LIGR helps power the inaugural Australian Championship with Football Australia as production gatekeeper

Leading Australia into a new broadcast era: LIGR designs and powers the graphics, broadcast engine and distribution stack for the Australian Championship alongside SBS and DoubleTake Sports.

Australia – 13 October 2025 — Football Australia today launches its bold new Australian Championship competition, bringing together clubs from across the nation under a unified second-tier format. LIGR has been appointed as the production gatekeeper, designing, building and deploying the entire broadcast graphics package and operational platform for the competition, in partnership with SBS, DoubleTake Sports and Football Australia.

Background & Strategic Context

The Australian Championship represents the first true second division in Australian football, aiming to bridge the gap between the A-League and state-level National Premier Leagues (NPL). More information is available on Wikipedia.

As part of its long-term broadcast strategy, Football Australia repositioned itself as a centralised "gatekeeper" for live production across multiple tiers of the game — from grassroots to premier competitions. Following a competitive RFP, LIGR and Crionet were appointed to deliver the end-to-end broadcast stack under this model. The initiative was announced in Football Australia's official statement and further covered by B&T.

LIGR's engagement spans every component of live production — from camera infrastructure (via partner DoubleTake Sports) to graphics, highlight generation, distribution and control via LIGR's broadcast operating system.

Scalability & Multi-tier Integration

Beyond the Australian Championship, LIGR's systems are designed to handle Football Australia's wider match portfolio — from NPL and youth competitions to national tournaments — under one unified production stack. The collaboration was profiled by LaSource.

Scope & Solution

• Broadcast Graphics & Branding — LIGR designed and implemented the Championship's broadcast graphics package to align with Football Australia's new competition identity, including score bugs, overlays, data panels, transitions and sponsor integrations.
• Production Workflow Integration — All matches, whether single-camera or multi-camera, feed into LIGR's cloud architecture, enabling centralised control of picture flow, graphics, replay management and switching logic.
• Highlights & Clip Automation — LIGR captures, edits and distributes highlight reels, full-match replays, mini-match packages and social-first clips through automated workflows.
• Distribution & Streaming — All match feeds are distributed through LIGR's low-latency streaming systems and production partners, ensuring consistent delivery to SBS, SBS On Demand and other destinations.
• Archiving, Replay & Metadata — Matches are automatically archived and indexed for future use, allowing quick retrieval for content creation and club-level access.

Broadcast & Rights Context

SBS has secured a multi-year deal to broadcast the Australian Championship, including free-to-air coverage of 18 matches and live streaming of every fixture on SBS On Demand. The partnership ensures nationwide access for fans while expanding visibility for clubs and sponsors alike.

In the Pacific Islands, live matches — including knockout rounds — will also be shown through Football Australia's partnership with PacificAus TV, further extending the Championship's international reach. Details of the deal were confirmed via Australian Championship.

Scale & Reach

The inaugural season, beginning 10 October 2025, features 16 clubs drawn from foundation members and NPL qualifiers. The format includes a group stage and knockout rounds culminating in a national grand final in December. The full schedule and competition structure were outlined by SBS and Wikipedia.

Benefits & Outcomes

• Professional-standard presentation — even smaller clubs benefit from broadcast-grade graphics, replay and content tools.
• Operational efficiency and scale — centralising workflows under one platform reduces duplication, lowers marginal cost per match and simplifies logistics.
• Commercial flexibility — standardised overlays, sponsor slots and monetisation options across the competition.
• Sustainability & future-proofing — designed to accommodate new competitions and evolving technologies such as AI-driven automation.
• Enhanced visibility & engagement — free, accessible live coverage gives the Championship and its clubs maximum audience reach and brand-building potential.

Quotes

"The Australian Championship marks a pivotal evolution in the national game. With LIGR as our gatekeeper, we have a unified, scalable and high-quality broadcast engine from day one." — Dave Edwards, Football Australia GM

"This project showcases precisely what LIGR is built for: deploying a modern broadcast stack from the ground up, enabling every club to benefit from top-tier content tools." — Luke McCoy, CEO, LIGR

About Football Australia

Football Australia is the governing body for football in Australia, responsible for the development, promotion and regulation of the sport at all levels. It oversees national teams, professional leagues, grassroots participation and strategic growth initiatives designed to strengthen football's presence both domestically and internationally. Through competitions like the Australian Championship, Football Australia aims to elevate player pathways, fan engagement and broadcast quality across the nation's football ecosystem.

About LIGR

LIGR (Live Graphic Systems) is a global leader in automated broadcast graphics and live sports production technology. Founded in Australia, LIGR enables leagues, clubs and broadcasters to deliver professional-grade live sports coverage at scale — without the traditional costs or complexity.

Through its Fuse broadcast operating system, LIGR powers graphics, data integration, automated highlights, low-latency distribution and centralised production control for thousands of matches worldwide each year. From grassroots to top-tier competitions, LIGR's mission is to democratise broadcast-quality production, making it accessible, affordable and commercially viable for every level of sport.

LIGR partners with some of the world's most forward-thinking sports organisations and broadcasters — including DAZN, Sportradar, Football Australia, ITF, AFL and IMGA — delivering scalable solutions that unlock new commercial opportunities and fan engagement models.