Reading Football Club is to host an event bringing together football clubs and technology experts to discuss the use of artificial intelligence in the sport.
The AI in Football Summit will take place at the club’s Bearwood Park training ground on Friday, 25 September.
Representatives from clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax, Crystal Palace and Como FC are expected to attend, alongside organisations involved in technology and sports innovation.
The event will examine how artificial intelligence is being used in football, both on and off the pitch, and how the technology could develop in the coming years.
Reading said attendees would also hear about work taking place at the club following the appointment of Stuart Fenton as its head of AI.
The summit will coincide with the launch of an education partnership between Reading FC and Setanta College.
The internationally accredited programme will focus on sports technology and applied AI and is aimed at people already working in sport.
It will be delivered online alongside participants’ existing full-time roles, with the first cohort due to begin in March 2027.
Reading chairman Rob Couhig said the club believed AI would have a “significant impact” on football.
“When we appointed Stuart as Head of AI, we did so because we believe this technology is going to have a significant impact on football, both on the pitch and across the wider operation of a football club,” he said.
Mr Fenton said the event would allow people developing and using AI technology in football to “compare notes honestly”.
He added: “Being the first Head of AI in English football mostly means separating what actually works from what just sounds good.”
Sean Hogan, from Setanta College, said AI would change the skills required by people working in areas including coaching, analysis and physiotherapy.
“AI will not replace the coach, the analyst or the physio, but it will change what they need to know,” he said.
Reading said the summit would be a closed, invitation-only event and would not be open to the public or media.
