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How to use ChatGPT to help Coaches & Clubs :our first attempt at a VERY SIMPLE Step by Step Guide

Updated: Jul 31, 2023

We are intrigued by the developments in Artificial Intelligence especially the Large Language Model Chat GPT which is recognised as the most commonly used AI tool at the moment. ChatGPT currently has over 100 million users and when launched in November 2022 and surpassed 1 million users in 5 Days

We wondered therefore - What implications are there for coaches and clubs ?


So we thought we would take some baby steps to try and answer this question with examples from football and especially to try and find out how coaches and clubs would like to use ChatGPT


This is not a comprehensive Guide but our first attempt : it's a start !! with some examples of questions ( prompts ) we asked ChatGPT such as :

  • Can you please provide some proven solutions to attract first time teenage boys and girls who have never played football before ?

  • Explain Player Analysis ( especially Expected Goals ) and highlight how Player Analysis can help retain players

  • Recommended modified game formats for players over 50 and 60 years of age

  • Summarise Relative Age Effect for a Parents Meeting and how this can can be managed

  • We also uploaded an excel file of player registration numbers for the past 2 years for a fictitious club - per age and gender for each age range U9 - U14 and asked Chat GPT to analyse the trends, isolate Strengths and Weaknesses and generate some simple graphs !!



What is Chat GPT?

ChatGPT a FREE natural language artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI that allows you to have human-like conversations and much more with the chatbot.


In this blog we look at the following :


  • Why use ChatGPT ?

  • A SIMPLE 5 STEP by STEP GUIDE: Our advice on HOW best coaches, clubs and associations can use Chat GPT specifically to attract and retain players - with practical examples.

  • To help readers and share good practice we also have a simple 3 Question Survey here.

  1. Are you using ChatGPT?

  2. IF Yes - how are you using it ?

  3. If NO - how would you like to use it ?

To help all our readers we will keep you updated of responses and your replies can remain anonymous if you like and categorically we will not share your response without your permission ( PS we don't ask for your email !)

We have also provided in the blog a review of the Advantages & Disadvantages of ChatGPT Compared to Google Search ? AND free access to this book " Unlocking the potential of ChatGPT" to download


Please view the blog and complete the 3 Question Survey here


1. Why use ChatGPT ?

  • Saves Time -The most significant benefit of Chat GPT is that it automates various tasks and saves time

  • Brainstorm for Inspiration - set problems and scenarios and mix the responses with your own ideas

  • Personalise - ChatGPT will retain a history of the questions you ask and the answers provided: so it remembers and it helps train ChatGPT when asking successive questions

  • Translate -use the translate any language

  • Great for Learning- Using this tool, you can understand many complicated phenomena. For instance it will summarise long copy of text into simply understandable bullet points

  • Improve Content Quality - if you have written content in an ordinary language, you can ask it to improve its language, add expressions, or make it more engaging. It will quickly do it for you. That’s why content creators are in love with this tool and frequently use it to improve the overall quality of their content.

  • Open For Further Fine-Tuning- A user can upvote or downvote a particular response while also providing additional feedback. Its capabilities will improve further with the release of newer versions of the GPT model



2. A SIMPLE 5 STEP by STEP GUIDE: Our advice on HOW best coaches, clubs and associations can use ChatGPT specifically to attract and retain young players


To start set up an account on ChatGPT- It's FREE


Start by going to chat.openai.com and then use an email address or a Google or Microsoft account to sign up. You need to create an account on the OpenAI website to log in and access ChatGPT, but it is free.

If you've never created an account, click 'Sign up' and follow the prompts to enter your information. OpenAI does require a valid phone number for verification to create an account on its website. OUR BIG RECURRING PIECES OF ADVICE ARE :

  • Chat GPT will attempt to find an answer to a question you pose to it - The answer will be in seconds and after it has has trawled the all the information available on the internet.This will be very comprehensive but MAY NOT BE CORRECT INFORMATION

  • So it is imperative to follow 2 SIMPLE RULES :

  1. MAKE QUESTIONS ( OR PROMPTS ) AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE

  2. CHECK AND RE-CHECK THE ANSWERS PROVIDED BY CHATGPT

The Sports Path Recommended 'BRASS' 5 Step Guide is to use this simple formula :

Brainstorm : Create a Problem Scenario and ask for possible solutions and ask more specific questions ( prompts ) than the previous one

Research : Ask a specific research questions

Analyse : Provide data in tabular form or by uploading an excel file. Ask for a simple analysis ( e.g. Strengths and Weaknesses) and a visual ( e.g. a graph )

Synthesise : Clarify what might be considered difficult problems

Summarise : Condense concepts into simple summaries


Examples below - see the thread of prompts and the answers provided by CHATGPT. Each of the responses took ChatGPT seconds to generate !!


