Back then, AI wasn’t a word that popped up much in conversations about football coaching or indeed franchising, for that matter.
Fast forward to today, and Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. You can’t scroll through LinkedIn or open a news site without seeing stories of AI revolutionising industries. But what does that really mean for franchising and for brands like ours?
I believe we’re standing at the edge of a huge opportunity. But I also think it’s really getting on people’s nerves!
There’s a fear in some circles that AI will replace people. In franchising, I see the opposite: AI is at its most powerful when it multiplies the output of real people.
Franchisees are often wearing many hats. They are a marketer, operator, administrator, community-builder and AI can help them save hours of admin time, produce high-quality marketing content, and make smarter business decisions… freeing them up to focus on the human stuff that AI can’t replace: building relationships, creating memorable customer experiences, and delivering the brand’s values in person.
In our own network, AI is already playing a positive role the following ways:
- Content creation – From drafting engaging Facebook posts (that are tweaked and refined) to creating the starting point for striking graphics, AI tools help our franchisees show up consistently online, without spending all day on Canva.
- Data insights – AI can analyse performance data and help identify trends a human eye might miss, giving our Head Office team and franchisees a clearer picture of what’s working and what isn’t. This has been one of the most useful areas of ChatGPT for us.
- Customer communication – Chatbots and smart email tools can give potential customers an instant response, even when our team is asleep. We’re developing Chatbots, but these won’t replace human beings.
There’s a danger in assuming that every franchisee will instantly know how to use AI effectively and responsibly. As franchisors, we have a duty to provide guidance, training, and boundaries just as we would with any other tool. That’s why we’re looking to educate our network about using AI at the Football Fun Factory at our franchise conference in November.
I can’t give away all of our Franchise Conference plans. But here’s some challenges we could discuss that may prove useful:
- How do we make sure AI-generated marketing is still authentic and spoken in our brand voice?
- How do we avoid the pitfalls of AI-generated content?
- How do we protect customer data and keep everything GDPR compliant?
- How do we ensure we’re using AI ethically?
At Football Fun Factory, we’ve started creating AI resources for our franchisees, from prompts they can use in ChatGPT to checklists for fact-checking AI outputs. It’s about empowering them to use AI confidently, without losing the personal touch that defines our brand.
I’m convinced that the franchises that thrive in the AI era will be those that combine technology with humanity and not those that throw themselves all-in to a new AI generated world!
AI might help us write sharper ad copy, analyse trends faster, and respond to customers more quickly. But the magic of a great franchise network is still in the people. The franchisees who care deeply about their customers, the support teams who know the business inside out, and the communities we serve.
AI will never replace the warmth of a coach greeting a child by name at their first session, or the pride a parent feels watching their child score their first goal. But if it can help us reach more children, streamline our systems, and support our franchisees better, then I say it’s a tool worth embracing.
