Axess makes game day run seamlessly 

Liam Watson
Axess serves as a leading international manufacturer for ticketing and access management systems - a trusted process for sports clubs. 

Axess serves as a leading international manufacturer for ticketing and access management systems, putting in place a trusted process for sports clubs. 

The company has already achieved substantial reach and with an office in Australia (Currumbin Queensland), their services are right on our doorstep.  

Headquartered in Austria with production taking place in the city of Innsbruck, Axess currently has 20 offices in 16 different countries. 

Axess are specialists in individual solutions for ticketing and access management, software products to integrate own business areas and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to manage consumer data. 

As Axess are able to cater for customers all around the world, they are also versatile with a variety of industries – their solutions are used by ski resorts, fair & convention centres, stadia & arenas, leisure parks, museums, sightseeing attractions and touristic transport. 

Axess can look at the unique fields and identify how to implement their expertise, with complete resort solutions, customer registration and customer loyalty programs with social media integration – as well as numerous standardised interfaces to third-party systems. 

To meet the needs of organisations, Axess will use the very best innovative hardware and the most modern software modules. This means they can offer a tailored service for every area of application. 

The hardware that Axess offers are suitable for any sporting event at a stadium, with customised areas to ensure a smooth process on game day. 

Venues are supported from start to finish by Axess, who provide systems that includes a layer of security so that it’s easy to know who is entering the stadium. 

As people arrive, Smart Gates can be used to verify exactly who is accessing certain parts of the venue. For example, to access a VIP area, a person would only be allowed in if they have an appropriate pass or accreditation, which would be scanned to give them the green light. A venue could even look at the Smart Security Gate for extra security protection to block ineligible patrons. 

This solution can be used in a similar manner for car parks, as Axess provide entrance and departure gates for those with motorised vehicles. This allows clubs to section off a particular area of their parking and reserve it for players, coaches, match officials and media personnel. 

When it comes to ticketing, Axess can assist clubs with both printing needs and digital implementation. They accommodate for fans at a personalised level, with a range of options available to collect their tickets for an event. For example, Axess offers a Pick Up Box that is accessible for people to collect the tickets they ordered online, meaning they’re not required to line up at tills.  

The Ticket Kiosk and Smart Printers by Axess are quick and easy solution for all parties, as customers can source what they need and therefore reduces crowded areas outside ticket kiosks in peak times, especially within half an hour of a big event starting. The technology on offer by Axess can print tickets in no time, covering a range of formats. 

However, as we know it has become important for patrons at an event to ‘check in’ using a QR code to register that they were there for Covid tracking purposes. Axess provides the option for people to purchase their tickets online and receive a code to enter the stadium. This gives all clubs the chance to implement this very important technology that becomes tracking software to identify anyone with symptoms of Covid-19.  

A QR code is also present on Axess’ Smart Cards, where they are more relevant to regular visitors of a stadium – members of a club. With an integrated chip, the card stores data of an individual for fast entry and is highly durable, so there’s no need to worry about replacing it.  

Whether it be those who like it old-fashioned or now tech-savvy, tickets by Axess come in all forms to create a user-friendly experience. 

The modules and equipment that Axess brings are state-of-the-art to match the ever-growing changes to technology. They are a flexible partner of access management, always looking for ways to be innovative in how their solutions can best fit any organisation. 

For a more detailed look into Axess’ products, as well as their latest news and case studies, you can find them here. 

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Mizuno’s Australian gamble: can a 120-year-old brand break through?

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Image Credit: Mizuno

When Mizuno unveiled a mural of Socceroos captain Harry Souttar on a Richmond wall during the 2026 World Cup, the company’s name did not appear on the artwork. The artist, Rory Ledge, painted Souttar as the “Minister of Defence” behind a brick wall. Channel 7 and Channel 9 turned up. The Herald Sun ran it in their Saturday edition. Mizuno’s brand director called it “mainstream awareness” without paid media.

The mural sat within a broader push by the Osaka-based company to expand in Oceania. For the fiscal year ending March 2026, Mizuno reported sales of ¥259 billion, up 7.8 per cent year-on-year, with net income of ¥18.4 billion representing 20.5 per cent growth . Operating profit rose to ¥22.6 billion. The Asia and Oceania segment is central to the company’s medium-term plan, which targets net sales of ¥290 billion by fiscal 2027.

The growth imperative

Australian football has not historically been kind to specialist boot brands. Nike, Adidas and Puma dominate retail shelves. A-Leagues collective bargaining agreements and club deals have locked in incumbents. For a brand without the marketing budgets of its competitors, the path to relevance runs through the players.

Mizuno has grown its Australian ambassador base from one athlete to around 20 across the A-Leagues in recent seasons. Melbourne City’s Tolgay Arslan, who played in the Bundesliga and Serie A before arriving in Australia, told Front Page Football: “If I discovered these boots ten years ago, I would wear these boots overseas in my career.” Western United midfielder Angus Thurgate called them “the comfiest boots I’ve ever worn”.

