Introduction

In a time where football agents are now subjected to new FIFA Football Agent Regulations and have been under public scrutiny in recent times for the volume of money that is seen to be leaving the game, perhaps the most straightforward solution to these issues is for agents to establish themselves as a major stakeholder within the beautiful game. 

To become a stakeholder, this simply means that agents would form a group or union that has a vested interest in the decision-making processes and organisation of the world’s biggest sport. An agent’s union could form as an independent stakeholder in direct contact with the other major stakeholders in football, such as FIFA and the ECA, in order to ensure that the voices of agents are heard and represented throughout the world of football. 

This blog will consider the stakeholders within football in the current landscape and how the development of a group of agents as an official stakeholding member of the football community could produce significant benefits for the improvement of the game and the industry as a whole.

Current Major Stakeholders

             To explain how agents could unite together and position themselves as stakeholders in football, let’s look at the other major stakeholders in the current modern game:

1. FIFA: This is the most well-known and widely spoken about stakeholder in football. FIFA is the primary governing body that passes rules and regulations aimed at developing and improving that game of football internationally. It is also one of the longest standing stakeholders, having been founded in 1904 and has overseen international competitions and association football ever since.
2. FIFPRO: Perhaps better known as the stakeholder acting on behalf of the football players themselves. FIFPRO’s objective is to defend and uphold the rights of players and put forward their concerns, issues and opinions on certain matters in football to benefit their interests. FIFPRO is an international stakeholder, formed by many separate national player unions that collate areas and policies that impact players and express how they believe they should be amended or adopted positively for players.
3. ECA: The European Club Association takes on a similar role to FIFPRO but instead acts on behalf of the association football clubs within the UEFA confederation of Europe. It was only relatively recently formed in 2008 but has established itself as the main voice recognised by FIFA and UEFA as being responsible for advocating for the wellbeing and interests of European football clubs. 

These organisations are examples of how stakeholders form and what exactly the roles and responsibilities of being a stakeholder are. 

Agents as Stakeholders

In the current climate, despite having a significant impact on football, FIFA does not formally recognise agents as major stakeholders in football. Unions of agents do exist but not in a manner which is purposeful or beneficial for agents internationally.

Currently, FIFA does not recognise agents as stakeholders as there is no unity between agents nor a properly structured ‘single umbrella’ of agents. This is an advantage for FIFA’s position of power and allowed them to create their own agent group. The current FIFA Agent Platform or “Working Group” is the only “representative body” recognised by FIFA that may appear to be made up of “agents”. FIFA describes its role as a permanent consultative body for agents. However, it is not the kind of beneficial and desirable union that agents are seeking to express their opinions formally and effectively. The group is made up of 18 individuals and is realistically an extension of FIFA and is organised and financed by FIFA itself, failing to truly represent the interests of agents but rather the interests of FIFA. A body created and maintained by FIFA cannot possibly objectively promote the interests of agents.

Organisations such as the Professional Football Agents Association exist and PROFAA was actually the union named by FIFA within their “consultation process” regarding the new football agent regulations. However, much like the agent working group, the association is not accurately representative of the agent landscape. In fact, it represents around 0.1% of agents globally. Many of the individuals that are part of PROFAA are not actually practising agents and represent a very small minority of the reality. There needs to be a more accurate representative global union that acts as a body protecting the best interests of agents.

Similarly, satellite unions are forming in other countries such as the Association of Football Agents (AFA) in England which have taken on the responsibility of heading the legal case against FIFA over the new regulations. Despite such an approach, the union is still not formally recognised by FIFA and is unable to be representative of agents internationally. Other examples of smaller unions yet to manage to emerge and establish themselves as an independent stakeholder recognised by FIFA include the European Football Agents Association (EFAA), and The Football Forum, set up by some of the most well-known individuals in football agency. There are also agent associations in countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Brazil. However, these unions are not formally organised or majorly actively collaborating with FIFA directly and are primarily focused on legal opposition against the new regulations.

Our belief is that, in light of the new regulations and legal proceedings against them, now is the time for agents to unite and for the establishment of a globally recognised and officially approved agents body that acts as a major stakeholder within football. Perhaps forming something along the lines of a “World Football Agents Union”. 

