American Football Australia partners with PlayHQ to launch new app and registration platform
American Football Australia (AFA), the national governing body for both tackle and flag football, and PlayHQ, a global leader in competition management platforms, have entered a strategic partnership that sees AFA adopt PlayHQ as its technology partner.
In a major leap forward, the partnership introduces a mobile app and connected web platform for the AFA community, making registration, payments and competition management easier for participants, clubs and states as the sport continues to scale across the country.
The partnership arrives at a pivotal moment for the sport in Australia. As the national and international profile of American football continues to rise, it has become one of the fastest-growing sporting markets in the country, buoyed by a fanbase of more than 8.8 million people. With Melbourne having hosted its first regular-season NFL game in September, participation is accelerating across Australia, and a connected platform with an intuitive mobile app provides AFA the structure and scale to convert that momentum into sustainable grassroots growth.
Alongside registration and competition management, AFA and its member states and clubs will have access to AnalyticsHQ, the platform's native reporting and analytics dashboard, producing stronger participation data to inform decision-making across the sport.
As part of the platform’s launch, onboarding and training for states and clubs is being streamlined through PlayHQ's in-platform AI assistant, increasing the efficiency of platform adoption amongst AFA member states and the community.
Wade Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of American Football Australia, said:
"PlayHQ is a market leader and we are pleased they share the same vision of extraordinary growth for our sport in the coming years. PlayHQ takes administrative load off our volunteers, gives families a simpler and more flexible way to register and pay, and gives us the data we need to make good decisions as the sport develops across the country, from grassroots clubs through to our high-performance pathways."
Tim MacKinnon, Chief Executive Officer of PlayHQ, said:
"American Football Australia came to us with a clear goal: to build the foundations to grow the sport at scale. We are pleased to be their technology partner, providing a platform built for grassroots sport that gives administrators and volunteers time back, and gives players a straightforward experience from the moment they register."
AFA evaluated its options before selecting PlayHQ, weighing each system against administrative efficiency, competition management, payment flexibility, data and reporting, and participant experience. PlayHQ emerged as the platform best placed to meet AFA's current needs while supporting its long-term growth.
For participants, PlayHQ introduces a modern mobile and online experience where players and families can register, manage payments, access schedules and stay connected to their clubs from any device, reducing barriers to getting on the field while giving AFA a direct relationship with its community.
Will Saxby, Head Coach of the Brisbane Rhinos men's tackle team, said:
"The new team management platform is a huge step up. It's very user-friendly, and getting our team lists done on game day is easy, with no hurdles in the way. The admin side is simple to use and gives us a lot of flexibility with payments, which at a small club level is half the battle. Overall, it's been a great experience so far."
The web platform and participant app are now live for AFA's 2026 season, with the app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. The phased rollout continues, with AFA and PlayHQ working alongside member states and clubs to support administrators and volunteers through onboarding and training.
The partnership strengthens AFA's ability as a national body to serve the American football community, including its participants, administrators, clubs and member states across the country
For help downloading and using the AFA app, visit our registration FAQs at americanfootball.org.au/registration.
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Stay up to date on American Football in Australia, follow @americanfootballau on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
For more information on American football in Australia, visit americanfootball.org.au
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Media contact
Brock Bentley Chief Marketing Officer, American Football Australia
American Football Australia
American Football Australia (AFA) is the national governing body for American Football in Australia, recognised by the Australian Sports Commission and a full member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). AFA is responsible for national competitions and the development of Australian national teams across both tackle and flag football.
PlayHQ
PlayHQ is a competition management platform partnering with leading sports organisations across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, including Basketball England, Basketball Australia, Australian Football League, Netball Australia, Cricket Australia, Cricket New Zealand, and Hockey New Zealand. Developed from five years of feedback, supporting over 11 million registrations and over 100,000 administrators and volunteers, PlayHQ is on a mission to unlock the life-changing power of grassroots sport by driving participation and engagement. The cloud-based platform simplifies registration, payments, competition management, live scoring, results, websites, apps and participant engagement for millions of players, parents, coaches, volunteers, and administrators. For more information, visit get.playhq.com
