the Circuit is used to relay real-time feedback to coaches on what their players are doing right and wrong, including their physical health, to gain an insight into enhancing performance.

Each module is set up to work on specific attributes and skills footballers need to improve on, including passing accuracy, movement of the ball, and shooting opportunities.

Outside of training, the ICON and other ESA products can also be used for entertainment purposes. At the event, ICONs are rented to allow brands and patrons to show off their football skills. Brands like Tag Heuer, Adidas and Disney have used Elite Skills Arena products at promotional events.

One of these products is the Precision Wall, one of the latest products Elite Skills Arena has made, designed to develop shooting accuracy for players. Similar to the ICON, the player is put in front of a wall of panels and sensors and has to hit the targets when lit up, simulating the pressure of real-time situations.

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GIS Masterclass: Fan Engagement and Marketing with Terry Lynam and Karen Grega

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Image Credit: Global Institute of Sport

The Global Institute of Sport recently hosted a masterclass on Fan Engagement and Marketing, bringing together two industry leaders to tackle the field’s most pressing issues.

The Global Institute of Sport (GIS), which offers a Master’s in Sports Business and Sports Analytics through the University of Newcastle, regularly holds masterclasses with industry leaders as part of its curriculum.

The latest focused on fan engagement and marketing, covering two key themes: the growing tension between live sport and online streaming, and the role of data in shaping the fan experience.

The panelists 

Terry Lynam recently concluded her role as General Manager of Fan Experience and Events at Football Australia, overseeing the AFC Women’s Asian Cup on home soil.

Karen Grega is an experienced sports management consultant with a multi-code background. She currently represents Football Coaches Australia (FCA) and Heartbeat of Football, and has previously worked with Sydney Cricket Ground, Venues NSW and Sydney FC.

Live Sport and social media.

Terry Lynam opened with a pointed statement — one she acknowledged would be controversial. She argued that the sense of community unique to live sport is being eroded by social media and ‘snippet’ consumption.

Central to her concern is how marketing teams are failing to segment their audiences, treating casual online viewers the same as matchday fans.

“If they aren’t spending money on the sport we shouldn’t count them as spectators to the same level as match going fans.”

“What we want to consider as marketeers is how much we want to give away and how much we want our live sport element to remain,” Lynam said.

Grega echoed the sentiment, arguing fan engagement ultimately comes down to human connection. “It’s not rocket science.”

She suggested the industry revisit the concept of sport as a family outing to recapture that communal experience.

Data Driving Decisions

Both panelists highlighted data and analytics as central to modern fan engagement.

Grega recalled the introduction of computerised turnstiles as a turning point, enabling teams to track crowd movements and optimise staffing and entry times.

She also noted the continued value of fan surveys in informing marketing decisions.

Lynam pointed to ticketing technology as a significant data frontier.

Modern platforms like Ticketmaster’s ticket-transfer system now provide detailed customer insights.

“It allows us to have a better understanding of who’s getting the ticket and how they transport themselves there or when they arrive,”

“We can personalise their journey and sell content to them,” Lynam commented. 

The discussion also touched on data sourced from social media and on-field player tracking, as well as interactive stadium technology gaining traction in the US.

This included holographic assistants and player headset interactions that bring a broadcast-style experience to live events.

Activations That Educate

Activations rounded out the masterclass, with Lynam detailing how she created a fan zone on a modest budget for the Women’s Asian Cup.

The activation featured charitable partnerships focused on women’s health, including Heartbeat of Football, Endometriosis Australia and Share the Dignity.

“I’m very hopeful that that type of idea gets pushed through on other sporting events,” Lynam said.

Grega elaborated on the Heartbeat of Football activation, highlighting how a competitive element built around CPR and heart health kept fans engaged while also educating them.

“The whole health hub ticked all the boxes — it was immersive, it was interactive, it was there for all ages, both sexes.”

“That sort of blueprint is one that should be replicated as much as possible,” Explained Karen Grega

The masterclass offered students and industry professionals a valuable window into contemporary sports marketing.

As the competition for fan attention intensifies, the blend of live experience, smart data use, and purposeful activations can help define the next chapters of fan engagement.

More Than One in Five Football Australia Staff to Lose Jobs Amid Growing Financial Losses

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Image Credit: ESPN

Australian football finds itself in a curious position.

From the outside, the game appears to be riding a wave of momentum. Attendances, visibility and public interest have all experienced significant uplift in recent years, while major international tournaments and growing discussion around football’s future continue to place the sport firmly within the national conversation.

Yet behind that momentum, Football Australia is now confronting a far more challenging internal reality.

 

A compounding deficit

Chief Executive Martin Kugeler has reportedly indicated the governing body’s projected financial losses for 2025 are expected to exceed the organisation’s reported $8.5 million deficit from the previous year. Accompanying the financial outlook are substantial organisational changes, with reporting from Tracey Holmes indicating more than one in five Football Australia employees are expected to lose their positions through restructuring measures.

The figures represent more than a difficult balance sheet. They point toward a significant period of recalibration inside the organisation responsible for overseeing the sport nationally.

 

Losing the wisdom of existing staff members

For governing bodies, restructures are often framed as strategic necessities for future sustainability. However, workforce changes on this scale also raise broader questions around the challenges of such a transition.

People are often the carriers of knowledge, relationships and long-term strategic understanding. When organisations undergo significant structural change, the effects can extend beyond immediate financial outcomes.

 

Contradicting timing

The timing is what makes the developments particularly notable.

Football in Australia has spent recent years discussing expansion, growth and long-term opportunity. The conversation surrounding the game has increasingly centred on future potential. Often headlining stronger pathways, larger audiences, infrastructure development and greater visibility.

Against that backdrop, news of deep financial losses and substantial staffing reductions creates a different conversation: one focused not on where the game wants to go, but on what may be required to sustain that journey. Therefore, this announcement points toward stagnancy, rather than growth.

Further detail surrounding Football Australia’s strategy and long-term direction will likely emerge over coming months. For now, the developments serve as a reminder that growth stories are rarely straightforward.

Often, the periods that appear strongest from the outside can also be the moments organisations face their most significant internal tests.

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