STATSports Apex Athlete: Track like a Pro

In the world of modern football, data is king. And while professional clubs have long used GPS wearables to analyse every sprint and tactical movement, young players have often been left behind until now. The Apex Athlete Series by STATSports is changing the game, bringing elite-level tracking technology into the hands of aspiring footballers across Australia and beyond.

Already FIFA-approved for match use, the Apex wearable has become the most advanced and reliable performance tracker available to grassroots athletes. Whether you’re aiming for a professional career or simply looking to take your game to the next level, this is the kind of tool that bridges the gap between weekend warrior and world-class competitor.

A Wearable Built for Serious Footballers

The Apex Athlete Series isn’t just another piece of fitness tech. It’s the same technology trusted by clubs in the English Premier League and national teams around the globe, tailored for accessibility. Designed to capture every training session and match in detail, it gives players an unmatched level of insight into their performance.

From total distance covered and max speed to high-speed running and intensity levels, Apex provides a clear picture of how hard you’re working and where you can improve. It’s football data — but for real people.

Real-Time Stats

One of Apex’s standout features is its ability to deliver real-time insights across 16 core metrics. That includes everything from sprint counts and heat maps to strain levels and positional data. The platform also benchmarks individual performance against standards seen at academy and professional levels, helping players understand what’s required to rise through the ranks.

And it doesn’t stop at the numbers. With a beautifully designed mobile app, players can view post-session breakdowns instantly and track progression over time. It’s intuitive, detailed and made to empower development from the ground up.

Introducing Pro Score – A New Way to Measure Your Game

Forget fantasy football ratings — Pro Score is a revolutionary new feature that distils all your data into one easy-to-understand performance rating. Each STATSports ambassador, including the likes of Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, has their own Pro Score, giving players real-world targets to chase.

As your fitness, workload and match intensity improve, so does your score. For younger athletes, it provides a motivational benchmark that tracks genuine, physical development — not opinion, not guesswork, just performance.

See the Bigger Picture with Performance Trends

The Apex app isn’t just about short-term wins. It’s built to help athletes and coaches see the bigger picture. With trend tracking over weeks, months and even seasons, players can monitor training loads, recovery, and intensity to ensure sustainable development.

Whether you’re preparing for finals or managing your off-season, these insights help you train smarter and avoid the risk of overtraining or injury.

Compete Against the World

With global leaderboards built directly into the platform, Apex adds a competitive edge that few other wearables can offer. Players can compare their stats with others from around the world across categories like max speed, high-speed running and total distance.

And if your numbers are good enough, you might just find yourself ranked alongside some of the fittest players in the game. It’s a social, gamified layer of performance analysis — and it’s incredibly motivating.

Impressive study results

Recent studies have backed up Apex’s impact on performance. After just six weeks of using the device, players saw an average increase of 9.4% in max speed, 13.6% in high-speed running, and 12.3% in match intensity.

Those aren’t small gains. They’re game-changers for players looking to step up and stay ahead.

The Only Wearable with Flawless Live Data

Where most wearables lag or drop out during intense action, Apex delivers 100% identical live and post-session data quality. That level of precision allows coaches and players to make instant decisions with full confidence.

Multiple coaches can even monitor different players or full squads simultaneously, each with access to their own live dashboard. Whether you’re coaching a junior academy or managing a senior side, the system scales to suit your needs.

Conclusion

The Apex Athlete Series by STATSports is more than just a wearable — it’s a complete performance ecosystem. By combining elite-grade data with real-world usability, it empowers the next generation of footballers to understand, monitor and improve their game like never before.

In an increasingly competitive sporting landscape, tools like Apex aren’t a luxury — they’re a necessity. For players, coaches and parents who are serious about long-term development, this is the future of football performance tracking.

 

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Why Australia is unlikely to host a Men’s World Cup in the near future

In December of last year, Saudi Arabia was officially announced as the host nation for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

This makes them the fourth country from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to host the tournament—following Japan and South Korea in 2002, and more recently, Qatar in 2022.

What stood out about Saudi Arabia’s selection, though, was the lack of competition—they ended up being the only country to submit a formal bid.

Australia, a fellow AFC member nation had initially expressed interest in hosting the 2034 World Cup, but with Saudi Arabia heavily investing in their bid and momentum clearly shifting in their favor, Australia chose to step back.

