Ativion has signed a partnership agreement with the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations (NASEF) to improve access to scholastic esports in K–12 schools. The collaboration will focus on technical integration and training programs designed to help schools join esports leagues while maintaining secure digital environments.

The initiative centers on Ativion’s StudentKeeper platform, which combines content filtering, classroom management, and digital safety tools. Through the agreement, NASEF will support Ativion in enhancing StudentKeeper to better serve schools managing esports participation on existing networks and devices.

Simplifying secure access to games

Ativion, formerly known as Impero Solutions, provides cybersecurity, remote access, and EdTech tools used in more than 700 U.S. school districts. Its flagship platform, StudentKeeper, is built on ContentKeeper technology and is currently deployed to protect over 10 million students worldwide.

The partnership is intended to help school IT teams streamline access to gaming environments that support learning outcomes, without compromising student privacy or network integrity.

“We are pleased to join with NASEF to make it easier and safer for schools and leagues to offer scholastic esports programs,” says Tobias Hartmann, CEO of Ativion. “Scholastic esports is an all-inclusive sports program available to every student, and it offers many benefits, academically and socially. We look forward to working closely with NASEF to make StudentKeeper a conduit for schools to grow their scholastic esports programs.”

Supporting school esports growth through StudentKeeper

NASEF is a nonprofit that supports global academic esports programs and provides educators with frameworks for integrating competitive gaming into school activities. The organization operates under the Worldwide Scholastic Esports Foundation and works with over 130 international federations.

The new partnership includes co-led promotional efforts and educator training, with a focus on expanding awareness of esports as a learning and engagement tool.

“School leaders and educators are eager to adopt scholastic esports because of its proven positive impacts on student attendance, grades, test scores, and morale. Of course, it is important that they can access key gaming and information sites without compromising the security of the network. NASEF and Ativion are working together to make that safe access a simpler process,” says Claire LaBeaux, Chief Advancement Officer for NASEF.

Devland Academy aims to replace “outdated EdTech” with an AI-powered, gamified platform which it says will increase engagement and teach real-world skills such as AI, robotics and finance.

“We’re seeing record-level spending in education, but it’s not making it to the classroom,” explains Michael Kessler, CEO at DevLand AI. “We’re not facing a funding problem – we’re facing a priorities problem.”

DevLand AI says the new system aims to “enhance teacher agency, not replace it” as it offers lesson-building co-pilots and smart student tracking. It says the system is in full alignment with the Department of Education’s “human-in-the-loop AI systems”. 

“We’re giving teachers the power, the tools, and the platform. It’s time to put the soul back in the classroom,” Kessler adds.

DevLand Academy is already available in pilot markets with plans to expand into charter and public school districts in 2025. The company also plans to launch a paid education contributor program and after-school and homeschool partnerships. 

“We welcome partnerships, but we’re not waiting for permission,” Kessler says. “We’re already doing what legislators have struggled to do – empower teachers and engage students.”

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 kicked off here in the United States beginning June 14 and runs through July 13. Our own FOX Sports Radio host, reporter and producer Kelsey Nicole Nelson sat down with FIFA’s Director of Innovation Johannes Holzmüller to break down the debut of the technological advances FIFA is using to take the Club World and World Cup to new heights.

Holzmüller, who’s been with FIFA since 2008 and typically works out of Switzerland, was on the ground in Miami, Florida to lead the technological transformation of international soccer. In his role as Director of Innovation, he oversees the entire innovation pipeline — from identifying football stakeholders’ needs to developing and implementing new game-enhancing technologies.

Among the biggest innovations for FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is the use of referee body cameras, a first for the tournament and potential next step of first-person visuals in competitive sports. Holzmüller shared that these cameras will allow fans to “see the game through the eyes of an official,” offering a new level of engagement. Notably, the footage will be shared with the tournament’s exclusive global broadcaster DAZN, and even stadium fans will be able to view the referees’ perspectives live on the jumbotrons.

“This will be amazing to see live,” said Holzmüller. “All the spectators have the same information as the referee. It will really be awesome.”

The conversation shifted to another groundbreaking area — artificial intelligence and real-time player tracking. This year, each stadium will house 16 optimal-tracking cameras, capturing 30 data points per player, 50 times per second. 

Additionally, game balls are now equipped with IMU sensors, providing precise data on ball movement.

All this feeds into FIFA’s recent partnership with Hawker Innovations, enabling the automatic generation of key match statistics — like passes completed and ball possession—through AI algorithms. “Everything which was collected manually can now be done automatically,” Holzmüller noted.

