CHARLOTTE, N.C. (July 16th, 2025) – Fastbreak AI, the company transforming sports operations with artificial intelligence, today announced a multi-year partnership with the National Rugby League (NRL), the premier professional rugby league competition in the world. The NRL will leverage Fastbreak’s industry-leading scheduling software platform, Fastbreak Pro Schedule, to manage its global fixture demands, optimize operational efficiency, and improve competitive balance across the league.
With matches played across multiple continents and time zones, the NRL faces one of the most complex scheduling challenges in sports. The league turned to Fastbreak AI to help streamline long-haul travel, align international broadcast windows, optimize venue availability, minimize player fatigue and improve fairness throughout the season to deliver a smarter, more balanced season structure.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said, “The NRL schedule is extremely complex and the Fastbreak platform will provide greater capability to balance the competing demands of major event planning, stadium conflicts, and team travel logistics.
“As we continue to expand domestically across Australia, and internationally in North America and throughout the South Pacific, our Fastbreak partnership will allow us to optimise the season schedule for the benefit of fans, players, and broadcasters.”
Fastbreak Pro Schedule automatically balances hundreds of rules and constraints, including team preferences, blackout windows, rest periods, venue availability and broadcast requirements when building a schedule. Once a schedule is generated, league officials can make manual adjustments using a drag-and-drop interface, with the platform providing real-time feedback to highlight the impact of each change and help resolve potential conflicts.
“Scheduling has become one of the most strategic levers a league has, impacting nearly every aspect of the organization,” Fastbreak AI CEO John Stewart said. “It’s empowering to know that the National Rugby League has trusted us to help tackle and optimize something this complex. We’re looking forward to working alongside the NRL for years to come and making a meaningful impact on the league, its teams, players and fans.”
Founded by experts in mathematical optimization, machine learning and AI, Fastbreak’s technology now powers more than 50 of the world’s top professional sports league schedules – including the NBA, NHL, NWSL and MLS. The company is backed by professional leagues including the NBA, NHL and TMRW Sports, as well as former NFL and NBA stars Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Olsen and Gordon Hayward.
About Fastbreak AI
Fastbreak AI is the ultimate AI-powered sports operations engine. From professional leagues to amateur and youth tournaments, Fastbreak products streamline logistics, increase revenue, and improve the experience for everyone involved in sport. Learn more at www.fastbreak.ai.
