League Of Ireland Selects Kitman Labs For League-Wide Football Intelligence Platform

The League of Ireland has agreed a multi-year partnership with Kitman Labs to deploy the company’s iP: Intelligence Platform across its 22 academies.

The agreement will establish a single data infrastructure across the League of Ireland Academy system, allowing player development to be tracked throughout the pathway while providing clubs with tools covering coaching, performance, medical, welfare and operational functions.

League Of Ireland Creates Central Academy Platform

Under the partnership, the League of Ireland will establish central standards while individual clubs retain responsibility for their day-to-day operations. Each academy will operate through its own workspace on the same platform, with role-based access available to academy directors, coaches, sports science and medical teams, analysts, operations staff and welfare personnel.

The system will also be used to automate the League of Ireland’s academy grading framework and improvement plans, replacing manual spreadsheet-based processes with centrally maintained records. The league’s football philosophy, coaching standards, curriculum and drill library will also be housed on the platform, allowing alignment to be tracked across clubs and different stages of player development.

Will Clarke, Head of League of Ireland Academies, said: “Today represents a genuine step-change in how we develop young players across the League of Ireland.

“Our ambition is to give every player within our Academy system the best possible opportunity to fulfill their potential. For the first time, we will have a single, connected platform across our Academies that allows us to follow a player’s development over time, better understand their individual needs and give our Clubs and coaches the information they need to support that development.”

Investment Follows Independent Academy Review

The agreement forms part of the League of Ireland Academy Investment Programme, funded by Ireland’s Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and Sport Ireland. The programme has already supported the appointment of a number of Academy Directors and Heads of Academy Coaching across League of Ireland clubs.

Its latest investment follows an independent review of the academy system which identified greater digitalisation, improved use of player data and technology and increased consistency between academies among the areas requiring development.

Clarke added: “The real value of this investment will ultimately be measured on the pitch. If we develop better players, we strengthen our Clubs. If we strengthen our Clubs, we strengthen the League of Ireland. And, over time, a stronger League of Ireland Academy system will provide more and better players for our international teams.”

Single Player Record Across Development Pathway

Kitman Labs’ technology will create a longitudinal record for each player, enabling their development to be followed throughout the academy pathway and towards senior professional football. Players, parents and coaches will also receive dedicated app access for schedules, communication, pathway information and development tracking.

Clubs will additionally receive operational tools covering scheduling, communications, participation, forms and documents, while Kitman Labs’ My iP analytics system will allow both the league and individual clubs to create their own reporting dashboards.

Stephen Smith, Founder and CEO of Kitman Labs, said:

“The League of Ireland has set out a clear ambition: to raise the standard of Irish football, to evidence outcomes to government, and to deliver lasting value from the public investment behind the game.

“By establishing a single intelligence platform across the Academy system and the league, the League of Ireland is doing what the most progressive leagues in the world are now doing. It is governing the ecosystem with a single set of standards and a single data infrastructure, and giving every Club the tools to operate to that standard. We are proud to be the partner the League of Ireland has trusted to deliver it.”

The partnership adds the League of Ireland to Kitman Labs’ existing football portfolio, which includes deployments across the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan, Major League Soccer and MLS NEXT, the United Soccer League and Norwegian Football Federation.

Implementation of the platform will begin immediately, with a phased league-wide rollout taking place during the 2026 season.