Amazon has announced a collaboration between Amazon Web Services (AWS), West Ham United, and Crayon to develop an AI-powered talent identification platform. This initiative aims to revolutionize football scouting and player recruitment through the use of generative AI and machine learning, as said in a press release.
According to Business Wire, West Ham United is the first Premier League club to implement this generative AI-driven scouting platform. Developed with AWS and Crayon, the system integrates performance metrics, technical analysis, and financial insights to support scouts and coaches in making data-informed recruitment decisions. This move aligns with a broader trend in professional sports towards adopting cloud and AI technologies for enhancing player development and competitive strategies.
Reuters reports that the platform utilizes Amazon SageMaker and Amazon Bedrock—AWS’s leading AI services—to process extensive global datasets on player performance, team dynamics, and potential fit. This enables West Ham United to effectively benchmark talent and identify players whose skills match the club's strategy and culture. The implementation is supported by Crayon’s Center of Excellence and the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center to ensure scalability and ongoing innovation.
Forbes highlights that the sports analytics market is expected to reach $8.5 billion by 2030, with AI-driven scouting identified as one of its fastest-growing applications. The partnership between AWS and West Ham United exemplifies how elite sports organizations are employing AI technology to maintain a competitive advantage both on-field and off-field. Additionally, this collaboration reinforces AWS's position as a prominent cloud provider for advanced sports analytics solutions already utilized by major leagues such as the NFL, Formula 1, and Bundesliga.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc., is recognized as the world's most comprehensive cloud platform. It offers over 240 fully featured services from data centers across 38 regions globally. AWS provides scalable infrastructure, analytics, and AI technologies across various industries—including sports, media, and entertainment—facilitating secure and efficient innovation.