Former Bombers captain and coach James Hird has a new job, joining Melbourne AI company Affinda to lead its expansion into the global sports market.
Hird is now global head of Affinda Sports, working with its product and engineering teams to help sporting organisations turn their data into decisions on performance, strategy and commercial growth.
His brief covers governing bodies, national sporting organisations, clubs, associations and commercial partners. He will help identify potential uses for AI and develop practical solutions.
Hird had hoped to return to his troubled side, the 2026 wooden spooners, as coach of the men’s team, having held the role around the time Affinda was founded in 2012 by brothers Tim and Dr Ben Toner.
The 1996 Brownlow Medalist departed Essendon in 2015 after being suspended from coaching for a year in the wake of the Essendon supplements controversy.
2026 men’s coach Brad Scott was sacked in May when the Bombers had a 1-11 win-loss ratio for the season. In August Mark McVeigh was appointed Essonden’ head ‘s senior men’s coach for 2027.
Hird, 53, will continue to coach the Port Melbourne VFL team as a weekend side hustle.
All-in on AI
Affinda has expanded from document processing into AI products and deployment. The company acquired AI training firm Pathfindr in a $15 million all-scrip deal 12 months ago. Affinda last raised $10 million in June 2024, valuing the company at $120 million. Backers included Toll founder and former Essendon chair Paul Little, Ellerston Capital cofounder Ashok Jacob and Greg Ellis.
It was flagged as a potential unicorn, worth more than $1 billion by the end of the decade, in the former LaunchVic’s (now part of Innovation Victoria) 30×30 program.
Affinda is now targeting a familiar problem for elite sport: plenty of data, but difficulty connecting it and producing useful insights quickly enough to influence decisions during competition. The veteran scaleup says its AI can connect disparate datasets and identify patterns, with applications extending beyond performance to fan engagement, membership and commercial operations.
Cofounder and CEO Tim Toner said Hird understood both the competitive and commercial realities of professional sport.
“James brings a rare combination of elite sporting experience and business leadership,” he said.
“We see an enormous global opportunity to help sporting organisations unlock the value of the data they already have to make smarter decisions, improve sporting performance and drive commercial growth.”
Hird said the role offered a way to build on his coaching experience.
“It’s no secret I’ve been thinking about my next move. I wanted an opportunity that builds on my coaching experience and keeps me connected to elite performance,” he said.
Affinda also owns legal tech business Draftable. Its comparison and drafting tools are used by more than 1,300 legal teams and law firms worldwide.
Whether Affinda and Hird have AI powerful enough to find data insights Essendon can use to win a third game in the 2027 season remains to be seen.
