Telstra has launched the Telstra Touch and Track technology, enabling blind and low vision fans to get behind their favourite team. The recent collaboration highlights the importance of integrating your brand in a way that adds value to the sport, rather than merely associating your brand’s name and logo with it.
The Telstra Touch and Track device represents a significant step forward for accessibility and inclusivity, enabling AFL fans with limited or no vision to follow matches live at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium through touch.
As described by Telstra’s product and technology executive Marty McGrath, “the technology translates the movement of the ball on-field to a Wi-Fi-enabled Telstra Touch and Track tablet that leverages the speed and low latency of our network.
“Fans with a vision impairment can then follow the action with their fingers by using a small metal ring on a trackpad that replicates the ball’s movement.”
The device not only allows people with a vision impairment to follow the ball, but it also utilises specific vibrations to inform the user exactly what is happening in the game. For example, the entire device vibrates for four seconds when a team scores a goal, which differs from a behind, as the device only vibrates for two seconds in that case.
Remarkably, Telstra takes the vibrations further, as they range from easily identified home team mark vibrations, to even a vibration that signifies a change of possession. This incredible insight will enable vision-impaired fans to be included in the action like never before.
Before the device was rolled out, Shaun Keath, a passionate Western Bulldogs supporter who plays AFL Blind in the Victorian Blind Football League, trialled the device throughout the prototype phase.
Keath used to have to rely on headphones to listen to the commentary while at the ground to stay informed about what was going on. Unfortunately, he would have to sit alone in the stands to hear the commentary, resulting in the die-hard Bulldogs fan feeling isolated in an electric, packed-out stadium.
“It’s like finally being able to follow the game, not just the noise. It’s honestly pretty incredible to see how far the Telstra Touch and Track has come. As someone with low vision, it’s powerful to see this kind of technology giving our community the chance to not just hear or imagine the game, but to feel it unfold as it happens.
“I’ve always loved footy, and having it become more accessible means that more fans like me can be part of the action in a way we never could before,” he said.
Telstra generated awareness through a PR launch and a social media campaign.
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Brands Owning The AFL Space
Sports marketing is a highly competitive and saturated space. As a result, brands need to be able to stand out without being too intrusive. In the AFL, particularly, brands have found some success by integrating in a unique way that adds to the sport, rather than just fitting in with it.
Bunning’s, ‘Legend of the Tongs’
Leveraging Bunnings’ 11-year partnership with the AFL, ‘Legend of the Tongs’ rewards and recognises volunteers and their local clubs to ensure they are set up to support their players and raise funds. In a bid to stand out in the AFL, Bunnings is rewarding and recognising grassroots heroes, as they know “the heart of Australian rules footy lives in local communities.”
Launched at the start of the 2025 season, clubs nationwide were encouraged to nominate their local “BBQ legends” through a national competition hosted on the Bunnings website. The five winners yet to be announced will receive a BBQ prize pack for their club each week, including a Jumbuck 6-Burner BBQ and a Bunnings pop-up marquee.
Toyota’s ‘Good for Footy’
Since 2008, Toyota’s ‘Good for Footy’ program has helped thousands of local football clubs raise over $8 million to help support communities and leagues across Australia, through an annual raffle.
Last year, the raffle raised $1,242,865 across 913 grassroots clubs. This year, Toyota will be looking to beat that with extremely cheap five-dollar tickets, in which 100 per cent of the proceeds will go to the clubs.
A five-dollar ticket will get you in the running for three brand-new Toyota vehicles, private coaching clinics with AFL talent and exclusive 2025 AFL grand final tickets, with accommodation and travel included.
Telstra’s Touch and Track technology is a standout example of how brands can move beyond surface-level sponsorship to deliver genuine value to fans. By prioritising accessibility and inclusivity, Telstra has aligned itself with the AFL and, at the same time, it has enhanced the experience for an entire community of passionate supporters who have long been on the sidelines.
In a crowded sports marketing landscape, the brands that truly succeed are those that innovate with purpose, connect authentically, and leave a lasting impact on the game and its fans.
