A full packed house yesterday at the first 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 & 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 at the KNVB Center in Zeist. It’s great to see how many people in the Netherlands are eager to expand their knowledge and understand how AI will influence the future of sports and redefine the ecosystem.

AI is more than just impactful, it holds 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿. But that doesn’t mean we already know exactly how. A good alternative to figure it out is to jump on the learning curve and embrace AI at the leadership level. AI is not merely a tool but a cross-organizational approach to determine what is best for your sports organization, aligned with your processes and specific goals. It’s also important to realize that AI needs guardrails and an ethical framework.

For the Netherlands, it would be beneficial to have a 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀-𝗔𝗜 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆; otherwise we could lose competitiveness to other countries. Additionally, we are a relatively small country on the world stage, and bundling resources could create new export opportunities to other countries.

Speakers at the conference provided excellent knowledge insights. 𝗠𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗸𝘀 spoke about where AI and High Performance strategies intersect, in the interest of athletes and their coaches. He was clearly defining the benefits of AI but also emohasizing that guardrails must be in place before you start.

𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗿𝗲𝘆 of the Bundesliga demonstrated how AI is used to optimize the relationship and loyalty of over 1 billion Bundesliga fans worldwide. It was an amazing story about AI intelligence. With this strategy the Bundesliga can grow in new markets.

𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗳 gave excellent insights into how AI influences the different aspects of sports—from media behavior of fans to injury prevention for athletes. He also highlighted new commercial opportunities with AI and the creation of more effective operations, referring to actual projects he is working on with various clients.

Two Dutch AI startup initiatives were pitched. Brandy, an AI tool supporting athletes in their personal branding and their aim to build their (future) career. And Younalize, an AI video tool giving feedback to individual players on how to improve their technical skills.

Among the many takeaways of this Sport&AI conference, three stand out:
🔻 If you want to learn as an organization, just start and apply some external guidance
🔻 Approach it as an organizational strategy, not just as the implementation of smart tools
🔻 View AI projects through a return-on-value mindset, balancing short-term wins (cost savings) with long-term value creation

New announcements about the next conference and a 2-day executive Sports & AI program will be made soon!

Thanks to all the attendees and the Techonomy team for an excellent organization.