New facility to be built for South Australia’s high performance athletes

Liam Watson

In a first during its 39-year history, the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) will finally have a headquarters to call home. A purpose-built facility will identify, develop and support high performance athletes and programs.

The new facility is included in the State Budget 2021-22, where $49 million will go towards its construction, to be located at Mile End next to the existing Netball SA Stadium.

Premier Steven Marshall explains that the new facility is part of a record $17.9 billion infrastructure spend spanning the next four years and will open up approximately 200 jobs throughout the development.

“This Budget builds on the Marshall Liberal Government’s strong economic recovery plan, to create more jobs, expand health services and deliver record investment in education and infrastructure,” Premier Marshall said.

“This landmark Budget is helping secure SA’s growing global reputation as one of the safest and most attractive places in the world to live, work and raise a family and this significant investment continues to position our great state as a premiere sporting destination.”

Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, Corey Wingard believes the introduction of SASI HQ will provide high-performance athletes access to new state-of-the-art training facilities and leading-edge integrated technologies to reach greater heights.

“SASI was Australia’s first state-based sports institute but has never had its own purpose-designed facility that is fit-for-purpose and for the past 21 years has operated out of the old Kidman Park High School,” Minister Wingard said.

“Despite that, South Australia has developed and produced some of the best athletes in the world and this investment will help build on that legacy.

“It will also help SASI to achieve its target of contributing at least 10% of Australia’s team medals at both the Olympics and Paralympics.

“This investment will also give our state greater opportunities to grow our economy by attracting national and international training camps and elite programs.”

The new SASI will feature the following:

  • Strength and conditioning gym capable of accommodating multiple sports and teams
  • Specially designed indoor court with smart technology
  • Sport specific ergometer training zones
  • Indoor bounding areas
  • Environment chamber for simulated heat, humidity and altitude stress training

Planning for the new facility will begin immediately, with construction hoped to start in 2022 and expected to be complete in mid-2023.

Previous ArticleNext Article

LaLiga and CANAL+ strengthen anti-piracy alliance across nearly 50 countries

Avatar
Image Credit: Shutterstock

LaLiga and CANAL+ have strengthened their partnership with a new anti-piracy agreement covering almost 50 countries. The deal spans Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti. It brings together the league’s anti-piracy capabilities with CANAL+’s technology, intelligence and enforcement resources. The move reflects a growing commercial priority for sports rights holders. Protecting live content has become essential to protecting the value of broadcasting deals.

LaLiga and CANAL+ will share intelligence and coordinate their response to illegal distribution networks. They will also work on joint investigations and enforcement activity. The partnership builds on an existing relationship between the two organisations. CANAL+ distributes LaLiga content across multiple international markets. The new agreement now takes their relationship beyond broadcasting.

The partnership creates a joint focus on protecting the underlying value of the rights being sold. While broadcasters invest heavily in football rights, illegal streaming undermines revenue and weakens the commercial proposition of legitimate broadcasters.

LaLiga’s latest figures highlight the importance of audiovisual income to professional clubs. Broadcast revenue across Spanish professional football fell 5.2% to $2.3 billion (1.43 billion Euros) in the 2024/25 season. Commercial revenue reached $2.4 billion (1.58 billion Euros) and became the largest revenue source.

Piracy therefore represents a direct business risk. Illegal access can reduce the value broadcasters place on future rights packages, ultimately affecting the money flowing back into clubs and competitions.

LaLiga and CANAL+ are responding by pooling resources. For CANAL+, the agreement also protects its investment in international sports rights. The broadcaster operates in nearly 70 countries and has expanded its relationship with LaLiga alongside its international growth. For LaLiga, stronger enforcement can help protect the value of its global media proposition.

The partnership also carries implications for the wider sports industry. Rights holders increasingly need technology, legal expertise and cross-border cooperation to tackle illegal distribution. The message is clear. Winning a rights deal is only part of the commercial battle. Sports organisations and broadcasters must also protect the content once it reaches the market.

LaLiga and CANAL+ are betting that closer cooperation can make that protection more effective. This agreement may provide a model for other leagues and broadcasters facing the same challenge.

Bordeaux face uncertain future after American investor withdrawal

Avatar
Image Credits: EuropeanBestDestinations.com

Girondins de Bordeaux face their biggest crisis yet after their exclusion from France’s national competitions was upheld and proposed investor Park Bench walked away from a takeover. The club is on the brink of liquidation after poor financial management and failed ownership takeovers. The Paris Administrative Court rejected Bordeaux’s appeal in August. The court backed the decision that prevents the club from playing in national competitions for the 2026-27 season. Bordeaux will therefore this season remain in Régional 1, the sixth tier of French football.

The ruling followed a financial dispute with French football’s financial regulator, the DNCG. Bordeaux had presented additional financial guarantees after its previous hearing. The court ruled that those commitments could not be considered as part of that procedure.

The decision has now had a major impact on the club’s ownership plans. Park Bench, the US investment group working with Sparta Capital, has withdrawn from its proposed takeover. The group said its offer depended on Bordeaux remaining in the national championships. With that condition no longer possible, Park Bench decided not to proceed.

The withdrawal leaves Bordeaux in a difficult position. The club had hoped new investment would provide financial stability and help rebuild its sporting operation. Instead, the failure of the takeover leaves the future of the six-time French champions uncertain. Bordeaux has already endured several years of financial problems. The club lost its professional status in 2024 after bankruptcy proceedings and a previous administrative relegation. It then rebuilt its senior team in the second and third tiers of French football.

The latest exclusion represents another major setback. Bordeaux now needs to find a way to keep the club operating outside the national leagues. That means securing funding, meeting its financial obligations and establishing a sustainable ownership structure. The threat of judicial liquidation now hangs over the club.

In a statement issued in late August, Bordeaux said it would explore every remaining legal option after the administrative court ruling. But with Park Bench no longer backing the proposed takeover, the club has fewer options available.

The next priority will be survival. Bordeaux must find new financial backing or another solution to protect the club from liquidation. For one of France’s most historic and successful clubs, the immediate target is no longer a return to Ligue 1. It is simply making sure there is a club left to climb back.

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend