First there was sport. Then came competitive sport. That was followed by professional sport. And more recently, we’ve seen an explosion in E-SPORT.

Introducing the latest evolution of sport currently sweeping the globe – A-SPORT! Well, to be more accurate – AI-SPORT.

AI – Artificial Intelligence has risen as an unstoppable, irresistible wave of smart technology around the world and its impact on the lives of people everywhere cannot be overstated. It’s a revolution - and it’s changing the way we think about, talk about and coach sport.

What is A-Sport and why is it important?

A-sport is sport which is influenced by the power of AI in some way. We’re seeing it in the way sports data is collected, analyzed and presented. It’s become a driving force in the monitoring and management of rules and regulations, e.g. the on-screen “offside line” technology so controversially impacting on professional football.

It’s become an important aspect of the way professional sport is covered and broadcast with “player’s eye views” giving sports fans across the globe previously unimagined personal and direct access to the experience of sport at the highest level. In sports betting, in gaming, in live and televised sport, Ai has become a central element of the way we view and experience our chosen sports.

AI is an increasingly powerful and some would argue pervasive element of sport everywhere, and to borrow a line from the old song, “We’ve only just begun”…..

Coaches, coaching and A-Sport: a marriage of science, technology and the humanity of sport

Perhaps A-sport’s biggest influence can be seen in coaching. Traditionally, coaches spend a lot of time and energy carefully crafting training programs, workouts and practice sessions. Now, with a few well-thought-out questions or “prompts”, coaches can work with Ai to design outstanding training sessions in a matter of moments, saving them precious time: time that can be allocated to coaching athletes, inspiring kids and enhancing the performance of their team.

For example, for the purpose of this article, I asked ChatGPT this question: Please design a short exercise routine for a 10-year-old football player that they can complete in 30 minutes This is what the Ai produced in less than 10 seconds:

Here's a fun, safe, and effective 30-minute training routine for a 10-year-old football (soccer) player. It's designed to improve coordination, agility, ball control, and overall athleticism—while keeping things enjoyable and age-appropriate.

30-Minute Football Training Routine (Ages 9–11)

Warm-Up & Mobility (5 minutes) - Goal: Raise body temperature, increase joint mobility, and mentally prepare. - Jogging with High Knees / Butt Kicks: 2 minutes alternating - Dynamic stretches: Leg swings (front-back, side-to-side) – 30 sec per leg Arm circles – 30 sec each direction Hip circles – 30 sec "Fast feet" on the spot – 30 sec burst

Footwork & Agility (5 minutes)
  • Goal: improve quickness, coordination, and change of direction. Use cones, water bottles, or socks as markers.
  • Ladder drills (real or imaginary): two-feet in each space (2x) lateral in-and-out steps (2x).
  • Cone zig-zags: sprint in and out of 5–6 cones (3x).
  • Jump & turn: jump forward → jump sideways → turn and sprint back (2x).
  • Key tip: keep movements light, fast, and with good posture.
Ball Control & Skill Work (10 minutes)
  • Goal: build fundamental football skills.
  • Juggling challenge: try to beat their personal record (3–5 mins).
  • Toe-touches / Ticks-tocks: 2 sets x 30 sec each.
  • Dribble through cones: use both feet, small touches (3x).
  • Turn & go: dribble 5m, perform a quick turn (Cruyff, drag-back), then accelerate 5m – repeat 4–5 times. Encourage creativity and fun: try moves like stepovers, spins, or flicks.
Strength & Power Basics (5 minutes)
  • Goal: build foundational strength and movement control. -Bodyweight squats – 2 sets x 10 reps Push-ups (on knees if needed) – 2 sets x 5–10 reps Plank hold – 2 x 20–30 seconds Jump squats or bounding – 2 sets x 6–8
  • Make it fun! Add music or do these as a “challenge round.”
Game Time / Cool Down (5 minutes)
  • Goal: reinforce fun and recovery.
  • 1v1 or solo challenge: hit a small target, dribble through cones backwards, juggle 10 times in a row.
  • "Wall Ball": pass, control, and shoot against a wall.
  • Cool down stretches: focus on hamstrings, quads, calves, and arms Deep breathing x 3 slow breaths
Coaching Notes for Parents/Coaches

Keep energy high and praise effort over perfection. Allow breaks as needed; hydration is important. Rotate exercises every few weeks to prevent boredom. Ask them to "coach you" occasionally – builds confidence! Let me know if you’d like a printable version, skill progressions, or a weekly version for young footballers!

Even considering this very simple example, it is clear that the potential of Ai to produce training programs and design sports practice sessions quickly and with considerable detail is nothing short of remarkable. However, coaches who are hoping to click open an Ai tool like ChatGPT or Claude, enter a few sentences and find all the answers to all their coaching problems will be sadly disappointed. Ai is like having an intelligent, hardworking and motivated assistant coach.

The assistant coach might be experienced and highly educated but it takes time and effort to train them to learn and to understand how you do things. Ai is the same. Coaches need to invest real time into not just learning how to use Ai, but to coach the Ai to learn how to best help the coach. It’s a dynamic learning circle with the coach coaching the Ai to better coach the coach! Ai is a coaching tool, an assistant coach and for all intents and purposes a limitless source of ideas, information and innovations that can benefit every coach and by extension – every athlete.

So, what’s the big deal anyway?

The bottom line is this. AI is here. It’s universally available, meaning – everyone can and will be experimenting with its capability. If you’re in competitive sport, the chances are very, very high, that your opposition are already working tirelessly to integrate AI into their every area of their performance environment and player development programs, striving to find new and better ways of gaining a winning edge over you.

Forget the sporting “arms” race! We’re in the sporting AI rocket trip to the moon period where sports professionals across the globe are rapidly discovering the power of the technology and escalating their learning to use the tech more effectively to deliver a decisive competitive advantage.

If you’re in sport, particularly if you’re in competitive sport at the elite level, AI will offer a performance enhancement opportunity that few other things can, but as always during times where new technologies promise unprecedented opportunities, it’s a time for careful consideration and calculated caution: to balance the possible advantages of adopting the technology early with the bigger picture implications of ethics and humanity.

Will AI replace coaches and coaching, i.e. that wonderful relationship between a coach and an athlete built on commitment, dedication, respect, hand work and inspiration? No.

Will AI motivate athletes to lift themselves to new levels of performance by touching their hearts and igniting the flame of belief that remarkable things are truly possible? Unlikely.

Will AI build and grow the essential elements of high performing teams…like trust, honesty, selflessness and love? Probably not.

That is to say, regardless of the seemingly miraculous capability of AI technologies to do things faster, more accurately and more innovatively that any previous scientific breakthrough tools, it will still be the interaction – the marriage – the connection between our humanness and the tech that will determine its effectiveness.

Conclusion

The potential of Ai to revolutionize sport around the world is truly unparalleled in its scope and impact. As it is with all new technologies, it’s the integration of the advancements in science and technology with the art of coaching and the humanity of sport that will prove to be where the real breakthroughs occur. Coaches need to build genuine trust relationships with the technology to truly realize its full capabilities.

Coaching is the art of inspiring change through emotional connection. It’s about relationships. It’s about connecting with, engaging and inspiring the hearts, minds and spirits of sports participants of all ages. Ai will provide the opportunity for more coaches to dedicate more time to helping more people be all they choose to be: to help more kids realize their full potential as athletes and as people.