AI Coaching Pathway
Develop Better Coaches. Retain More Players.
A practical, hands-on pathway for Coaches, Coach Educators, Technical Directors and Coach Developers to create their own AI Personal Assistants — delivering personalised learning and support for coaches and players at scale.
* Get a 20% discount when you enroll before June 12
* Placements limited to the first 20 to enroll
6 MONTHS
Practical Pathway
15 LIVE SESSIONS
Interactive
CERTIFICATE
On Completion
What You Will Build
Your Own AI Assistant. Trained on Your Coaching.
You will learn how to create personalised AI Assistants using tools such as ChatGPT, Google NotebookLM and Google AI Pro.
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These conversational assistants are designed to improve knowledge, deepen understanding and enhance practical coaching skills such as communication, reflection, planning and analysis.
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By the end of the Pathway, participants will be able to:
Create and operate their own AI Assistant based on their chosen content
Develop individualised learning programmes for their coaches
Provide round-the-clock support, resources and feedback
Use AI to extend their impact far beyond what is possible with traditional methods
Why This Matters
Retaining and improving the quality of your coaches and players
Coaches and coach educators in clubs and associations face a common challenge: supporting large numbers of coaches and players with limited time, resources and capacity.
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Many want to offer personalised development, but are constrained by admin, scheduling and the scale of their work.
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The AI Coaching Pathway helps you use AI to extend your impact.
Personalised Learning at Scale
Design bespoke learning journeys for each coach or player, increasing access for those with limited time, money or availability.
Enhanced Efficiency
Automate repetitive tasks so coach educators can spend more time on high-value human interactions.
Better Engagement and Retention
Give coaches and players support that feels tailored, relevant and connected to their own development journey.
Professional Credibility
Become a pioneer in integrating AI into sport and build future-ready skills that are increasingly in demand worldwide.
Who Is It For?
Built for Football Leaders Who Develop Others.
The Pathway is designed for:
Coaches
Coach Educators
Technical Directors
Heads of Coaching
Coach Developers
Clubs, Academies and National Associations
It is particularly valuable for organisations wanting to:
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Support large numbers of coaches more effectively
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Improve coach and player retention
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Deliver more personalised learning
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Reach remote or time-poor learners
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Provide CPD and continuing education opportunities
Common Reservations About AI
We Address the Concerns Directly.
We understand that coach educators may feel cautious about using AI tools. The Pathway tackles these concerns openly and practically.
Reliability of Responses
Participants learn how to train, test and refine their AI Assistants to ensure accuracy and dependability.
Hallucinations (AI “making things up”)
The Pathway teaches prompt design, precision instructions and critical evaluation to ensure trustworthy, context-appropriate outputs.
Loss of Control
AI enhances your expertise. It does not replace it. You will learn how to use AI as an extension of your professional judgement, helping you deliver more personalised support with full oversight.
By confronting these concerns directly, the Pathway helps coaches and coach educators integrate AI with confidence and clarity.
Impact on Coach Educators’ Work
Examples From Cohort 1
Participants from the first AI Coaching Pathway created a wide range of practical AI Assistants, including:
Session Planning Architects
Designing age-specific, philosophy-aligned training sessions.
Critical Thinking Coach Mentors
Challenging coaches to reflect more deeply on decisions.
Video Analysis Support Bots
Helping structure feedback conversations from match footage.
Disability Football Support Assistants
Supporting inclusive coaching aligned to national frameworks.
Coach Development and Induction Guides
Supporting onboarding and continuous learning at scale.
Confidence and Athlete Development Bots
Helping coaches foster psychological growth in players.
Safe Heading and Player Welfare Advisors
Providing structured guidance aligned to evidence and policy.
Competition and Regulation Interpreters
Helping users understand rules, regulations and competition requirements.
What Coach Educators Are Saying
Feedback From Previous Cohorts
“The most valuable part of this experience has been learning how to think alongside AI, not just use it. I have been able to build tools and systems that genuinely enhance my coaching and better support my athletes.”
Adjunct Professor of Physical Education and Head Soccer Coach, Wesleyan University, Connecticut, USA
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to explore how AI could be utilised at multiple levels in the game with colleagues from around the world. I came away with a better understanding of various platforms and how they can be used for both individual development and organisational support.”
Technical Lead, Coach Education and Club Licensing, Alberta Soccer Association, Canada
“The most valuable aspect has been understanding how to practically apply AI within a real coaching environment. Learning how to train AI tools with our principles, language, behaviours and club DNA has been extremely valuable.”
Director of Coaching, SoCal Reds, California, USA
“The most valuable part of the Pathway for me was learning how to train my AI Assistant Coach and create a stable knowledge base and instructions for it to answer questions the way I wanted it to.”
Former Technical Director, Football Australia
“The Pathway provided practical opportunities to share ideas, resources and workflows, helping coaches apply AI immediately in their own environments rather than just discussing theory.”
