Coach Logic unveils SAM AI tool to analyse coaches

Coach Logic has launched SAM, an AI-based tool that analyses coaching sessions and categorises coaching behaviours using video.

Short for Session Analysis Model, SAM targets a less-developed area of sports technology than athlete tracking and performance metrics. Coach observation still relies heavily on manual note-taking and in-person feedback, which can limit how often coaches receive structured input.

SAM records coaching interactions, automatically classifies behaviours, and links each classification to supporting video clips. Coach Logic positions it as a way for coaches to review sessions with more structure and less manual effort.

Founded in 2012 by rugby coaches Andy Muir and Mark Cairns, Coach Logic has developed sports analysis products used across multiple sports. Its existing platform, Coach Logic Teams, focuses on collaboration between coaches and athletes through shared video and analysis workflows.

Shift in focus

SAM shifts analysis from players to coaches. Instead of measuring physical outputs, it focuses on what coaches say and do during a session, including communication patterns and interactions that are often assessed through labour-intensive observation.

Coach Logic developed SAM after years of work with elite organisations and governing bodies, including England Rugby, World Rugby and the FIH, hockey's international federation.

The company argues that the manual nature of coach observation limits scale. Many programmes depend on mentors or coach developers attending training sessions and producing feedback, an approach that is hard to apply across large populations of volunteer and semi-professional coaches.

Early adopters

Two sports bodies have been named as early users: the Football Association of Ireland and Basketball Australia. Both are integrating SAM into their high-performance and community coaching programmes.

National governing bodies have sought more consistent approaches to coach development across regions and levels. Digital tools can help standardise parts of review and feedback, although uptake still depends on individual coaches and alignment with each sport's development frameworks.

Coach Logic also notes that filming coaches can raise sensitivities. Being recorded can feel exposing, particularly for developing coaches or those in community environments. It says SAM is designed to support development rather than judgement.

Co-founder Mark Cairns described SAM as a move away from manual workflows and towards structured review.

"SAM is about moving away from manual tagging and toward meaningful reflection," said Mark Cairns, Co-founder, Coach Logic. "Where our Teams product brings players and coaches together, SAM is designed specifically to support the coach's own journey. It's about giving coaches the tools they deserve to grow their skills in a supportive, objective environment."

For federations, the value of automation is tied to capacity. Coach development teams can be small relative to the number of coaches in a system. In that context, tools that produce repeatable categories and link them to video evidence could reduce the time needed to prepare feedback.

Niall O'Regan, Head of Education & Development at the Football Association of Ireland, said the tool reduces the need to place staff on site for coach development.

"SAM removes the pressure of us having to physically have a person on site with every single coach that we develop. Coach Logic has taken that problem away because we have a tool that everybody can use. It really creates a huge synergy throughout the game and takes away all of the barriers that we have from an educational sense. At the heart of everything we want to do in coach development, it's all around individual development, mentorship, and support, and now we have the tools and resources to give to all of our coaches to allow them to do that," said O'Regan.

Product context

Coach Logic describes SAM as separate from Teams, with a narrower focus on coach observation and feedback. It also places the tool within a broader trend in sport: applying AI to video workflows and analysis tasks that previously required extensive manual input.

The company says SAM categorises interactions automatically and presents them alongside associated video clips. It has not provided technical details on the models used, the training data, or how it manages bias and consistency across sports and coaching styles.

Adoption will likely depend on how well the classifications match each organisation's language and standards. Governing bodies often use competency frameworks and course structures to guide coach education. Tools that surface behavioural patterns may fit those frameworks, but they also require buy-in from coach educators and the coaches being assessed.

Coach Logic expects SAM to be used in both high-performance and grassroots environments, positioning it as a way to support coaching at scale for national programmes and large organisations.