Instead, they redirected their focus toward hosting the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup—an event they were awarded in 2024—and the 2029 Club World Cup.

This isn’t the first time Australia has tried to bring the World Cup Down Under. Back in 2010, they launched a bid to host the 2022 tournament.

However, it ended in disappointment—they received just one vote in the first round, while Qatar controversially secured hosting rights under what many described as “suspicious circumstances.”

Now, 15 years after that failed bid, and with Saudi Arabia next in line to host, it seems increasingly unlikely that Australia will get a World Cup anytime soon. And there are several reasons why that might be the case.

Cost Factor

One of the major reasons Australia may not host a men’s FIFA World Cup in the near future is due to the enormous cost involved in staging the tournament.

According to Statista, Qatar spent a staggering $220 billion USD ($342 billion AUD) to host the 2022 World Cup, making it the most expensive edition in the tournament’s history.

This was largely due to Qatar needing to build much of the necessary infrastructure from scratch.

Even so, previous World Cups have still come with hefty price tags.

Russia spent around $11.6 billion USD ($18 billion AUD) to host the 2018 tournament, while Brazil’s 2014 World Cup cost about $15 billion USD ($23 billion AUD).

In fact, the last men’s World Cup to cost under $1 billion USD ($1.56 billion AUD) was the 1994 tournament held in the United States.

In contrast, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup—co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand—had a far more modest price tag.

According to FIFA’s bid evaluation report, the tournament was expected to cost around $150 million AUD, with just over $100 million AUD contributed by governments.

Not only does the Women’s World Cup cost significantly less to host, but many of the stadiums and infrastructure acceptable for the women’s tournament would fall short of FIFA’s stricter requirements for the men’s event.

To meet those higher standards, Australia would need to make substantial upgrades, adding further to the cost.

Beyond the economic risks, there’s also a broader question of national priorities.

Australia may ultimately decide that the billions required to secure and host a men’s World Cup could be better invested elsewhere—into areas that deliver more lasting and equitable benefits for the population.

For example, upgrading the nation’s public health system, affordable housing initiatives, education infrastructure, and climate resilience projects are all pressing needs that demand long-term funding and attention.

Investments in regional transport networks, Indigenous community support, and renewable energy development could arguably provide a stronger return on investment in terms of social and economic outcomes.

Given these competing priorities and the immense cost of hosting, Australia may find that the pursuit of a men’s FIFA World Cup is a luxury it simply can’t justify—at least not in the foreseeable future.

Rival Interest

Rival nations within the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) would play a major role in limiting Australia’s chances of hosting a Men’s FIFA World Cup.

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, and the competition to host it is incredibly fierce.

Countries go to great lengths to secure hosting rights, especially within the AFC, where Arab nations in particular have been extremely proactive.

One major factor is the concept of sportswashing—the practice of using sports to improve a country’s global image, often as a way to divert attention from human rights issues or political controversies.

This has become especially common in the Middle East over the past decade.

Between early 2021 and mid-2023, Saudi Arabia alone reportedly spent $6.3 billion on sportswashing efforts, including around 300 sponsorship deals.

Their investments span across numerous sports: boxing, motorsport, snooker, golf, ATP tennis, cricket, and even the America’s Cup sailing regatta.

However, football has been their biggest focus.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s top-tier football league—the Saudi Pro League (SPL)—has emerged as Asia’s most high-profile domestic competition.

This rise in prominence has largely been driven by the league signing world-famous players to extremely lucrative contracts.

The most notable example is Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the most recognisable athlete on the planet, who joined Al Nassr on a deal reported to be worth around $207 million USD (approximately $322 million AUD) per season.

But Saudi influence in football isn’t limited to their domestic league. They’ve also hosted major international club competitions.

For instance, five of the last six editions of the Supercopa de España—a tournament featuring the top Spanish clubs—have been held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital.

Now it’s not just the World Cup, looking at the AFC Asian Cup, the premier men’s international football tournament in Asia, three of the last four editions were hosted by Arab nations.

Qatar alone hosted it twice during that period and Saudi Arabia is also set to host the 2027 edition.

So, Australia faces stiff competition within the AFC for the rights to host a World Cup—particularly from wealthy and politically influential Arab nations that have a proven track record of securing major football events.

The last FIFA World Cup (2022) was held in Qatar, and the next AFC host is Saudi Arabia and based on the current pattern, it wouldn’t be surprising if another Arab nation—such as the UAE—secured the next opportunity after that.

