Introduction

Over the last three weeks we have delved into two different areas of football agency; the history of the profession and where it all began, and more recently we assessed the work of a modern agent plying their trade in the present era of football. These were objective accounts of what has happened before and what is happening now in the ever changing and evolving world of football agents and the sport itself. The internet has many accounts of both of these topics and the facts, figures and details are documented and expressed to explain every aspect of the past and the present.

Whilst the fundamental skills and knowledge required of an agent have remained constant over time, I demonstrated last week that the scope of the work that an agent applies these assets to has broadened exponentially as agency has become a multifaceted profession. Additional capabilities have become integral to the role that an agent plays in the career of their client; from commercial and business knowledge to legal understanding and a savvy prowess over social media. Regardless, we are able to define and outline what the agency profession entails in the modern era of the beautiful game.

Perhaps, then, the most important question is where is the football agency occupation heading next? The answer is not objective and calls for calculated speculation. It is not possible to research factual information on what future awaits the profession. However, it is an intriguing proposition that presents several undisputed predictions. It can be guaranteed that, inevitably, the role of an agent will continue to expand and adapt in alignment with the evolving nature of football. Furthermore, the outlook and positioning of agents inside the sphere of football will change, which I will explore in more depth.

In this blog I will offer my attempt to make some other, more debatable, key predictions for the future of my profession. Some of these predictions might seem to imply drastic changes to the industry whilst others are simply a continuation of the pattern of change that has already been seen in recent years and since the emergence of agents in football and wider sport. Some are more speculative than others but all of them are alterations to the role of agents that I believe warrant genuine consideration as possible outcomes which may be reached from the direction in which football agency is going.

From Player Representatives to Sports Agents and Club Agents

There has been a gradual move in this direction already over the last few years. Player agents at the top end of the industry have begun to act on behalf of clubs, coaches, TV presenters and even sporting directors. I believe it is just the beginning of a limitless diversification in the clientele that current football agents will face in the future.

First and foremost, ‘club agents’ will likely become set as a norm within the agency profession. With FIFA’s new regulations coming into force imminently, there is a higher rate of commission remuneration obtainable through representing the selling club or the exclusively permitted dual-representation of the player and buying club, and I expect agents to become the representatives of clubs more frequently than of players. This will see a shift in the primary roles and responsibilities of an agent as the job is no longer caring for an individual human being but instead, the task is representing and attaining the best interests and outcomes of an entity, in the form of a football club.

For similar reasons, I also believe that agents will also be more prone to representing clients commercially rather than concerning themselves with employment contracts at football clubs. Those agents that continue to represent players are once again restricted on the percentage of commission they can take from the contracts that they negotiate with clubs. A far higher commission of up to 20% from commercial endorsements and player sponsorships is likely to be far more attractive to agents.

The commercialisation of football shows no sign of diminishing. More and more commercial opportunities are becoming available to players as the age of technology, social media and the extraordinary fame and public spotlight that accompanies being a professional footballer, comes with the perks of attracting interest from major sponsors. The marketability of player clients is continually improving as they develop their own personal brand through the most modern and popular forms of promotion such as Tik Tok, Twitch and Instagram.

The increasing number of platforms on which players can have a presence and influence on wider society correlates with a rise in commercial interest and the value of endorsement contracts as brands vie for the best talent to push their products into the public sphere. The modern world of football and wider sport encapsulates a significant commercial aspect and agents will continue to broaden their roles to fulfil these demands. Importantly, this is likely to also be a growing aspect of representing female clients. The rapid growth and expansion in the financial backing and popularity of the women’s game will be reflected in a rise in the number of agents that represent female players and invest vast amounts of time in seeking commercial endorsements for their clients.

There are other unpredictable elements that may play a significant role in the future of football and, consequently, for agents. Cryptocurrency, NFT’s and e-Sports are examples of relatively new phenomena that are gradually becoming intertwined within football and other sports. Once more, one would imagine that these will have a part to play in the future and agents will have to add yet another skillset to be able to fulfil their role in acting in the best interests of their client. Whilst already playing a role in financial guidance for clients, agents may, to some extent, engage with ventures such as crypto or NFT-asset management or perhaps securing a source of income for their clients in futuristic technological areas such as e-Sports and Twitch.

Evidently, agents will no longer be just ‘football agents’. I believe the more appropriate term in future will be ‘sports agents’. This incorporates more of what the work of an agent will likely entail across all of the sports world. From representing clubs to advising their clients on developing as a brand and commercial entity, agents must understand how best to serve their client in the future world of sport.

This future world incorporates the commercial side of sport and I also believe will lessen the narrowed approach of agents to a singular sport. As the more prominent responsibilities of an agent become dealing with off-field activities and interests of their clients, the sport they play is less important. Instead, I predict that agents will broaden their client base across many sports, from athletics to basketball to golf. I think that agents operating in a singular sport will become less common and less focussed upon the sport being played but rather the off-field opportunities of their clients.

