New Delhi, March 11 -- Indian IT services major HCLTech has partnered with Hockey Victoria to develop a digital fan engagement platform for the newly formed Melbourne Cobras, an immigrant-led team set to join Australia's premier domestic competition, the Hockey One League.
The company said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday that it will design and build the digital platform to help the Cobras and Hockey Victoria deepen engagement with fans through interactive and personalised digital experiences.
The platform will offer match insights, interactive content and personalised features aimed at helping fans across India and Australia stay connected with the team. HCLTech said the initiative will leverage its experience in building digital engagement solutions for global sports organisations.
Hockey Victoria is the governing body for the sport in the state of Victoria and is affiliated with Hockey Australia. It already manages Melbourne's existing Hockey One franchise, HC Melbourne.
The Melbourne Cobras, however, represent a different experiment. The team has been conceived as an immigrant-led franchise built around the large South Asian community in Victoria, particularly the rapidly growing Indian diaspora.
The squad will bring together Indian international players alongside leading local talent, making it one of the first attempts in the sport to create a professional team centred on immigrant participation and identity.
Victoria is home to one of Australia's fastest-growing South Asian populations. Indians alone account for nearly half a million residents in the state, a number that industry estimates suggest could approach one million over the next 15-20 years.
HCLTech said the digital fan platform will help connect this diaspora audience with the team and create new engagement opportunities for hockey fans across both countries. Sonia Eland, executive vice president and country manager for Australia and New Zealand at HCLTech, said the company's experience in sports technology would help scale the initiative.
"We have helped leading sports organisations around the world build strong, scalable fan platforms, and we are excited to bring that experience here to create a more connected fan experience and help grow hockey across Australia and India," she said.
For Hockey Victoria, the launch of the Melbourne Cobras marks an effort to expand the sport's reach and reflect the multicultural character of the state's sporting community.
Andrew Skillern, chief executive officer of Hockey Victoria, said the new franchise represents a milestone for the sport in the region. "The launch of the Melbourne Cobras represents a defining moment for Hockey Victoria and for the future of our sport. From the outset, our vision was to build a team that reflects the diversity of our community," Skillern said.
The partnership also underscores a broader trend of Indian IT services firms expanding their presence in global sports technology and fan engagement platforms. For instance, Infosys has built a significant portfolio of technology partnerships with global sporting bodies, including the Association of Tennis Professionals, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the Australian Open, where it provides digital analytics, AI-powered insights and fan engagement tools.
Similarly, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has long partnered with marquee sporting events such as the TCS New York City Marathon and the TCS London Marathon, delivering race technology platforms, data analytics and digital runner engagement tools.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from TechCircle.