Location

One major factor that could affect Australia’s chances of hosting a men’s FIFA World Cup is its geographical location.

Because Australia is so far from Europe and the Americas—where most of the global football audience is—many matches would air at inconvenient times in those regions, potentially lowering TV viewership.

This issue was already evident during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

According to FIFA, the final between Spain and England reached 222.02 million viewers.

That’s a noticeable drop compared to the 2019 final in France, where the USA faced the Netherlands and drew 263.62 million viewers.

A decline like this in viewership could make FIFA and its broadcasting partners think twice about holding a men’s World Cup in Australia.

Speaking of broadcasting, broadcast rights are another concern with time zone differences potentially reducing the value of international broadcast deals, since matches wouldn’t air during prime hours in key markets.

In fact, ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, FIFA reportedly missed its target for selling broadcast rights by about $100 million USD ( $155 million AUD), according to the Wall Street Journal.

FIFA had hoped to bring in $300 million USD ($466 million AUD), but only managed around $200 million USD ($310 million AUD).

It even reached a point where FIFA president Gianni Infantino warned of a possible TV blackout across Europe unless broadcasters increased their offers.

All of this shows how Australia’s remote location could seriously impact global viewership and broadcasting revenue, making it a tougher sell as a host for a future men’s World Cup.

Conclusion

So, in light of these financial, geopolitical, and logistical challenges, it’s clear that the odds of Australia hosting a FIFA World Cup remain firmly stacked against them—making another failed bid not just possible, but increasingly probable.

Given the significant financial demands, complex geopolitical dynamics, and substantial logistical hurdles involved, it becomes increasingly evident that Australia faces an uphill battle in its pursuit of hosting a FIFA World Cup.

These compounding challenges not only diminish the likelihood of a successful bid in the near future, but also raise the probability that any renewed attempt could end in yet another disappointment.

Minns Labor Government announces commitment to women’s football legacy.

The Minns Labor Government has announced an investment of $400,000 towards women’s football as a bonus of NSW hosting 11 games at the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

The NSW Football Legacy Program includes five key initiatives designed to grow and support women’s football at every level, ensuring a lasting impact from NSW hosting matches during the tournament — including the Final at Stadium Australia on 21 March.

Here’s what the program offers:

  • Women in Leadership Program: Designed to boost confidence and leadership skills among women in football, helping them step into or grow in leadership roles while building a strong network of advocates for the game.
  • Body Image and Wellbeing Program: Aimed at female players aged 13 to 18 in the National Premier League, this initiative focuses on promoting healthy body image and overall wellbeing.
  • Flexible Football Initiative: Introduces more accessible and adaptable ways for women to get involved in grassroots football, removing traditional barriers to participation.
  • Coach and Referee Mentor Program: Helps develop a strong network of female coaches and referees by pairing them with experienced mentors, creating role models and encouraging more women to take on these important roles.
  • First Nations Football: Supports young First Nations footballers (aged 14–16) and coaches by providing opportunities to train and grow in high-performance environments.

Minister for Sport Steve Kamper stated that the Minns Labor Government aims to build on the success of recent women’s football events to create a lasting, inclusive legacy for women and girls in NSW through the NSW Football Legacy Program.

“Women’s sport has seen tremendous growth and success in recent years, including the unforgettable performances of the Matildas at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023,” Kamper said in a press release.

“The Minns Labor Government wants to ensure that the momentum from that tournament and NSW’s hosting of 11 games at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ leaves a lasting legacy for women’s football in NSW at all levels.

“The initiatives delivered through the NSW Football Legacy Program will ensure football is a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for women and girls to play the World Game.”

Football NSW CEO John Tsatsimas welcomed the NSW Government’s support, saying it will help make football more accessible, safe, and inclusive for women and girls as Football NSW works toward gender parity.

“Football NSW has experienced unprecedented growth in female football and we are delighted with the NSW Government’s continued commitment to our game,” Tsatsimas said in a press release

“The initiatives being supported, including the Empower Her body image and wellbeing program, will help to ensure that football is an accessible, safe and enjoyable sport for women and girls across the state.

“We look forward to seeing the impact of these new and expanded programs over the coming years as Football NSW continues towards the goal of gender parity in our game.”

The $400,000 investment and the initiatives within the NSW Football Legacy Program mark a significant step forward in strengthening women’s football across the state.

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