Importantly, as I mentioned last week, a good agent will not endeavour to carry out all of these responsibilities in all of these sports and areas alone. Whilst I’d advocate for possessing a basic overview or understanding of every venture the client goes for, the skill in the task lies in the ability to delegate to experts. It is the agent’s role to manage all of these outsourced and external team members and ensure that everyone is working in conjunction; aiming to achieve the best possible outcomes that are in the interests of the client. It would be ludicrous to think that one individual could be an expert in every facet or every sport I have mentioned but they must be an expert in directing and leading a team with the same mutual goal on behalf of the same client.

The Issues in the Lower Leagues

From what I have predicted so far, a lot of the extra responsibilities that I suggest will become an integral part of an agent’s career rely on the client having a considerable amount of public popularity and global status in order to build up off-field opportunities such as personal brands and monetising social media channels. However, the future of lower leagues in football has a collateral impact on the agency world too. Many agents operate solely within these leagues during their careers and this is an area that could suffer in the future.

With the new commission cap regulations implementing a hard cap on agent remuneration, it may prove difficult to make a living from clients in lower divisions of football. The consequences of this may be a fall in the number of agents, particularly those working within lower leagues, as they are unable to achieve financial sustainability through the profession. Alternatively, this could have an additional negative effect as agents in that region could seek to find different ways of sourcing more income or unethical practices. Perhaps they will simply have to take on large volumes of clients which inevitably is of detriment to the holistic and personally-targeted service that they would be able to provide to each individual client.

This may further encourage agents to adapt into different areas of the industry such as representing clubs or other more lucrative clients rather than players at the lower end of professional football. However, it is my hope that this concern and genuine fear might be realised and acknowledged by the policy makers within football. A revision of the regulations to include factors such as tiered commission cap restrictions in order to maintain the survivability of agents operating in lower divisions may occur at some point. This would avoid these negative outcomes and the decline of agents that are vitally willing to work with players that are not in such a category that opens up a vast array of off-field opportunities.

Political Advisors

Another significant trend that has emerged as a component of the growing fame and attention that players receive is an increasing readiness to openly express their opinions of the world. Well-known players are utilising their position to share their thoughts about topics far away from the world of football such as politics, economics, inequality, religion, world hunger, animal cruelty and other global points of public discussion.

In the future, I believe this pattern will continue. The power, status and influence that players possess will become extortionate. This will open up an array of opportunities that can reflect positively upon the player or can jeopardise their careers. It will become a part of the remit of an agent to have an acute awareness of the personal beliefs and opinions that their clients hold.

Agents will come to have distinct responsibility in ensuring that their players feel empowered to use their position to have a positive impact on a matter that they feel passionately about and that is important to the world beyond football. However, they are also responsible for assessing the consequences of being outspoken on sensitive topics and suggesting the best manner in which a player can deliver their opinions to the world. In this situation, the agent will have to offer informed guidance to try and achieve the outcome that their client desires such as meaningful change or positive political action.

The future magnitude of ‘player-power’ offers dangers and rewards aplenty. The future agent will likely be obliged to carry out the thankless task of monitoring how their client conducts themselves and uses, without abusing, this power. Ultimately, the

agent’s main role is to care for the client. In the future, the extent of this care across elements of their client’s lifestyle outside of football or the sport that they play, will broaden, and the agent must keep up with such changes and be able to fulfil their overriding duty.

Incorporating Data and Analytics

One of the major driving factors behind the future of agency is technology. The advancement of all things tech-related underpins the growth in social media platforms and the ability to market clients. However, another area that technology is increasingly having a presence within is in contract negotiations for employment contracts and transfer deals. There have already been examples of how data and analytics that are collated by technological computer programs and analyst teams can be used in contract negotiations. Most notably in recent times, Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City, one of the finest midfielders in the game, negotiated a contract worth an estimated £83million after bringing in data scientists as part of his team which saw him become one of the highest paid players in the league.

A drastic, sceptical suggestion to this example could be that there is no future for agents as data analytics and experts can be used instead to demonstrate to the club the on-field and off-field value that a player holds. However, there are two significant factors in this proposition which I argue make this an unlikely eventuality.

The four-year deal that ‘data’ obtained for KDB was not solely thanks to the analysts who presented the statistics. He still entered the contract negotiation with a team around him; his father, his lawyer and importantly, his two agents from Rockstar Sports. This is a telling indicator that players still seek the advice and knowledge of agents.

Whilst data played a vital role in helping the agents, alongside De Bruyne, to demonstrate to the club that he was worth forking out £83million (an extra 30% on what he was earning previously) for over four years, it was still the agents who played the pivotal role of getting the deal over the line. The bottom line is that footballers do not want the burden of responsibility for this aspect of the industry to lie with them. Their job is to focus upon performing on the pitch and even if they can call upon data to help with finalising contracts, there will always be a desire for agents to take on the responsibility of ensuring they are getting the best deal possible for their client.

