Seattle Reign head coach Laura Harvey has revealed how she has utilised the AI platform ChatGPT to help with tactics during the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season.
The English coach who previously managed Arsenal and Birmingham City, made the admission while speaking on the Soccerish Podcast.
Seattle have made big improvements in the NWSL this season after a disappointing 2024 campaign.
How Seattle Reign head coach Laura Harvey used ChatGPT
Seattle Reign head coach Harvey admitted she started asking ChatGPT questions about her team during the off-season after finishing 13th last year.
She revealed how she decided to use particular formations based on the answers the platform gave back to her.
Harvey said: “One day in the off-season, I was writing things into ChatGPT like, ‘what is Seattle Reign’s identity?’ And it would spurt it out, and I was like, ‘I don’t know if that’s true or not. ‘
“And then I put in ‘what formation should you play to beat NWSL teams?’ and it spurted out every team in the league and what formation you should play.
“For two teams, it went ‘you should play a back five.’ So I did, no joke. That’s why I did it.”
Harvey made the admission after being asked how her coaching style has evolved over her two-decade career.
Until this season, she had never played a back-five. However, after evaluating ChatGPT’s suggestion, she implemented a formation with a back-five.
“I’d never really done a lot of research on it,” Harvey added of the formation. “
“It was always talked about as a way to see games out. You know, (you go ahead) and get into a back five and stop people from scoring, was sort of how, like, a back five had been talked about for me.”
How have Seattle Reign improved by using ChatGPT?
Seattle Reign have taken great strides in 2025 amid Harvey’s admission of using AI to help with tactics.
In 2024, Seattle finished second-bottom in the NWSL with just six wins in 26 games.
Heading into the final weekend of the 2025 regular season, Seattle are fourth with 38 points, 15 better off than last year.
Seattle could yet move up to third if they beat Orlando Pride, who currently occupy that spot, this weekend.
The Reign first played with a back-five against Orlando back in April, suggesting this was a game where ChatGPT recommended the formation.
Seattle did lose 1-0 against the defending NWSL champions, but as per the Guardian, they generated 0.5 more expected goals than usual for that match.
Harvey’s side will fancy their chances against Orlando, who will be without star striker Barbara Banda, who has been ruled out for the season.
Have other teams used AI?
There have been reports of other teams from across the world of football who have used AI to their advantage.
The BBC reported in 2024 that Liverpool’s men’s side utilised an AI system for football tactics at corner kicks, called TacticAI.
TacticAI helps by offering new ideas and suggestions for tactics when corners are being taken. The report in March 2024 said that the AI platform analysed more than 7,000 corner kicks taken in Premier League matches since 2020.
FCBusiness.co.uk reported how clubs including Manchester City, Barcelona and Brentford also use it for their men’s teams.
Manchester City are said to have simulation systems that allow them to predict the outcome of a match based on the lineup, tactics and weather conditions.
Barcelona use AI for match analysis while Brentford reportedly use AI to help search for ‘undervalued’ players where other clubs don’t look.
Who is Seattle Reign head coach Laura Harvey?
Seattle head coach Harvey has an extensive history in women’s football, winning three titles during her time as Arsenal manager.
She guided Arsenal to the FA Women’s Premier League in 2009-10, before winning the first two Women’s Super League titles with the Gunners in 2011 and 2012.
Harvey also won two League Cups and one FA Cup during her time in London.
The 45-year-old, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, has had two spells at NWSL side Seattle Reign.
During her first spell from 2013 to 2017, she guided the team to the NWSL Shield in 2014 and 2015.
She returned to Seattle in 2021, winning one further NWSL Shield in the 2022 season.
Her managerial career has also included spells at Birmingham City, the Utah Royals, and as assistant coach for the USWNT.
