In this blog we will look at how the improving features of ChatGPT can help especially with regard to :
Research and citing the References
Summarising Meeting Notes simply and accurately - As an example I use the consultation we did at the English FA in the 1990's to change regulations to make Mini-Soccer mandatory as an example ( + there is a bonus in the blog below of two current England Internationals - and potential 2024 Ballon D'Or winners? - playing Mini- Soccer when they were 5 or 6 years of age : see the blog )
Research and citing References : Consensus GPT allows users to find answers, search for papers, and draft content grounded in scientific research by searching our database of 200M+ papers directly within the ChatGPT interface. You can access it by going to the top left of your ChatGPT home page and click on ' Explore ChatGPTs ' or click here
As an example I asked Consensus this question : ' Can you provide for me the top 3 research based references on why children stop playing sport ?'
The answer I received was as follows :
Intrapersonal Constraints: Children may cease participating in sports due to a lack of enjoyment, feeling bored, experiencing stress, or having negative perceptions about their physical competence and team dynamics. These personal feelings can significantly influence their decision to stop playing sports (Witt & Dangi, 2018).
Interpersonal Constraints: Factors such as parental pressure, loss of ownership over their sports experience, and not having enough time to engage in other activities can also lead to discontinuation. The social environment, including interactions with parents, coaches, and peers, plays a crucial role in sustaining interest and participation in sports (Slater & Tiggemann, 2010).
Structural Constraints: Practical barriers such as time commitments for training and travel, costs associated with sports participation, injuries, and inadequate facilities can deter children from continuing in sports. These structural factors can make it challenging for children to remain engaged in sports activities (van Houten, Kraaykamp, & Breedveld, 2017).
Summarising Meeting Notes simply and accurately
Many of us working in Football Development have been involved in consultation exercises where one has to meet & consult with multiple stakeholders, note their observations, confirm the notes back to them then summarise all the meetings into a balanced report for Board Members.
One example springs to mind was the mandatory adoption of Mini - Soccer ( small sided games ) by the English FA as the ONLY approved football format for boys and girls under 10 years of age. Whilst we introduced Mini Soccer in 1992 we were not able to make it mandatory until we achieved a 75% majority of County Football Associations and Full Member Clubs at the FA AGM in the autumn of 1997
To obtain such a majority the then FA Regional Directors - Colin Murphy,Ted Copeland, John Mcdermott ( now the FA's Technical Director ) and myself met with all County Football Associations in England, Schools Associations, Educational Organisations, all FA Councillors over a 10 month period. In some Counties we had multiple meetings with Leagues. The meetings were feisty as - it's hard to believe now - but a number of County Associations believed that children should have ' the right to play 11-a-side ' even as young as 5 or 6 years of age !! We had a lot of persuading to do .It was important to record the accurate notes from the meeting and have these notes confirmed by the stakeholders.
In total we attended over 200 meetings and at the end I had to summarise these and draft proposed rule changes for the approval of the FA Instructional Committee, The FA Technical Board, The FA Executive Committee, the FA Council and then the FA AGM !!
We did achieve a 75% majority despite a number of County FA's voting against the proposal !! ( I remember which ones !) and Mini Soccer was mandatory for all Under 10's from the beginning of the 1998/9 season. ( School Associations still wanted to have the right to play 11-a-side for Under 11s) In later years this has been able to be extended to Under 13's through the work of a dedicated FA team led by Nick Levett
The effect is summed up by this quote from Burleigh Football Club, Berkshire
" In September 1999, the introduction of Mini-Soccer by The FA transformed football for children under the age of 11, and Burghfield Boys were quick to embrace this new development. Groups as young as Under 5 were formed with weekly ball skills and fun games sessions " and " At the AGM in July 2000 it was agreed to change the club's name to Burghfield Football Club. With the increasing popularity of girls’ football, it was felt the name Burghfield Boys no longer reflected the activities of the club or our future intentions"
The point of the story was that I had to summarise the notes from 200 meetings manually. Last month I started to help a newly formed organisation - the Network of Grassroots Sports and Development Organisations - ( NGSDOEA) with some research. I spoke in individual Zoom meetings with organisations in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and Tanzania. I had the set same 11 questions for each interview. I recorded the interviews on zoom , used a simple transcription software tool to turn the audio into notes.
I then copied the notes into ChatGPT and asked it :
Can you summarise each of the meeting notes separately for the answers to each of the 11 questions ( maximum 50 words per answer)
Can you then summarise ALL the responses to the 11 questions ( maximum 50 words per answer)
The results were provided in less than 3 minutes and were extremely accurate
Another BIG BENEFIT for using ChatGPT .......TIME SAVED
Mini Soccer was promoted as " The Best Introduction to the World's Greatest Game " The evidence has been the enormous increase in Boys and Girls playing football in England and as a bi -product helped in the development of players with potential like Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden below