How AI is discovering athletes that human scouts miss | Richard Felton-Thomas
Sports scientist Richard Felton-Thomas explains how his team is using AI, computer vision, and biomechanics to make youth sports scouting more equitable and data-driven. He describes the AI Scout smartphone app, built with clubs like Chelsea and Burnley FC, which analyzes standardized movement drills to identify talent regardless of geography or background. Through examples from the UK, India, and Senegal, he shows how the technology is uncovering overlooked athletes and scaling across sports and regions.
Touchdown! The flag football movement is here | Troy Vincent Sr.
Former NFL player and current Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the NFL, Troy Vincent Sr., describes how girls and young women with the talent and desire to play football have historically been denied access, sharing personal stories about a gifted neighborhood athlete and his own daughter whose opportunities vanished because of their gender. He highlights the rapid rise of flag football as an affordable, accessible, and inclusive sport that now serves over 20 million participants across 100 countries, with growing support in U.S. high schools and colleges and a debut in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Vincent urges listeners to actively support girls' access to flag football, resist re-centering the sport around men as it grows, and "let her take the field" so women can shape the future of football and sports.
The flourishing future of women's sports | Kate Johnson
Olympic medalist and sports marketing executive Kate Johnson explains how algorithms and historical media coverage have made women's sports far less discoverable than men's, despite rapid growth in popularity and economic potential. She details how this lack of visibility feeds a vicious cycle of underinvestment, affects young girls' participation in sports, and weakens the pipeline for female leaders. Johnson highlights emerging solutions from brands, media platforms, athletes, fans, and AI tools, and calls on listeners to actively support and create content around women's sports to help level the playing field.