Reading will host Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax and a group of other European clubs at their Bearwood Park training complex on Friday for a summit on artificial intelligence, with the League One club positioning itself at the centre of the conversation about where the technology is taking the game.
The reigning European champions PSG and Dutch giants Ajax are among the clubs attending, with Premier League side Crystal Palace and Champions League club Como also among the visitors. Those present will hear about Reading’s work in the field and share their own insights.
The gathering arrives a year after the Royals, under new owner Rob Couhig, set up a pioneering AI department. Stuart Fenton, the club’s Head of AI and the first person to hold such a position in English football, said the calibre of the guests underlined how far Reading have come.
“PSG won the Champions League last year, so it’s super exciting that we get teams like that coming to Reading,” Fenton told BBC Radio Berkshire. “We’re doing some really good things here but it’s not in isolation. We want to hear what some of these top teams around the world are doing.
“It also puts Reading in the conversation with those kinds of people. Every football fan – I’m a Reading fan myself – dreams of those European nights playing these teams. We’re having the conversation with them around AI in football and where football’s going. That’s a real testament to the programme we’re running here and how much advancement we’ve made in the last year.”
Inspired by the success that clubs such as Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford have had through their use of data, Reading are applying AI predominantly to recruitment, but have also extended it into areas including tactics, retail and the upkeep of the turf at their Select Car Leasing Stadium home.
“It’s [about] creating the culture across the club where people are thinking differently – not how we can use it to replace humans, but how we can empower them and actually get them to do their job in a more effective way,” said Fenton. “We’ve got some really talented people here but one of the big challenges is that data is huge in football. How do we use the AI and technology available to effectively streamline that data and give our team more information on players all across the world?”
Fenton stressed that the gains do not arrive at the flick of a switch. “Everyone thinks AI is like a light switch – you flick it and suddenly you’re the world’s most intelligent team. If it was that easy, everybody would be doing it. The benefits for us compound across the club,” he said.
Among the practical examples he cited was the club’s ground staff, who have begun using AI in their work. “I had our ground staff come to me yesterday saying they’re now using AI when they’re doing the grass cutting. The models are looking at grass protection. AI is giving them the best possible formulas [in terms of] what they need. It’s impacting everything across the club. What really excites me is when somebody comes up to me and says ‘Stu – I’ve had this idea. Can we do it?’ We’ve already started putting certain things in place. It’s creating that culture of innovation across a football team.”
The summit will also serve as the launchpad for a new programme between Reading and Setanta College covering sports technology and artificial intelligence. For Fenton, the direction of travel is clear. “We’re not starstruck by these teams,” he said. “The exciting thing is they’re coming to us – we’re not going to them.”