In mid-2023, Chelsea FC, amidst a period of intense activity both in player transfers and in search of a new shirt sponsor, announced a partnership with Infinite Athlete, an AI-powered sports tech and data company. This deal marked a significant step for the Premier League club and the tech company, which was relatively unknown to many football fans.
Charlie Ebersol, CEO of Infinite Athlete, discussed the partnership and its implications with Insider Sport this week. The collaboration began in the spring of 2023, leading to the creation of an interactive product integrated into Chelsea’s app. This product, Match View X (MVX), launched during the Chelsea vs. Wrexham match, demonstrated a strong appetite among Chelsea fans for deeper engagement and connection with the club. The timing coincided with Infinite Athlete’s acquisition of Biocore LLC., the world’s largest player health and safety performance company, and its subsequent rebranding.
“I have always believed success in business is as much about timing as anything else. If you are prepared, and an opportunity presents itself, that is how great things happen and so it made absolute sense for us to expand our technology partnership with Chelsea to become their front of shirt sponsor for this season, introducing the brand to the world.
Chelsea’s ownership, as well as its executive team, share our excitement for innovative technology and have the same goal to improve the overall experience for fans, players and the game itself.”
— Charlie Ebersol
Ebersol emphasized that the partnership with Chelsea, one of the world’s biggest football clubs, felt natural due to their existing technology relationship. Chelsea was receptive to pioneering MVX and embraced the full spectrum of data services provided by Infinite Athlete for both its men’s and women’s teams. These services include automated highlights production, performance, injury, and data analytics, with potential applications for clubs and leagues globally.
Despite the early stages of their journey, Infinite Athlete’s vision is expansive. They aim to become the universal operating system for sports, intending to work with all clubs in the near future. The technology combines Tempus Ex Machina’s sports video and data technology with Biocore’s injury and performance analytics, offering a comprehensive data suite for coaches, physios, and players. For fans, MVX within the Chelsea app offers an AI platform that enhances the viewing experience with detailed in-game data and highlights.
In Q4, Infinite Athlete launched the Partner Network, opening its API to a diverse range of sports development companies. This move aligns with their vision to create new possibilities by providing access to synchronized sports data and video.
Regarding future plans, Ebersol envisions Infinite Athlete becoming as foundational in sports as Google Maps is in navigation, serving as a versatile platform for various sports entities. While Chelsea FC is the first major partnership, conversations are ongoing with other clubs and leagues worldwide.
“Our vision is to become the operating system for all sports, providing the foundational platform that is largely ‘input agnostic’ in much the same way as Google Maps has become for so many reciprocal businesses, such as Uber and AirBnB.”
— Charlie Ebersol
Infinite Athlete also has a significant partnership with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) in the United States. This collaboration focuses on unlocking commercial opportunities for NFL players through the use of FusionFeed technology, which synchronizes and delivers comprehensive live sporting event data. This partnership is expected to enhance fan engagement and create new monetization avenues for NFL players.
Ebersol confirmed that Infinite Athlete’s technology is not limited to football but is set to expand into various sports, including a partnership with TGL, the tech-focused golf series founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports’ venture. This broad scope underscores Infinite Athlete’s ambition to revolutionize the sports technology landscape.
Featured image: Credit: Infinite Athlete/Chelsea FC