Performance Manager, Southern Tablelands Football Association, New South Wales, Australia
The feedback from Cohort one is in addition to the comments made last year by the Pilot Groups as shown below:
“ I was not really aware of AI and how it could be used prior to the course. That being said, I got inspired very quickly and once I got a bot up and running it got infectious. I loved testing it with the information I was training it with"
Technical Director, Charleston Soccer Club (USA)
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“The course was both interesting and challenging. I always looked forward to our meetings — your positive approach kept us motivated. You pushed us to try new things, and I’m grateful for the eye-opening insights you provided."
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Former Technical Director of the FA of Kazakhstan & Assistant Head Coach Shakthr Donetsk FC
“The course was an eye opening experience into the world of AI and pairing this with coach development and education. I would fully recommend it for those working with coaches across all age groups and levels. The most valuable part was the step by step guide provided for the candidates to follow to explore ChatGPT, create the bot and the ongoing process of feeding the bot and testing it to continue to refine it. The outcome has been excellent"
Technical Director, Vancouver Rise Academy (Canada); former Director of
Soccer for British Columbia
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“I most valued the exposure to the use of AI as a development tool and the option of additional support (calls/emails) as required"
Academy Coach Developer, Arsenal FC, London
"I would like to tell anyone who seems interested about the new
course that it was important to experience the process of creating my
own bot through these sessions.I learned the basics of creating my
own bot during this session and new functions were introduced ,
which allowed me to try new things.I really do believe that AI has the
potential to help football coaches and those who teach them."
Professor, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan and also a National Coach at the JFA National Training Centre ​
Why a Pathway, Not a Course?
A Guided, Vocational Learning Experience.
Unlike typical short courses, this is a guided, vocational experience focused on applied learning, professional growth and tangible results.
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The Pathway combines:
Structured learning and feedback
Self-paced progression
Collaborative shared practice with other coach educators
Ongoing community support
Real-world application in live coach education contexts
You will not just learn about AI. You will build, test and apply your own AI Assistant in your real coaching environment.
Outcomes
What You Will Be Able to Do
By completing the Pathway, participants will be able to:
Identify specific coaching needs that AI can address
Create customised AI Assistants for their own organisations
Test and evaluate tools to ensure they are safe, reliable and trusted
Use AI to improve knowledge, deepen understanding and enhance communication, planning and evaluation skills
Develop a tailored Prompt Pack for their coaching context
Generate customised digital content, including presentations, e-books and guides
Create AI Agents and monitor or optimise their bots
Integrate data, voice and gamification to engage coaches
Apply AI tools for players aged 13+ and parents
Develop a strategy to embed AI into education programmes
Turn AI creations into professional assets
Produce a personal guide to help others develop their own assistants
PLACES LIMITED TO THE FIRST 20 PARTICIPANTS TO ENROLL
Delivery Format
Programme Includes
The Pathway combines live workshops, guided practice and ongoing community support over six months.
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Approximate weekly commitment: two hours per week.
Pre-Course Induction
The AI Coach Educator’s Starter Kit.
Study Guides
15 resources covering key AI skills for coach educators.
Peer Learning Community
Share ideas, ask questions and learn alongside other coach educators.
Live Workshops
A minimum of 15 x 60-minute live sessions via Zoom, recorded for replay.
One-to-One Check-Ins
Consultations available on demand.
First Webinar
The first Zoom webinar for Cohort 2 will be on Thursday June 18. Time to be confirmed. The session will be recorded.
THE FIRST ZOOM WEBINAR FOR COHORT 2 WILL BE ON THURSDAY JUNE 18 ( TIME TO BE CONFIRMED) IT WILL BE RECORDED
Who We Are
Pathway Staff
Robin Russell
Pathway Leader
Assisted by a Practitioner Panel of Guest Presenters including :
Nick D’ Amore
Performance Manager, Southern Tablelands Football Association , New South Wales, Australia
Senior Special Projects Manager, Grassroots Football Division,
the English Football Association ( FA)
Claire Paterson
Technical Lead Coach Education and Club Licensing , Alberta Soccer
Association, Canada
Eva Meredith
Adjunct Professor of Physical Education and Head Soccer Coach,Wesleyan
University,Connecticut, USA
Ron Smith
Former Technical Director, Football Australia
Barry Saunders
Director of Coaching,SoCal Reds, California, USA
Tools You Will Use
The Pathway will primarily use:
Google NotebookLM
ChatGPT Plus
Google AI Pro
These are among the most widely used public-facing AI tools. However, the principles taught in the Pathway can be applied across all major AI platforms.​Participants using ChatGPT Plus or Google AI Pro will need an active account for the duration of the Pathway. Either subscription is approximately $20 per month.
An example of video created by the free tool the use Google Notebook LM is shown below
Certificate of Completion
All successful participants receive a Certificate of Completion.
Why Sports Path?
Experience, Credibility and Innovation.
With decades of experience delivering digital learning in football worldwide, Sports Path brings credibility, expertise and proven results.​Sports Path projects include:
Founding FA Learning Ltd and the first English FA online coach education courses
Creating the LMA School of Football Management Online Courses
