At Playbk Sports, our mission has always been simple: create real impact through sport, education and technology. That mission is deeply aligned with the Australian Sports Commission’s Play Well Strategy, which champions inclusion, lifelong participation, collaboration and innovation across the sport ecosystem.
We’re proud that our work already delivers on key pillars of Play Well. From empowering local communities to building strategic digital infrastructure for some of Australia’s most recognised sports brands, Playbk Sports is a trusted partner at the intersection of education, sport and technology.
This alignment is no accident. Our co-founders, Damian Hecker and Jon Shepherd, spent over a decade collectively working at the Australian Sports Commission, including during the formative years of programs like Active After Schools Community Program, now Sporting Schools. That experience, combined with professional sporting backgrounds, coach education and a track record in digital innovation, positions Playbk Sports as a valuable extension of any National Sporting Organisation (NSO).
Driving Lifelong Involvement Through Learning
One of the Play Well Strategy’s key goals is “driving lifelong involvement.” That’s a direct fit for Playbk Sports approach to education technology building learning pathways that meet people where they are and grow with them over time.
Take our work with AusCycling. In partnership, we developed AusBike Digital, a curriculum-aligned bike education program now accessed by over 26,000 students across Australia. With micro-courses, on-bike activities and online resources, the program offers entry-level exposure to cycling that supports teachers, engages kids and promotes safe riding habits. This is not a one-off initiative; it’s a scalable, sustainable program designed to evolve with the sport’s needs.
Equity and Inclusion in Action
Another Play Well priority is “equitable access.” In 2021, we proudly launched a first-of-its-kind Inclusive Sport Academy in collaboration with Special Olympics Australia. Backed by sector leaders and shaped through co-design, today, this online learning experience empowers over 9,000 educators and coaches across a suite 22 courses to better support athletes with intellectual disabilities, unlocking new levels of access and confidence for participants and deliverers alike.
Read Inclusive Sport Academy. A Vision for 2025
Empowering Volunteers, Supporting Growth
Volunteers remain the lifeblood of community sport, and Playbk Sports is actively strengthening this space. Our most recent example is a national eLearning partnership with Little Athletics Australia.
Together, we will launch a digital learning ecosystem that supports over 89,000 young athletes through programs like Introduction to Teaching Little Athletics Skills (ITLAS) and Tiny Tots. The program supports volunteers, teachers, and coordinators across Australia with engaging, accessible, and nationally consistent resources.
This partnership demonstrates how NSOs can use digital tools to reduce duplication, empower their communities and scale high-quality learning experiences across broad geographies, all priorities of the Play Well Strategy.
“Our partnership with Playbk Sports enables us to deliver consistent, high-quality eLearning to our volunteers and officials ensuring young athletes across Australia are supported by confident and well-prepared adults. Ultimately, this will strengthen participation, retention, and the long-term success of our sport.”
Myles Foreman, CEO at Little Athletics Australia
Read Little Athletics Australia x Playbk Sport partnership announcement.
Elite Sport Leading from the Front
While much of our work focuses on schools and grassroots participation, our partnerships with elite clubs have helped redefine what’s possible in the digital sport and learning landscape.
Whether it’s the Gold Coast SUNS using SUNS Learning to deliver wellbeing and leadership programs in schools, or the West Coast Eagles launching a skills, nutrition, and strength & conditioning Digital Academy via the club’s owned Learning Management System – Eagles Active. Playbk Sports also led the development of replacing an off-the-shelf website provider with a fully branded membership-focused website an improved customer digital experience.
The NFL is another standout example. Through the curriculum-aligned NFL FLAG PE Teacher Accreditation course, over 500 teachers are delivering a 6-week in-person program to an average of 83 students per school. That equates to more than 249,000 individual sessions embedding movement, teamwork and confidence through a sport kids love.
These partnerships reflect Play Well’s emphasis on:
- Customer experience
- Tech enabled participation
- Building connections across regions
- Innovation with real world outcomes
In partnership with Playbk Sports, organisations like the Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans, Brisbane Bullets and Brisbane Lions are also choosing to embed education and participation into their strategies, proving that digital engagement is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a core pillar of future-focused sport delivery.
“Australia’s Play Well Strategy is an ambitious and important step forward. At Playbk Sports, we’re proud that our work, whether at the elite level or in grassroots communities, already reflects many of its key principles. We look forward to helping even more organisations align their digital strategy with these national goals.”
Jon Shepherd, CEO and Co-founder at Playbk Sports
Ready to Align Your Strategy with Play Well?
If you’re an NSO, professional club or government agency looking to deliver scalable, measurable and meaningful learning experiences through sport, we’d love to talk.
Download our free LMS Planning Toolkit, an actionable resource to help plan your digital strategy with confidence.
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About Playbk Sports
Founded in 2015, Playbk Sports delivers innovative eLearning and fitness technology solutions to Australia’s leading sporting organisations. With expertise in both sport and education, we specialise in programs for schools, coach education, and academy pathways.
We’re trusted by top teams from the AFL, NRL, and NBL, and organisations including the NFL, AusCycling, and Special Olympics Australia. Our partnerships enhance fan engagement, empower communities and create sustainable commercial opportunities.
