Zone7 Partners with Association of Sporting Directors

Zone7, the AI-driven human performance platform, and the Association of Sporting Directors (ASD), a membership network for director-level sporting executives across global football, have today announced a strategic partnership to provide education around AI application and injury risk forecasting best practices in professional football.

As part of the collaboration, Zone7 will assist the ASD in creating and delivering a relevant professional development curriculum whilst also hosting convening events available to all ASD members, including Sporting Directors, Directors of Football, Technical Directors, Head of Recruitments, Chief Scouts, and Loan Managers.

“It is a pleasure to align with Zone7, they are a trusted organization and authority in this space who we believe can bring real value to our Sporting Director community on a regular basis,” said Dan Parnell, CEO of ASD and Associate Professor at the University of Liverpool. “By sharing critical knowledge around artificial intelligence for injury mitigation we continue to empower our members by providing a deeper understanding of artificial intelligence’s potential impact within the sporting ecosystem.”

Zone7’s CEO Tal Brown and Performance Director Rich Buchanan will work directly with ASD’s management committee to shape the educational content provided by Zone7, with a focus on the fundamentals underpinning artificial intelligence and its place at the table in sport.

“We are thrilled to team up with ASD,” said Buchanan. “As data driven health, wellness and performance technologies evolve, the ability for sporting leaders to understand how best to leverage such technology for a competitive edge will be a challenge for the decade ahead. ASD’s unique network and commitment to empowering leaders across football will make this a highly effective partnership.”

The news comes as more football organizations look for progressive ways to minimise player injuries amid increasingly busy schedules. Premier League clubs lost 21,004 days to player injuries in the 20/21 season, representing 16.6% of the total days for all players in the season. Using projected player salaries, Zone7 estimates that injuries collectively cost the Premier League up to £197 million in lost contract value during the season, reaching as high as £20.5 million for some individual clubs. In contrast, a reduction of just 1% in injury rates across the Premier League would equate to approximately £2 million of savings.

Zone7 is helping leading football teams around the world mitigate injury risk to their players, including but not exclusive to current SPFL champions Rangers FC, Valencia CF, and Los Angeles FC.