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is serving as a real-time test lab for these tools, all in preparation for even more expansive implementation at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Coordinating the tournament across 12 stadiums in the U.S. is no small feat. Holzmüller explained that his team has stationed one innovation expert in each stadium, all feeding into a central operations hub at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

“It looks a little bit like a Formula One box,” he said. “People sitting in front of monitors, checking and monitoring all the data. We are watching everything that could impact the game.”

Holzmüller made it clear during a conversation on the use of advanced technology and AI that. the goal of innovation isn’t to replace humans but to support them. He cited the infamous 2010 World Cup incident involving Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal as the catalyst that sparked FIFA’s journey into tech-enhanced officiating.

“We’re not saying we want to replace anyone. We just want to support the referees,” he said.

That philosophy is evident in the rollout of semi-automated offside technology, which uses real-time player and ball data to send alerts to assistant referees within milliseconds.

Compared to other countries, Holzmüller said the U.S. stands out for its already tech-rich stadiums. This presented both advantages and challenges, like finding space to install FIFA’s own cameras among the existing infrastructure. But he welcomed the challenge, calling it an “exciting opportunity” to integrate FIFA’s systems with top-tier American technology.

Finally, Holzmüller emphasized that the innovations deployed in theFIFA Club World Cup 2025 will serve as the blueprint for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and even the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“All the learnings and feedback, of course, we then bring to the next tournaments where we try to improve,” he said.

From AI-generated data to referee POV cameras and centralized tech hubs, FIFA is embracing a bold new era. And if Holzmüller has his way, the 2025 Club World Cup won’t just crown the world’s best club — it’ll define the future of football itself.

I am a writer for Listen In With KNN as an editorial and digital intern. I currently attend Long Island University Post as a Junior on the path of getting my bachelor’s in journalism. I love the art of storytelling and sports research, hopefully you can see my passion in my articles as well.

A Fremont battery company illegally employed Chinese workers, discriminated against non-Chinese employees, and secretly defied an order from the city to shut down its building, a lawsuit claims.

Gotion kept a “revolving door” of Chinese citizens coming to work at the lithium-ion battery plant despite lacking visas allowing employment, the lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court alleged.

The three workers who filed the lawsuit — one U.S. citizen and two with work permits — claimed company officials discriminated against them, and made racist comments toward non-Chinese workers.

The lawsuit by Anirban Das, a U.S. citizen of Indian origin, Atul Deshpande, an Indian citizen with a U.S. work authorization, and Betuel Olivares, a Mexican citizen with a work permit, accused Gotion, its China-based parent firm Gotion High-Tech, and a Gotion supervisor named Chen Li of racial discrimination and unlawful termination. They claim they were forced to quit Gotion after they were stripped of job duties, excluded from meetings, and harassed for complaining about alleged illegalities at the company. They are seeking unspecified damages.

Gotion illegally employed Chinese workers in the country on B-1 visas, the lawsuit filed June 13 claimed. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the visa allows foreign citizens into the U.S. for up to six months per visit, for purposes including consulting with business associates, attending conferences, negotiating contracts, or participating in short-term training. The lawsuit did not allege a specific number of visa violations, but included two screen shots of text messages purportedly showing workers acknowledging work for the company while on the B-1.

The lawsuit also claimed Gotion brought over a Gotion High-Tech lawyer from China who was not authorized to work or practice law in the U.S., and “advised Gotion how to impermissibly violate U.S. immigration laws.”

Gotion and Gotion High-Tech did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. Gotion describes itself on its website as “a fast growing energy solutions company that aims to innovate and create the next generation of battery technology.”

The Fremont battery plant was rife with “illegal practices,” the lawsuit claimed. The building lacked proper permits and safety features including fire-protection systems, the lawsuit said. The City of Fremont shut the facility down over the purported lack of proper permits, according to the lawsuit, which included a photo of a red “do not enter or occupy” notice on a window, dated March 20, 2024 and citing “work without permits.”

Gotion, however, “illegally covered up the shutdown notice and continued to have employees work in the office notwithstanding the safety risks,” the lawsuit claimed. A photo included in the lawsuit showed what appears to be pages from a Gotion brochure taped to a window.

Not long afterward, city officials shut the plant down again over improperly stored hazardous batteries, the lawsuit alleged.

The City of Fremont did not immediately answer questions about alleged violations by Gotion.

The three plaintiffs all complained to Gotion about the alleged illegal practices, the lawsuit said.

Das was hired in July 2023 as senior director of industrialization for Gotion and Gotion High-Tech, according to the lawsuit. Das oversaw Deshpande, a senior program manager hired a few months earlier than Das, and Olivares, an engineering manager brought on several months later, the lawsuit said.

Gotion officials mistakenly believed Olivares was of Indian origin because of his brown skin, and referred to him, Das and Deshpande as “foreigners” because they were not from China, the lawsuit alleged.