At London Tech Week (LTW), we heard how sports organisations are moving beyond traditional fan engagement strategies and increasingly turning to AI to deliver personalised content, simplify complex data and create deeper connections with supporters.
During a panel hosted by Capgemini, England Rugby’s Jonathan Conn, Ryder Cup CTO Michael Cole and former England Rugby captain Sarah Hunter CBE explored how AI is helping attract new audiences to their respected sports.
Sarah Hunter CBE, World Cup-winning former England Rugby player and coach reflected on how dramatically the game has changed during her career.
“When I first started playing, the games were recorded on a video camera, that you got it on a cassette that you had to start doing your own analyses,” she explained.
Today, coaches and players have access to multiple camera angles and detailed performance data, providing insights into everything from tackle success rates to player positioning.
But for Hunter, the real opportunity lies in using AI to make that information accessible to a broader audience.
“All we were trying to do was really democratise the data,” she said, explaining how AI-powered insights can help commentators simplify complex aspects of rugby and make the sport more engaging for newcomers.
That challenge is becoming increasingly important as women’s rugby attracts new and more diverse audiences.
“We’ve got a very different fan base to the men’s game,” Hunter noted, describing crowds that include young families, groups of friends and first-time attendees. AI-driven insights can help explain key moments in matches, giving newer fans a deeper understanding of what they’re watching without overwhelming them with statistics.
For Michael Cole, Chief Technology Officer at the Ryder Cup, AI’s biggest role is helping organisations move beyond simply presenting data and towards creating richer experiences.
“The way fans want to consume content is very different now,” he said.
“Fans want more insight. They want to know the inside track and the backstory. Data alone driving content no longer does it. It’s about data driving insight, insight driving intelligence and intelligence driving content.”
Cole described one of the Ryder Cup’s biggest challenges as maintaining engagement between tournaments.
For many spectators, the Ryder Cup is a once-every-two-years event. AI is helping the organisation create more personalised and relevant content throughout the year, transforming what he described as a “one-day experience into an every-day experience”.
He also highlighted AI’s ability to help new audiences connect with the sport.
Golf generates vast amounts of data across multiple players and courses simultaneously, making it difficult for casual viewers to understand key moments. AI-powered analysis can identify and surface moments of drama, helping fans engage more deeply with the action.
Jonathan Conn, Digital Technology Director at England Rugby, said governing bodies face the challenge of balancing professional sport, grassroots participation and venue operations, while simultaneously navigating rapid advances in technology.
Rather than pursuing AI for its own sake, Conn stressed the importance of focusing on practical applications and genuine user needs.
“It’s about grounding it in real use cases and making sure we’re addressing real challenges and opportunities,” he said.
Among the areas England Rugby is exploring are tools designed to reduce administration for volunteers running community clubs, as well as more personalised digital experiences for participants and supporters. AI could eventually support coaches with customised training plans, simplify administrative processes and make it easier for players to access relevant information when they need it.
Across the panel, the speakers repeatedly returned to the idea that AI should enhance experiences rather than replace them.
For Cole, that principle applies directly to live sport.
“We want the technology to be an enhancement for the live sport, not replace the live sport,” he said.
The discussion highlighted that the future of fan engagement is unlikely to be defined by technology alone. Instead, success will come from how effectively organisations use tools such as AI to tell better stories, create more relevant experiences and make sport more accessible to a wider audience.
