How do leading football clubs move from collecting player data to making better decisions with it?
In this BBC Radio Leeds interview on West Yorkshire Sport Daily, host Adam Pope speaks with Stephen Smith, CEO of Kitman Labs, about what it really takes to connect people, processes, and player information across a modern football club.
From injury prevention and player development to recruitment, academy pathways, and the growing role of AI, the conversation explores why the future of football will not be shaped by more data alone. It will be shaped by how quickly clubs can turn that data into insight, action, and better decisions.
Why Listen
- Understand performance intelligence in practice: Stephen Smith explains how connected data can help clubs move from information overload to clearer, faster decision-making.
- Hear the bigger story behind Kitman Labs: Learn how Smith’s background in sports medicine, sports science, and professional rugby shaped the company’s mission.
- See how Leeds United fits into the picture: The conversation explores how Leeds is connecting academy and first-team operations to support a more joined-up football model.
- Explore the link between development and recruitment: Hear how clubs can define what success looks like for their own system, then use that understanding to make more precise player decisions.
- Get the cross-sport perspective: Smith shares how lessons from rugby, the NFL, and Premier League football can inform better approaches to player availability, development, and performance.
- Look ahead to what’s next: The interview explores how AI, analytics, and automation could help clubs turn insight into action more efficiently.
Hear the rest of the episode with Adam Pope on West Yorkshire Sport Daily from BBC Radio Leeds, featuring Stephen Smith, CEO of Kitman Labs.
