News Release: Areto Partners with Pride Cup to Foster Safe Online Spaces for Athletes and Fans in Australia and New Zealand
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Auckland, Jan 16 2026 – Areto is proud to announce its partnership with the Pride Cup, supporting professional sports clubs and athletes in Australia and New Zealand to create safe, inclusive, and engaging online environments during Pride Cup matches.
The partnership was officially launched in Adelaide during a Pride in Football panel discussion and photo exhibition, bringing together current and past players, club representatives, and Areto to highlight the importance of safe, supportive online spaces for athletes and fans.
As part of the pilot program, participating clubs will receive full access to Areto’s AI-powered moderation platform. The technology automatically monitors and moderates harmful content, including harassment, hate speech, spam, and other comments that violate community standards. Clubs can safely engage with fans online, promote positive interactions, and share content without needing to turn off comments or increase moderation resources.
Melbourne Victory, one of the participating clubs, will pilot the platform on its social media channels over the coming weeks. The Club highlighted the opportunity to implement “world-first ethical moderation technology” to improve interactions, foster belonging, and drive brand growth.
“Sport should be a space where everyone feels included and safe,” said Lana Cuthbertson, CEO of Areto Labs. “This partnership provides clubs and athletes with tools to foster positive fan engagement, reduce online harm, and generate insights that can guide future events and community initiatives.”
Jacqueline Comer, Chief Product Officer, added: “We’re excited to see the pilot launched in Adelaide and look forward to supporting clubs and athletes to celebrate Pride Cup matches safely online.”
The pilot will run around each Pride Cup match, with pre-match activation and post-match support, producing both quantitative and qualitative insights for a case study demonstrating the platform’s impact for clubs, athletes, and fans.
For more information about the Pride Cup, visit https://pridecup.org.au.
About Areto Labs
Areto is a technology company helping organizations protect employees, athletes, and brands from online toxicity. Its AI-powered platform enables safe engagement on social media, delivering actionable insights to support community growth, safety, and inclusion.
Jacqueline Comer from Areto speaks on a Pride Cup panel
