Andrew Demetriou is to launch a new sports technology business to be run by ex-Football Federation Australia (FFA) supremo Ben Buckley.
The company, Beyond Boundaries Global, is backed by an Asian private equity firm and investors in Australia and India.
Mr Demetriou and Mr Buckley will both take a financial stake in the business that will have offices in Europe and Asia. Demetriou will become chairman and Buckley the CEO.
Speaking to The Australian, Demetriou said it was too early to reveal any details about the type of services the company will provide.
“It’s innovative and something different in a space that we think has some worldwide applications; we’re pretty excited about it,” he told News Corp.
Ben Buckley is a former North Melbourne vice-captain and sporting administrator and has worked for Foxtel since 2013. Prior to joining the FFA, Mr Buckley held senior marketing roles with the AFL and in the 1990s worked for Nike and Electronic Arts.
Demetriou played more than 100 games for North Melbourne and Hawthorn in the 1980s before leading the AFL Players Association. He became chief executive of the AFL in 2003.
With the global sports market estimated to be worth more than $205 billion according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (from combined gate revenue income, media rights, sponsorships, and merchandising), Beyond Boundaries is likely to focus on the commercial opportunities arising from the ongoing shift of sports to pay-TV, online coverage and the popularity of events such as the 2016 Rio Olympics and Euro 2016 football tournament.