Currently, agents are subject to the arbitration and regulation of FIFA who may divide and rule as they see fit, without formally recognised resistance from an agent union. Perhaps only once such a position as a stakeholder is adopted by agents, will the profession receive adequate respect and authority in voicing concerns and opposing unfair regulation and circumstances. 

The best way to launch such a union would be to create a formal platform which outlines its own regulations, board and organisation and takes on members first. The next step would be to increase in size and begin to collaborate with FIFA working towards various improvements to the agency profession. After this work, there is the chance to become recognised formally as an independent stakeholder.

By bringing global agents under a single global umbrella as a stakeholder will provide a stable platform and foundation for agents to improve not only their own industry but also the football landscape in its entirety. A union creates a robust and unified force that can aim for a universally consistent goal of improving the agent industry such as establishing appropriate regulations with FIFA. 

Importantly, the unified agent body must be truly representative of agents across the world unlike the current FIFA Working Group. In other words, the voices of top agents as well as smaller agencies must be able to be heard and represented. In this way, it ensures that all regulations and conduct of agents internationally can be considered and adapted in order to create a beneficial and ethical landscape for every agent operating in the industry.

Clearly there would be many benefits for agents becoming recognised stakeholders in football. It is necessary for agents to be able to safeguard and promote their own well-being within an industry they play such a pivotal role within. It is unfair and counter-productive that a profession which influences transfers and financial transactions so prominently in the sport are not treated with appropriate diligence and respect and granted the platform to express how the agent industry may best be overseen and regulated. 

Summary

Being a stakeholder within the game of football is a straightforward way of ensuring that whichever party or group of individuals are being represented have the necessary influence and impact to protect themselves and advance their interests to benefit the sport as a whole. Therefore, it seems undeniable that agents should be given an equal position and should act as major stakeholders in football to reflect the work that they do and the impact that they have.

Introduction

Perhaps one of the hardest stages of being a football agent is when you are looking to recruit your very first client, particularly if you are working alone and not as part of a larger agency. It can be a tense time that requires patience and dedication to find the right opportunity and then capitalise upon it and turn it into a successful agent-client relationship.

In this blog we will consider the kind of things you should be doing if you are in this position and how to go about finding that very first client. We will also look at the stages of progression towards signing a representation contract and the must-do’s and don’ts for upcoming agents.  

Finding the Opportunity

Depending upon your age and previous experience in the football industry, initially finding an opportunity to try to recruit a player can vary in difficulty. For younger agents, the likelihood is that such an opportunity will only arise on the back of attending as many games as possible. By identifying the kind of clientele you are hoping to work with and other specifics can help you to narrow down the kind of fixtures you will attend. For example, a young agent may attend academy fixtures to engage and interact with scouts and parents of players below first team level. Younger academy games are important as this is an opportunity to build up relationships with parents and others which can grow over two years or so before they may be looking for an agent.

As per FIFA Regulations concerning the protection of minors, agents are not able to enter into representation agreements until the player is within six months of when they may legally sign their first professional contract. Hence, agents must be aware that this varies between countries. For example, in associations such as Germany they may sign a professional playing contract as young as 16, so agents will be trying to represent them at 15 and a half. Alternatively in other countries, agents cannot sign representation agreements until they are 17 and a half, before signing their first playing contract at 18. Attending fixtures prior to this age gives you the window of opportunity to establish the foundations of a relationship for when the time comes. 

Football fixtures can also be an intimidating environment. There were many occasions when I was just starting out with attending fixtures that I would try to talk myself into approaching parents watching games or even scouts, but found it difficult when the time came to know the best way of instigating a conversation with them and making that first connection. It is particularly important that an upcoming agent quickly becomes accustomed to and comfortable with making initial contact and striking up a conversation in such an environment.