The mural moment

Richmond was chosen for the mural because of its location. The suburb sits at the centre of Melbourne’s sporting precinct, five minutes’ walk from the MCG and AAMI Park. It is already home to murals of AFL players. Rowena Corner Store owner Con, who agreed to host the artwork, had previously welcomed murals of Dusty Martin and an AFLW player.

“We didn’t have access to Harry because he was in the US competing,” brand director Rishi said. “We couldn’t do a photoshoot. So we had to be clever. The best ideas come from real time, aligned with what the public discourse looks like. Once we saw his Wikipedia page updated to refer to him as the Minister of Defence, we knew we could play into this.”

Ledge incorporated an existing window into the design to create a net behind Souttar’s figure. The mural appeared the morning of the Paraguay match, when Australia’s clean sheet sent them into the knockout phase.

The World Cup provided a massive backdrop. The Socceroos’ run captivated the nation: 4.84 million Australians tuned in to the Paraguay match, making it the most-watched World Cup match in SBS history at the time, with an average audience of 3.086 million . The final reached 5.26 million viewers, and cumulative tournament reach hit 18.04 million— 64 per cent of Australia’s population. SBS director of sport Ken Shipp said: “We’ve never seen engagement at this level.” Mizuno spent comparatively little and had Channel 7 and Channel 9 on site.

The commercial question

For a brand with limited marketing firepower, organic PR coverage is the prize. The question for the company’s Oceania division, still in growth mode, is whether a mural and a handful of player endorsements can convert into sustained commercial traction. Retail partnerships with Ultra Football, which has created a dedicated Mizuno space at its Melbourne store, suggest the company is thinking beyond campaigns.

Mizuno’s European expansion has taken a different path. The company signed a five-year deal to become AS Monaco’s technical equipment partner from the 2025-26 season, its first entry into Ligue 1. It already has a presence in Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A. In Australia, institutional partnerships are harder to secure. The approach has been slower: build through athletes, then through community, then through culture.

The Queensland government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mizuno in March 2026 to explore the Japan-Australia Sports & Health Innovation Exchange (JASHIE), a two-year partnership focused on sport and health innovation . The agreement supports Queensland’s preparations for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The mural campaign reflected a broader trend in sporting brand marketing, where IP restrictions and athlete availability increasingly demand creative solutions. “I love what Levi’s did because they were able to lean into their brand codes and tell what I believe to be the most memorable advertising story from the World Cup,” Rishi said. “This is a different page out of fundamentally the same playbook.”

Mizuno’s boots are not cheap. The Made-in-Japan models retail well above competitors’ offerings. The brand’s pitch rests on quality and heritage, not price or volume. That is a harder sell in a country where discounting dominates and cost-of-living pressures are squeezing households.

The Souttar mural will eventually fade or be painted over. Mizuno is betting that by the time it does, enough Australian football fans will have noticed the three stripes’ quieter rival.

Bentleigh Greens and Metricon Bring Local Business Community Together Through Networking Initiative

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Image Credit: One-Nil Media

Bentleigh Greens FC has reinforced its commitment to supporting its community beyond football, partnering with Metricon Homes to host a business networking evening designed to strengthen relationships between local businesses, sponsors and club stakeholders.

 

A unique setting for meaningful connections

Held inside one of Metricon’s display homes, the Bentleigh Greens Business Networking Night welcomed around 60 local business owners, club partners and community leaders for an evening focused on connection, collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Rather than a traditional function space, Metricon opened the doors of one of its display homes, creating a unique networking environment that highlighted how the space could be transformed into a premium venue while providing guests with a relaxed setting to build professional relationships.

The event reflects a growing trend across community football, where clubs are increasingly positioning themselves as platforms for business engagement and local economic development, alongside their role in delivering participation opportunities on the pitch.

Guests also heard from strategic futurist Marcus Barber, who delivered a presentation examining the growing influence of artificial intelligence on modern business. His insights encouraged attendees to consider how emerging technologies are reshaping industries and the importance of preparing for future change.

 

Creating value beyond sponsorship

While commercial outcomes were never the primary objective, the evening was designed to create long-term value by fostering meaningful relationships between businesses connected to the Bentleigh Greens community.

Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with several attendees already establishing new contacts and beginning discussions around potential collaborations.

The initiative also highlights Metricon’s broader commitment to supporting local communities beyond residential construction. By partnering with Bentleigh Greens and providing the venue, the company helped facilitate an event that encouraged learning, networking and stronger community connections.

 

Football clubs as community business hubs

For community football clubs, initiatives such as these demonstrate how partnerships can extend beyond traditional sponsorship models. By creating opportunities for local businesses to engage with one another, clubs can strengthen their commercial networks while delivering tangible value to sponsors and the wider community.

As football clubs continue to explore new ways of engaging stakeholders off the field, events like the Bentleigh Greens Business Networking Night illustrate how sport can serve as a catalyst for meaningful business relationships and long-term community growth.

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