BRAINSTORM " In our football club we have NO teenagers who join the club as teenagers who have never played football before . Can you please provide some proven solutions to attract first time teenage boys and girls who have never played football before " - Answer here


RESEARCH : " As if you were a lecturer instructing football coaches on the key aspects of player analysis. What would you say ?" and what is the value of player analysis in retaining players - Thread of Prompts and Answers here



ANALYSIS : We uploaded an simple excel file ( below ) of the data regarding the number of registered players from a large fictitious club - Club XXX and asked Chat GPT : " Can you analyse the enclosed Excel File of registered football players from Club XYZ and highlight the strengths and weaknesses? " Graph created by Chat GPT below and Answers here






SYNTHESIS: '" What is Relative Age Effect ? " How would you explain the importance of Relative Age Effect to a meeting of Parents of young football players " " How would you practically address the Relative Age Effect in a football club? " Prompts and Answers here


SUMMARISE: " To retain players over 50 years of age - How would you recommend the game formats for players over 50 years of age ?" " Do you have any other suggested modifications for soccer game formats for players over 60 years of age who may not have played soccer for sometime?" Prompts and Answers here


See FREE BOOK Offer at the bottom of this blog and also some Further Recommendations from the very experienced Australian Coach and Coach Educator Wayne Goldsmith and @waynegoldcoach


" So - if I was running a coach development program, if I was the director for coach education, if I was mentoring coaches - what would I do to help create the learning environment to develop the coach of the future?

1. Incorporate an AI unit or module in every coach education, training and development program, every accreditation / certification program from TODAY.

2. Facilitate the development of the trust relationship with the technology.

3. Rethink and re-build your coach education, training and development programs to be unashamedly about coaching coaches to coach so that they can fully utilize the extra time that AI will free up for them.

4. Don't wait for the future to come - race towards the future - or even better, why not CREATE the future of coaching yourself?"


3. How would you like to use ChatGPT ?


Please take our 3 Question Survey HERE

  1. Are you using ChatGPT?

  2. IF Yes - how are you using it ?

  3. If NO - how would you like to use it ?

To help all our readers we will keep you updated of responses and your replies can remain anonymous if you like and categorically we will not share your response without your permission ( PS we don't ask for your email !)


4. What are Advantages & Disadvanatges of ChatGPT Compared to Google Search ?


  • Generates human-like text: ChatGPT generates text that is very similar to the text written by a human. This is because it is trained on a large corpus of data and has been designed to understand the nuances of language.

  • Capable of handling a wide range of language generation tasks: ChatGPT can be used for tasks such as text completion, question answering, and language translation. This makes it a versatile tool for a variety of language-related tasks.

  • Can generate text in multiple languages: ChatGPT is capable of generating text in multiple languages, which makes it useful for tasks such as language translation.

  • Can understand and generate context-sensitive responses: ChatGPT is able to understand the context of a conversation and generate responses that are appropriate for that context.


Limitations of ChatGPT Compared to Google Search

  • Reliance on a large corpus of data: ChatGPT relies on a large corpus of data to generate text, which means that it may not be able to generate text for topics that are not covered in its training data.

  • Limited understanding of some complex concepts: ChatGPT may struggle to understand complex concepts or ideas, as it has only been trained on a limited set of data.

  • Potential for biases in the data used for training: The data used to train ChatGPT may contain biases, which can result in biased output. This is something that needs to be taken into consideration when using ChatGPT


Reference here https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-chatgpt-and-google/



FREE BOOK


Unlocking the Potential of ChatGPT, brought to you by MakeUseOf, is your indispensable guide to getting the most out of ChatGPT. This engaging ebook gives you the tools to enhance your ChatGPT experience and leverage its powers to the maximum.