This comes down to repetition. The more you put yourself into an uncomfortable position and force yourself to take steps to speak directly to people, the more comfortable it will become over time and it won’t be long before you have no hesitation in doing so. Although every conversation may not always go the way that you’d hoped, as sometimes others may not be interested in speaking with you, the worst possible outcome is that you fail to build a relationship with them. However, the chances are, the majority of conversations you have will lead to future conversations and could open up various possibilities to you, including the chance of signing your first client. The main aim of these first conversations is to leave a good impression and to obtain the contact details of the other person so you can keep in touch. 

The hope is that eventually, after spending long enough putting the hard graft in and making the effort to continue, even at times when it may seem to not be getting you anywhere, an opportunity may arise where you come to learn of a player that may be looking for representation and you have a contact or other way in which you can make contact with their parents or even with the player themselves if they over 18. The next steps are of utmost importance and maybe sometimes comes down to making sure you don’t do certain things rather than what you do do.

An important point to note when finding an opportunity is whether you are operating as an agent alone, as part of a smaller agency or perhaps as a recruitment employee of a larger agency. Each has different advantages and disadvantages, it is up to the individual as to how they would rather work. For example, those working for larger agencies will have greater access to a wider network as well as being able to include senior agents in discussions and demonstrate the services they have provided to star players in the game once they begin discussions with the players and their parents. However, in such situations, they are employees of larger agencies and will be paid a salary. Alternatively, agents may work in more of a commission based partnership under a smaller agency which may give more power and influence to the individual agent. The way in which you are working as an agent will affect the methods you use to identify opportunities to sign players and how you work with them. 

What not to do

To summarise what you absolutely must not do, it can be put as simply as: DO NOT ACT UNPROFESSIONALLY. 

Expanding on this, once there may be an opportunity for you to sign a first client, it is vital not to become overexcited and to rush into trying to progress the chance quicker than is appropriate. Some agents will want to grab the opportunity as soon as possible, but if this is done unprofessionally, the likelihood is that it will not produce the result you are hoping for.

There are some simple rules for certain things that you should avoid. We will then go onto look at the advisable alternatives later on in the blog. 

Firstly, do not use social media platforms to approach players or their families. In the modern era, it is likely that you will be able to find both the players and their close relatives on at least one form of social media. Whilst this may help you in identifying who their parents are and who to look out for on the side of a football pitch, approaching them directly through social media is unprofessional and is unlikely to be looked upon kindly by those you are trying to engage with. 

If you have identified the parents or an alternative method to make contact with the player, you must not abuse this position and utilise it in the wrong way. Repetitive pestering and impatient messaging is only likely to irritate the contact and will not help you build a relationship with the player in any way. Do not insist on spending entire games watching with them and making them feel pressured themselves. Presenting yourself as someone who will make the player and their family uncomfortable will subsequently undermine your chances of building a strong relationship and going on to represent the player.

One way in which an agent may also inadvertently discourage the family from allowing you to represent the player is if you give the impression that you are ‘taking them away’. Particularly for younger clients, agents should attempt to integrate themselves as part of the wider support team of the player, almost as another family member. By providing your expertise as well as broader encouragement, you can develop the relationship into a feeling that everyone is working together for the best of the player rather than separately. 

In some instances, the opportunity may have arisen with a younger academy player who shows great potential. There is a tendency to assume that if a player has high potential for a future in the game, a lot of agents will be vying for their signature. However, you must not approach them if they are not of the legal age. Not only does this infringe upon FIFA and National Association regulations, but it will also demonstrate that you are unprofessional in your approach to your work as an agent. Consequently, the family and player are likely to remove you from consideration for future representation as they will much rather work with a professional individual. 

Since the new FIFA Agent Regulations came into force, there has been some confusion around when you can approach players or families as an agent. In short, you must not present yourself to a player or their families as an agent if you have not yet obtained your FIFA licence. There is a clear distinction between how a licenced and unlicenced individual must behave. Although you may attend games and talk with people freely without a licence, you must not do so in the capacity of an agent nor speak to families or others about your intentions as an agent.

