Off the Pitch Podcast: Alex Grant on INTIX’s ticketing solutions

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Image credit: INTIX website

Founder and CEO of INTIX, Alex Grant was the key guest in episode two of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch podcast to discuss INTIX’s rise from a young Australian startup to one of the nation’s premier ticketing solutions.

Grant founded INTIX in 2017 to address the problems he saw that event operators, leagues and clubs had with their outdated ticketing methods, or their reliance on ticketing organisations which held a stranglehold over their finances and customer data. To combat these rampant issues, INTIX utilised modern technology to revitalise and simplify how ticketing is done for event operators, whilst offering instant access to revenue and data from their ticket sales.

It has proven a successful strategy for the company, with INTIX achieving highly desirable partnerships with key names such as the Tasmania JackJumpers in the NBL and Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Most notably, INTIX kicked off an important collaboration with Football Victoria in the middle of last year.

Grant explained how INTIX was approaching the unique challenges of ticketing across Victoria’s state leagues as the organisation prepared for one of the biggest years in NPL history.

“It was a lot of learning on our side,” he said on the podcast.

“We spend a lot of time learning about a person’s event; how they were doing things previously, maybe without technology. For us, it’s very much a process of not just coming in and saying this is what you should be doing, this is the best way. It’s year one, let’s use our technology and provide a very similar experience to the customer, to what you what you were offering previously.”

“I think particularly at most levels there’s still this want to just turn up on the day and access the event. So, it’s having our system set up to facilitate that and give the customer the same experience, so that next year, you can sort of bring them on this journey.

“We want to get to best practice, but we’re not just going to ostracize everyone straight away, we’re going to bring people on the journey.”

To learn more about how INTIX is tackling the challenges of implementing its tech network across Victoria, listen to the full interview with CEO Alex Grant on episode two of the Off the Pitch podcast by Soccerscene; available on all major podcasting apps.

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Capital Football Introduces Pink Armband to Protect Junior Referees

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Image Credit: Marist Canberra FC

Capital Football has launched a visible identification program for referees under 18, requiring them to wear a pink armband during matches. It’s intended to build awareness surrounding the concern across Australian football about the abuse driving young officials out of the game.

The Pink Armband Initiative, effective immediately across Capital Football’s competitions in the ACT and surrounding region, makes junior referees identifiable to players, coaches and spectators. The federation says the marker is designed to set clear behavioural expectations and signal that many match officials are minors still developing their skills.

Capital Football acknowledged a referee crisis as far back as 2022, at which point it restructured its entire referee department in partnership with Football Australia. The pink armband program is the latest layer of that response; this time by targeting the cultural conditions on match day rather than systems of recruitment and pay.

A problem that spans codes and states

Research has consistently linked referee abuse to declining retention rates, with officials quitting in growing numbers due to sustained mistreatment, a trend researchers warn will reduce the pool of skilled match officials available at all levels of the game. Studies also show that young, less experienced referees are disproportionately likely to be subject to abuse.

Capital Football is not alone in reaching for a visible solution. Similar programs operate across Football Queensland, Football South Australia, Football South Coast and several other federations, while Basketball Victoria and Basketball South Australia have adopted comparable measures through the Green Whistle initiative. The spread of these programs across codes and states reflects a shared administrative problem: many grassroots referees are teenagers and volunteers who do not officiate for money but because they love the game, and abuse is eroding that foundation.

For a federation overseeing nearly 29,000 registered players, fewer referees means fewer matches. Fewer matches means reduced participation. The pink armband is a low-cost intervention with structural consequences if it works.

Compliance and competition: Everton ordered to pay compensation following major verdict

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Image credit: JSvideos / Shutterstock.com

In a landmark decision by the Premier League Independent Disciplinary Commission, Everton must now pay Burnley upwards of AUD 66 million (£35 million) after breaching financial rules in the 2021-22 season.

Behind the verdict

Playing in the Premier League is, in itself, one of the most lucrative positions for a club to be in. This year’s Championship Play-off final – a contest deemed ‘the richest match in football’ – guaranteed winners Hull City a revenue uplift of AUD 389 million (£205 million) according to Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.

It is no wonder, therefore, why teams are so desperate to stay at the top of the pyramid, especially given that relegation can lead to heavy financial hits in revenue, wage reduction and transfer spending power.

Competition is certain – and the football is all the better for it. But when this competitive edge overtakes compliance, what happens off the field is just as impactful.

In 2023, the Premier League charged Everton with breaching financial rules during the 2021-22 season – the same season which saw the Toffees finish just four points above relegated Burnley. Everton received an initial 10-point deduction, which ultimately decreased to six points on appeal.

That season, Everton stayed up. But for Burnley, had the points deduction come at an earlier date, their survival in the top-flight may have been secured.

 

What did the ruling find?

In its verdict, the Premier League’s Independent Disciplinary Commission deemed that Everton gained a competitive advantage over Burnley as a result of financial breaches.

Burnley will now receive AUD 66 million (£35 million) in compensation from Everton, although the Merseyside club will appeal the  commission’s decision.

“This ruling sets a dangerous and unworkable precedent for English football, given it is constructed on a principle that a club can be in breach of financial rules at any point in a financial year,” Everton said via an official club statement.

Burnley, on the other hand, reaffirmed its position that the case was a question of fair play and ensuring a level playing field.

“Our action has always been about making football fair,” the club said via an official statement.

“Clubs that comply with the rules deserve to compete on a level playing field. Fans deserve it. The sport demands it.”

 

The impact of the case

This is a landmark decision which may have profound effects on the future of financial compliance in English football.

In the past, financial breaches remained within the realm of just that – finances. But with the ruling between Everton and Burnley, it now opens up further questions on what compliance is actually worth in the game.

And whether future investigations may lead to similar – or even higher – compensation packages to affected clubs.

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