A new player registration and competition management system will be introduced by national body New Zealand Football from January 2026.
New Zealand Football say the system will be provided free to more than 400 clubs, providing better administration of the more than 176,000 players who take part in the country’s biggest team participation sport.
The move follows a partnership between NZF, Kiwi technology company Sportsground Ltd, and the Sporty platform.
The switch from the COMET system follows 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 January 1, 2026, ahead of the next winter football season.
NZF say the changes will deliver increased access to a range of services such as:
Club player registrations.
Club member management.
Competition management.
Website content management.
A game day app for digital team sheets and live scoring.
Accounting integration.
The Sporty platform also services other leading sporting codes in Aotearoa New Zealand, including Netball NZ, NZ Rugby League, Volleyball NZ, Touch NZ and others.
Daniel Farrow, general manager of community football at New Zealand Football said: “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.”
Sportsground’s Mike Purchas 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.”
Training will be available to users of the new system in the last quarter of 2025.
“New Zealand Football identified how important it is for Kiwi clubs to have local training and support,” Purchas said.
“Our New Zealand-based helpdesk team and community training workshops ensure clubs get the support they need, when they need it.”
This story was first published on September 23, 2025.