One final point on what not to do is something that is surprisingly common in the agency profession. Our advice would be that you should never pay the player or their families to encourage them to sign with you or your agency. Occasionally, parents may ask for money for themselves rather than for the benefit of the player and if they originally sign for money, the chances are that one day they may move on to another agency for more money. It is not advisable to begin your professional relationship between you as the agent and the player and their families upon the foundations of financial reward. The only instance where sharing money could be appropriate is if there is a family member who is also an officially licenced agent that is representing their relative but would like to partner with you to improve the services they can provide. In such cases, all financial details will be based upon previously agreed shared commission. 

The Essentials

On the other side of this is the ‘must-do’s’. To simplify this; DO ACT PROFESSIONALLY.

The professional way of initiating conversation with the player or their families, rather than social media, is to approach them appropriately at a game. This is by far the best way of beginning to build the relationship as in-person interaction is the most efficient method of leaving a positive first impression. You can introduce yourself and briefly acknowledge your position as an agent. From then you will recognise each other at future games and can give simple pleasantries as you walk by or strike up further conversations if the circumstances suit. It is a matter of making a judgement as to when is the right time to make conversation and when it is best to not go beyond a quick “hello”. At some point along the relationship, you may be able to obtain a phone number or other contact details and can then engage in conversation with them professionally and it may get to the stage of having phone calls or a zoom call once the topic of your interest in representing the player as a client has been discussed.

Timing is essential. If you encroach on the subject of representation prematurely, it may be of detriment to your relationship. It is essential to accurately assess your relationship with the player and their family and focus more on building a good and trusting connection with them before discussing the possibility of representing the player as a client. In some cases, if it is permissible and appropriate, agents have entered into purely commercial agreements with players and their families to source them a boot deal at a younger age than they would be able to sign a representation deal. Although you must ensure this complies with regulations, it may be another way of progressing your relationship up until the point of finding the right time to sign a representation contract.

Once you have identified a target and have initiated that first point of contact and addressed the topic of representing the player, you can then move onto the stages of recruitment. Depending on the exact circumstances this may vary; ultimately it comes down to your personal judgement as to the best next steps in each situation and depending upon the point the relationship has reached. However, below is an outline of how a typical appropriate recruitment process may play out:

1. The Approach: Being introduced to or approaching the player and/or their family and making initial contact and building the relationship.
2. Organised meeting: This is your first chance to demonstrate where you can add value as an agent to the player and to his family. In a comfortable and neutral environment such as a cafe or restaurant, you can initially pitch your attributes as an agent and present an individualised assessment of the player. The goal of this stage is to generate initial interest, intrigue and engagement in the hope of leading to further conversations in the future. This is an introductory meeting rather than a contract signing meeting! The next step may also then be to have a meeting with just the player to develop your personal relationship with him and gain a better understanding of his ambitions and goals in his career as well as what he is looking for in an agent.
3. Attending games: Throughout the process it is important to continue to attend games and monitor the recruitment target. As mentioned, this gives you further chances to interact with the family and also to make further assessments on the player. Additionally, the family and the player will appreciate your dedication and interest in attending and following the games, which can boost your chances of impressing. It is vital that throughout the process you are demonstrating how and where you can add value to the player’s career.
4. Closing: The entire process may take anywhere from a couple of weeks to even up to a year to run its course. It really depends on the situation of the player and their family and the relationship you are able to build in the space of time. However, once you have judged that it is an appropriate time, or perhaps the player and their family have enquired about it, you can ask if they are looking to make a decision and they may wish to see the representation contract. It is a necessity that you insist on them seeking independent legal advice and are also willing to answer any questions or queries they may have. Significantly, just because the process has progressed this far does not guarantee a decision either way. The important thing to remember is to remain patient and professional. Do not rush the family into making a decision, assist them in any way you can but remember that it is ultimately their decision and you can only give the best possible account of yourself.

Summary

Without clients, an agent is not able to do the very purpose of their job. Hence, recruiting the first client is a major milestone in the career of an upcoming agent. Whilst perhaps a daunting and sometimes even frustrating task, it is also part of the excitement and should be a cherished opportunity. It is the platform to launch your agency career and therefore, approach it with utmost professionalism and a willingness to accept failures and learning curves but with the determination to keep persevering and a belief in your own abilities and aptitude that the right opportunity will materialise.