Off the Pitch Podcast: Cisco’s Expanding Role in Australia’s Sports and Entertainment Infrastructure

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Cisco’s footprint in Australia’s sporting landscape is growing rapidly, with the tech giant playing a key role in modernising stadium infrastructure across the country.

Cisco Systems, Inc. is a leading global technology company, founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, California.

The company focuses on designing, developing, and delivering networking hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, and a wide range of advanced technology solutions and services used across many industries worldwide.

With a strong international presence, Cisco has played a vital role in shaping and supporting digital infrastructure across Australia’s sports and entertainment sector, helping major venues stay connected, efficient, secure, and ready for the future.

In episode seven of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch podcast, Regional General Manager at Cisco Manny Spanoudakis shared insights into the various projects Cisco has been involved with across several stadiums in Australia.

“I guess if we just focus on the Australian market, there’s an abundance of projects we’ve been very fortunate to have great success with,” he said on the podcast.

“If I start in Perth, I guess, and work my way east, Optus Stadium is a major project, we’re just doing a major refresh there after the original opening in 2018, Adelaide Oval, another major customer of ours.

“Then as we come up into Sydney, I guess, we’ve got the Sydney Cricket Ground, Allianz Stadium, Accor Stadium up here as well, so that’s off the top of my head, the type of large venues.”

Spanoudakis also highlighted the wide range of projects Cisco has been involved in throughout Melbourne.

“The Melbourne Cricket Ground just underwent significant and is still undergoing significant technology upgrades. It’s a project and a customer we’ve worked on for well over a decade,” he said.

“Marvel Stadium, the Melbourne Olympic Park precinct, the VRC in Flemington, Kardinia Park and GMHBA Stadium and Melbourne Racing Club.

“So there’s a very strong, we have a very strong customer base in Melbourne.”

To hear and learn more about Cisco, you can listen to the full interview with Manny Spanoudakis on episode seven of Soccerscene’s Off the Pitch Podcast, available on all major podcasting apps and here.

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Netflix’s Women’s World Cup deal puts IMG’s technology in the spotlight

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Netflix’s first exclusive football deal will see the next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup at the centre of it’s live-sport strategy. The US-streaming service company has appointed IMG as its production partner for all 64 matches in Brazil, as well as more than 100 hours of live studio programming. The deal includes English and Spanish coverage for viewers within the US, and English and French-language coverage for those in Canada. IMG will also support Netflix’s coverage of the tournament’s draw in December.

The 2027 Women’s World Cup runs from June 24 to July 25 across eight host cities, and will be the first edition to feature 32 teams. The scale of the tournament makes it an ambitious first foray into sports broadcasting for Netflix – which means IMG’s involvement will be of great significance.

IMG’s production engine

IMG has built its reputation on producing and distributing live sport at scale. It’s Stockley Park, London facility includes broadcast studios, production galleries, edit suites and facilities for radio, podcasting, dubbing and visual effects. The company has worked across major properties including the Premier League, Major League Soccer and other international sporting events.

For a World Cup, this infrastructure provides more than a place to make television; it creates a central point where production teams can manage feeds, graphics, replays, commentary, editing and distribution while events are taking place thousands of kilometres away.

Remote production is the key

The most important technology for a tournament spread across eight Brazilian cities is connectivity. IMG has invested in remote-production workflows that allow production teams to work across locations, rather than putting every specialist inside each stadium. Its wider production operation has used fibre, satellite, cloud and IP-based connectivity to move live signals between venues and production centres.

That model can reduce the amount of equipment and specialist staff required at every venue while allowing senior producers, directors, replay operators and graphics teams to work from centralised facilities. IMG has also demonstrated long-distance IP production, including a 20,000-kilometre link between Tokyo and London that carried uncompressed, low-latency video. For Netflix, those capabilities are particularly relevant. The platform is building a single viewing experience for audiences in two markets, but the raw ingredients will come from stadiums spread across Brazil. A resilient network becomes just as important as the cameras themselves.

From stadium to stream

The technology chain does not end when the pictures leave the venue. A modern sports production operation has to manage ingest, replay, media asset management, graphics, audio, quality control, archiving and transmission. IMG’s facilities have been built around those workflows, with master control and transmission capabilities alongside post-production and archive operations.

That infrastructure also gives IMG the ability to turn the live tournament into a wider stream of content. A goal can become a replay, a highlight, a social clip or part of a studio package without waiting for the match to finish. For Netflix, that fits a platform built around on-demand discovery as much as live viewing.

A new test for Netflix

Netflix has already made a significant investment in football through documentaries and other programming. The 2027 Women’s World Cup takes it up a level. FIFA describes the agreement as the first competition Netflix has acquired in full, making the tournament a major test of its live sports operation. IMG therefore has a job that goes beyond producing 64 matches; it must help Netflix build the technical backbone for a month-long, multi-venue broadcast, while maintaining consistent production standards across languages and locations.

The viewer may simply press play and see a World Cup match appear instantly. Behind that button will be a complex network of cameras, connectivity, control rooms, production systems, people and data. That is the real significance of Netflix’s IMG deal: the streamer is bringing the tournament to its platform, but IMG is providing much of the machinery that can make a global football event feel seamless.

Oz Shipping Containers expands Newcastle Jets partnership with front-of-shirt move

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Newcastle Jets have upgraded their relationship with Oz Shipping Containers, with the Newcastle-based business becoming Principal Partner of the A-League Men’s team for the 2026/27 season.

The agreement represents a significant increase in the company’s involvement with the club, moving from a sleeve sponsorship last season to the front of the Jets’ men’s playing shirts.

Oz Shipping Containers will feature on the club’s home, away and goalkeeper kits throughout the campaign, giving the business a substantially larger presence across matchday, broadcast and club content.

The partnership also provides another example of the Jets developing commercial relationships with locally based businesses and increasing their investment over time.

Oz Shipping Containers specialises in the supply and modification of shipping containers, serving customers across residential, commercial and industrial markets.

Newcastle Jets Executive Chairman Maurice Bisetto said the club was excited to build on the existing partnership.

“It is great to continue our close association with a successful local business operating on a global stage,” Bisetto said.

The expanded partnership comes as the Jets prepare for a season that will include both A-League Men’s football and AFC Champions League Elite competition, increasing the club’s exposure across domestic and Asian markets.

For Oz Shipping Containers, the front-of-shirt position provides a much broader platform than its previous sleeve placement, putting the brand at the centre of the Jets’ visual identity throughout the season.

With the Jets entering a new campaign as defending Australia Cup champions and competing in Asia, Oz Shipping Containers will now have a significantly larger platform through which to build its association with the club.

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