Essendon great James Hird has taken a full-time job with Melbourne artificial intelligence company Affinda, two months after missing out on the Bombers’ senior coaching role.
The Brownlow medallist has been named global head of Affinda Sports, a new division that will help clubs and sporting bodies use AI to make sense of their data, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Hird will keep his role as director of coaching at VFL club Port Melbourne.
“This is very much a full-time role, but I will continue my role with Port because it’s something I love,” Hird told the Herald.
‘Thoroughly disappointed’
Hird was one of the leading candidates to replace Brad Scott at Essendon, but the club appointed Mark McVeigh as senior coach in August.
“I was disappointed, you know, thoroughly disappointed,” he said of missing out on the job.
Read more: AFL: ‘He Knows He’s Got the Job’: Hird Points to McVeigh as Essendon Decision Nears
What the job involves
Affinda said Hird’s remit will cover governing bodies, national sporting organisations, clubs, associations and commercial partners, Zero Hanger reported.
“The chance to work at the intersection of AI and sport is incredibly exciting,” Hird said.
Affinda chief executive Tim Toner said the company already had “multiple customers” among sporting organisations in Australia and overseas, but would not name them.
Read more: Paul Thomas Joins Essendon as Assistant Coach for 2027
Hird said clubs already collect GPS data, Champion Data statistics, gym results, wellness data and vision, and AI could help bring it together, including in the coaches’ box on game day.
“In a coaches’ box, it’s very chaotic, and if you can reduce some of that chaos and some of that noise, there’s no doubt you can think more clearly as a coach,” he said.
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