In the Season One finale of the Heart of the Game Podcast, host Brian McDonough is joined by Dr. Colin Barnes, Associate Head Coach of the UNC Wilmington women’s soccer team and a U.S. Soccer course educator, for a deep dive into football science, performance analysis, and the future of data in the game.

Dr. Barnes shares his journey from growing up in Alabama with strong English football roots to playing collegiately at UNC Asheville and professionally with the Wilmington Hammerheads, before moving into coaching, education, and performance analysis. The conversation explores why the United States still lags behind Europe in analyst staffing and data integration, and how education remains the key barrier to progress.

The episode also examines why player ownership of data may be the next major evolution in football development, and how modern tools like AI driven analysis platforms are helping coaches turn complex data into actionable insight.

If you're interested in hearing more from the Heart of the Game podcast then make sure to give us a follow, as we're on a journey to recognize the true beating heart of football: the people who give everything to the game, both on and off the pitch.

If you'd like to learn more about those behind the Heart of the Game podcast then you can check us out further on the SciSports website.

In Episode 4 of Heart of the Game, we go on location to Global Football Innovation Academy in The Woodlands, Texas for an in person conversation with Academy Director Gareth Glick.

Gareth shares his journey from growing up in Leeds, England to moving to the United States as a teenager, and reflects on the growth of American soccer since the 1994 World Cup. We discuss why Houston is an overlooked football hotbed and what the 2026 World Cup could mean for the city and its communities.

He takes us inside GFI’s rapid rise to more than 2,500 players in under three years across multiple Houston area locations, and breaks down the pathway from recreational soccer to competitive teams, high performance environments, and MLS NEXT.

We also talk about building true community through diversity, how Gareth’s background in teaching shapes his coaching philosophy, and how innovation, data, and the SciSports partnership support long term player development. We close with Gareth’s favorite football memories and a Dutch football trivia segment.

If you're interested in hearing more from the Heart of the Game podcast then make sure to give us a follow, as we're on a journey to recognize the true beating heart of football: the people who give everything to the game, both on and off the pitch.

If you'd like to learn more about those behind the Heart of the Game podcast then you can check us out further on the SciSports website.

In this 3rd episode of Heart of the Game, Mike Salmon walks us through a remarkable life in goal, from making his professional debut at just 17 in England to battling every weekend in the top division with Charlton Athletic. He opens up about the highs, lows, and turning points of a career that included hundreds of professional appearances, and how an injury-enforced retirement pushed him into a new chapter as Arsenal’s goalkeepers coach. (You won’t believe what he has to say about Arsenal Football Club.)

We then follow Mike across the Atlantic as he moves to Canada to coach with the Vancouver Whitecaps, before stepping into his current role at BC Soccer as Senior Coordinator, Player Development. He reflects on what he’s learned about coaching, the mindset required to survive as a pro, and how his journey shapes the way he supports the next generation of players in British Columbia today.

Whether you’re a coach, parent, or player, you’ll come away with a deeper appreciation of what it really means to build a life in the game.

If you're interested in hearing more from the Heart of the Game podcast then make sure to give us a follow, as we're on a journey to recognize the true beating heart of football: the people who give everything to the game, both on and off the pitch.

If you'd like to learn more about those behind the Heart of the Game podcast then you can check us out further on the SciSports website.