- Professional soccer coach admits to using ChatGPT to help with tactics
- Seattle Reigns head coach Laura Harvey admitted to using AI to pick a formation in this season’s NWSL
- The Reign have qualified for the NWSL Playoffs starting next month
Would you be shocked to hear the head coach of your favorite sports team admit that they used ChatGPT for tactical assistance? Well, that’s what has happened to the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) team Seattle Reign.
The Reign’s manager, Laura Harvey, talks about Football podcastpublicly admitted that she asked ChatGPT for tactical advice, and when the AI told her to try a five-back formation, she did just that.
Harvey said, “One day in the offseason, I was typing things into ChatGPT like, ‘What’s the identity of the Seattle Reigns?'” And it would spit it out. And I was like, ‘I don’t know if that’s true or not.’
She added: “And then I put in, ‘What formation are you going to play to beat the NWSL teams?’ and it spilled out of every team in the league and what formation you were going to play. And for two teams it read: ‘You should play a back-five.’ So I did. No joke, that’s why I did it.”
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That’s a wild admission from a professional coach, especially considering how highly regarded the decision-makers at our favorite organizations are. While Harvey never said which teams she used ChatGPT’s tactical advice for, the Seattle Reign used a five-on-back formation in a loss against the Orlando Pride in April of this year.
The Seattle Reign are currently fourth in the NSWL and are aiming to replicate that success in the playoffs, which are set to begin in November.
Is your team using ChatGPT for tactics?
As a massive sports fan, I honestly find this admission baffling. My honest opinion would be that it’s either a publicity stunt to bring awareness to the NWSL and the Seattle Reign, or Laura Harvey is just happy to take criticism of her practices as a head coach.
Given the salary paid to any professional athlete compared to those of us who work in standard office jobs, it’s crazy to think that anyone would use ChatGPT to help make sporting decisions.
With so much riding on the line, leaving the AI to make tactical choices without real analysis is baffling, and a stark contrast from the deep research you’d expect most head coaches to spend time doing.
I’m not saying AI doesn’t have its place in the world of sports, and with so much data being taken into account when making decisions, it can definitely play its part. But asking ChatGPT what tactics to play in a professional sports situation is almost a punishable offence, and really shows a lack of knowledge and a lack of self-awareness to admit it publicly.
Using ChatGPT to help win a game Football Manager 2026 is one thing; using it to hoist the NWSL trophy is another. That being said, if ChatGPT can help you become a professional soccer coach now, my dream job might be a possibility.
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