Inside, you’ll discover the art and science of crafting effective prompts, tailored to fit your unique needs and preferences. Grasp advanced prompting techniques and innovative methods like Chain-of-Thought and Two-Phase Fact-Guided Prompting, to generate results that far surpass what ChatGPT would provide by default.


You’ll even explore the ethical landscape of AI, looking at plagiarism, creativity, cheating, and copyright, before taking a final tour through what the future of ChatGPT looks like, along with a host of valuable resources to continue on your AI journe




Download below


 
 
 

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The AI Football Coach Educator Pathway

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A structured route for Coach Educators and Coach Developers  in Clubs and Associations  to create their own AI Personal Assistants — maximising personalised learning for coaches.
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Why this matters

Coach educators Coach Developers  in Clubs and Associations face a unique challenge: supporting large numbers of coaches with limited time, resources, and capacity. Many want to offer personalised development but are constrained by admin, scheduling, and the scale of their work.

The AI Football Coach Educator Pathway provides a practical, hands-on journey that enables coach educators to design, build, and apply their own AI assistants. These assistants are not generic tools — they are personalised, context-specific, and directly aligned to the needs of their coaches. They are 'Conversational Assistants'  bespoke created specifically improve Knowledge but also improve Understanding and actually enhance practical coaching skills like communication , reflection and analysis 

By the end of the Pathway, participants will be able to:

  • Create and operate their own Chatbot 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’s possible with traditional methods

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Development of an AI Assistant to help coaches is more- much more - than the provision of an app with a range of games and practices. It provides the coach with their own Personal Assistant with whom they can engage in personal conversations which allows the AI Assistant to develop a profile of the coach's strengths and weaknesses. The coach can ask questions of the Assistant which they may be reluctant or embarrassed to ask their Coach Educator or Coach Developer. 

Common reservations — and how the Pathway addresses them

We understand that coach educators may feel cautious about using AI tools. The Pathway tackles these concerns directly:

  • 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 and context-appropriate outputs.

  • Loss of control: AI enhances — not replaces — your expertise. You’ll learn how to use it as an extension of your professional judgement, helping you deliver more personalised support with full oversight.

By confronting these concerns openly, the Pathway helps coach educators integrate AI with confidence and clarity.

The impact on coach educators’ work

We have recently  completed a Pilot Pathway which included the following coach educators:

  • Derek Broadley – Technical Director, Charleston Soccer Club (USA); former Technical Director, Bermuda FA; Academy Director, Crystal Palace FC:

“ 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.  My goal is to have our BOTs fully functional for the 26/27 season for our club. Working with the other students is definitely a plus and seeing what they do via the communication process you set up was informative and did save me time”

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Derek has created the AI Assistants ( bots) for the full range of coaches and parents at his club , mainly to provide simple knowledge exchange and to free his time up to deal with individually with coaches 

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​ “The course was an eye opening experience into the world of AI and pairing this with coach development and education. Robin sets up an informative and engaging course and 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 and with my job change I'll be exploring adding this concept to the coaches with my new club"

​​

Chris developed the AI Assistant at his club principally to provide quick simple information for the large number of volunteer coaches at his previous Community Club 

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"I valued the exposure to the use of AI as a development tool and the option of additional support (calls/emails) as required " 

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As an example of the use of AI in critical thinking .......The Arsenal Youth Academy has a philosophy of developing young players who take responsibility for their own learning and thus similarly want to support the development of coaches who take ownership  for their own development.Matthew's initial work with AI has therefore been on improving the critical thinking and reflection skills of the coaches for which he is responsible 

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  • Ray Atteveld – Former English Premier League and Eredivisie player; experienced coach in the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Israel; currently completing his role as Technical Director of the FA of Kazakhstan:

“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.”

​​​

  • Professor Masao Nakayama:   Professor, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan  and  also a National Coach at the JFA National Training Centre  ​

 

" 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." 

