New Zealand Football have partnered with Kiwi technology company Sportsground Ltd, and the Sporty platform, to deliver their national player registration and competition management system, upgrading the administration of the over 176,000 players that take part in Aotearoa’s biggest team participation sport. 

The move comes following a review of New Zealand Football’s digital services, with feedback from clubs, federations, and participants, with the new platform set to be introduced from 1 January 2026 ahead of the 2026 football season. 

The change will see New Zealand Football make extended services from the Sporty platform available for free to all of the over 400 clubs in the football system, including increased access to a range of services such as: club player registrations, club member management, competition management, website CMS, and Game Day App for digital team sheets and live scoring, and accounting integration. 

Alongside New Zealand Football, the Sporty platform also services other leading sporting codes in Aotearoa New Zealand including Netball NZ, NZ Rugby League, Volleyball NZ, Touch NZ and many others.

Daniel Farrow, GM Community Football at New Zealand Football said: 

“We are delighted to partner with Sportsground and Sporty to deliver our national player registration and competition management system.

“After an extensive project to review a range of potential suppliers, Sportsground, and their New Zealand-based team, put forward a really strong proposal which we feel will benefit the delivery of the game. 

“The opportunity to also learn and grow with Sportsground, and directly influence future development of their systems, is also something that really appeals to us. 

“The game is in a really exciting place right now at all levels, from surging community numbers to the All Whites returning to the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 16 years, so it is great to know we have partnered with an organisation aligned with our mission to continually to look to deliver the best possible experience for our participants.”

Mike Purchas at Sportsground said:

“The Sporty platform has already been adopted well by many in the football community. Our partnership with New Zealand Football will help ensure that future development of this technology continues to align well with the evolving needs of football.”

Ahead of the introduction of the new system on 1 January 2026, training sessions will be available to users in Q4 2025.

“New Zealand Football identified how important it is for Kiwi clubs to have local training and support. Our New Zealand based helpdesk team and community training workshops ensure clubs get the support they need, when they need it” Purchas said.    

For more information on the roll out of the new platform, please visit www.nzfootball.co.nz/sporty-implementation.

Article added: Friday 19 September 2025