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Other examples of AI Personal Assistants we have developed include :

      with UEFA and FIFA disability football expert Jeff Davis )

      Willi Hink,the former Director of Amateur Football for the German FA ( DFB)

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The value of the Pathway

  • Personalised learning at scale – Coach educators can design bespoke learning journeys for each coach. This can mean increased access for those with limited time or money to attend courses or deeper ongoing assistance with coaches already committed to coaching

  • Enhanced efficiency – By automating repetitive tasks educators free up more time to focus on high-value, human interactions with coaches.

  • Better engagement and retention – Coaches receive support that feels tailored and relevant to their own journey. This not only increases motivation but also reduces dropout rates.

  • Professional credibility – Coach educators become pioneers in integrating AI into sport, equipping themselves with future-proof skills that are increasingly in demand worldwide.

Why a “Pathway” — not a “Course”?

Unlike typical short courses, this is a guided, vocational experience combining:

  • Structured learning and feedback

  • Self Paced Progression 

  • Collaborative, shared practice with other coach educators developing their AI Personal Assistants 

  • Ongoing community support

  • Real-world application in live coach education contexts

The focus is on applied learning, professional growth, and tangible results.

Who is it for?

The Pathway is designed for football leaders who want to enhance coach education and development within their clubs, academies, or national associations — including those who aim to:

  • Create tailored learning programmes for individual coaches

  • Support remote learners with limited access to in-person courses

  • Provide CPD and continuing education opportunities

​

Outcomes

By completing the Pathway, participants will:

  • Identify Needs: Analyse specific coaching needs that AI can address

  • Build Tools: Create customised AI assistants for their own organisations

  • Test & Evaluate: Ensure tools are safe, reliable, and trusted

  • Apply Methodology: Use AI to improve knowledge, deepen understanding, and enhance communication, planning, and evaluation skills

  • Develop Prompts: Build a tailored “Prompt Pack” for your coaching context

  • Produce Resources: Generate customised digital content (presentations, e-books, guides)

  • Create AI Agents: Monitor and optimise your bots

  • Leverage Media: Integrate data, voice, and gamification to engage coaches

  • Extend Use: Apply AI tools for players (13+) and parents

  • Strategise: Develop a plan to embed AI in your education programmes

  • Monetise: Turn your AI creations into professional assets

  • Guide Others: Produce a personal guide to help others develop their own assistants

 The Programme for the Cohort which began on November 7 2025 is the PDF adjacent  

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Delivery Format

The Pathway combines live workshops, guided practice, and ongoing community support over six months (approx. two hours per week):

  • Pre-Course Induction: “The AI Coach Educator’s Starter Kit”

  • Workshops: A Minimum of 6× 60-minute live sessions via Zoom (recorded for replay)​

  • Study Guides: 10 resources covering key AI skills for coach educators

  • Check-ins: 3 one-to-one consultations

  • Tools: Primarily ChatGPT and Google NotebookLM — these are the most used public facing AI tools but  the principles outlined in the Pathway will apply across all major AI platforms. In using Chat GPT it will be necessary to have a Cha tGPT Plus account for the duration of the Pathway  (£19/month) This would also include access to  the video creator Sora 

  • Support:

    • Continuous email guidance

    • Drop-in “AI surgery” sessions

    • Reflection prompts & worksheets

    • Peer learning community

Participants will also develop a Personal Portfolio to capture their progress and guide future use of AI in coach education.

All successful participants receive a Certificate of Completion.

Why Sports Path?

With decades of experience delivering digital learning in football worldwide, Sports Path brings credibility, expertise, and proven results.

Our projects include:

  • Founding FA Learning Ltd and the first English FA online coach education courses

  • Partnering on the LMA School of Football and the UEFA Coaches Extranet 

  • Publishing Soccer Coaching and the Web (Part 1 and Part 2) 

The AI Football Coach Educator Pathway builds on this foundation — combining innovation with experience.

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We will be showcasing the use of Google Notebook LM as part of the Pathway and we have created a Google Notebook LM here regarding the Pathway 

Enrolment and Cost

The November 2025 Cohort is now Full 
The next Cohort will start in February /March 2026
Cost : $495 / €425/ £375
If you would like details of the next Cohort beginning in February/ March 2025 please leave your name and email here 

 

For any questions, please contact:
📧 Robin Russell (Programme Director)

& George Hockey (Programme Coordinator)
📩 sportspathteam@gmail.com

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