Secondly to note on such a deal is that the level of data and off-field value that the data scientists were able to present to Man City were only possible because of the calibre and status of a player such as Kevin De Bruyne. It is far-fetched to think that, in the future, players that are in a lower division or even those not in the top bracket of top divisions will also call upon data and statistics. This would most likely not be the most realistic and cost efficient way of finalising a new contract and would fail to produce any significant advantage over what an agent could have done. Hence, I conclude that the future of data statistics and agency is, instead, one of harmony and mutual benefit. Agents can utilise data as a useful tool as and when it is appropriate and advantageous in reaching a more preferable and lucrative agreement for their client.

Summary

Over the last three weeks our blog has transitioned from the birth of football agency to a look far into the future of the fascinating profession. It is clear that no one day is ever the same in such a role and the responsibilities demanded within the remit of the job are ever-evolving and moulding in alignment with the flow of the beautiful game. It is difficult to predict which direction football agency is headed next or which upcoming phenomenon will have an impact on our careers but hopefully the insights we have shared provide food for thought for how agency might look in the near and further future.

Introduction

Last week, we explored the foundations, evolution and history of agency in football. The blog went on a journey from the first examples of football agents to the ‘superagents’ that are labelled in modern football. Whilst the terminology has remained more or less the same over this time; the roles, responsibilities, opportunities, challenges and demands that are encapsulated under the job title of ‘Football Agent’ have altered and diversified dramatically.

In this blog, I will firstly go into more detail of the disparity in the shift between traditional and original agency and the work that football agents do today. Then I will go on to breakdown and assess the broad scope and tasks that are within the remit of a modern football agent.

Then Versus Now

As I touched upon last week, the work of football agents began in contracts and transfers of players between clubs in the day and age of wage restrictions and narrow trade streams and channels. The crux of the role hasn’t changed, many football agents still engage in sourcing and negotiating suitable transfers or contract extension deals for their player clients. The major difference is that they now have an additional list of opportunities that they must consider for their client and some may even choose to work just in these other areas rather than on the contractual playing side.

The role of an agent has become holistic and all-encompassing. Whilst the fiduciary responsibility of holding a sense of duty and loyalty to their client to act in their best interests remains the absolute imperative principle of representation, this applies across an unprecedented scope of opportunities. An agent’s ability to act as a legal representative in procuring and negotiating deals and contracts remains paramount and integral to the role. However, more so for agents who manage clients that are particularly in the public eye, their job involves far more than simply negotiating a three-year extension on their employment contract or a possible transfer to a rival second-tier side on behalf of their client.

In one sentence, the modern definition of a successful agent that could thrive in the present era of football is an individual who has a diverse skill set across finances and investments, legal comprehension, contractual knowledge, commercial business, social media, branding and marketing, multi-lingual, personability and, of course, a refined and enthusiastic understanding of football.

The slight change in terminology for the ‘middlemen’ in football may go some way to showing the extent to which the job of an agent has altered. There is a debate in modern football around using the term ‘intermediary’ to describe the work of football agents. It is a new term that has been used and implemented by FIFA. The definition of intermediary is a person who “acts as a link between people in order to try and bring about an agreement”. In other words, they are a mediator. This seems to imply that agents are proactive in their role. Previously this may not have been the case as agents represented clients and negotiated contracts to transfer teams or to stay at a club as and when it was required. Nowadays, an agent must be forthcoming in going out and finding further opportunities, particularly outside of football that their client might benefit from.

The Age of Social Media and Commercialisation

Modern football has globalised and commercialised exponentially over the last couple of decades. As a result, the potential of commercial partnerships, sponsorships and endorsements that comes as part of the package of being a top level footballer in this era has integrated itself into the demands of an agent from their client. They are tasked with seeking, handling and establishing these relationships and sources of income for their client and must have a commercial business understanding of which opportunities are best suited to the ‘personal brand’ of their client.

Helping a client to develop and grow their personal brand is something that agents can and should play a big part in. A successful agent is able to relate to and understand the player that they are representing and the personality, motivations and aspirations behind them as a human individual and as a high-performing athlete and competitor. By being able to do this, the agent can skillfully mould and present the personal brand of their client in alignment with the real person rather than a false pretence. This brand is then promoted to the public in a manner that helps the client establish themselves in the mainstream of the public eye and facilitates appropriate endorsement opportunities and other revenue streams.

A branch of promoting the individuality of a client is encouraging them to utilise their position in the spotlight for the greater good. Previously, footballers were focused almost solely on the sport that they played. As times have changed in football, the influence that the players have on the public domain has increased. There is a rising number of footballers who outwardly express their passionate opinions and beliefs around political issues, religious faith or charitable initiatives. This allows the public to relate to them as ordinary humans and connect with them based upon mutual thoughts and feelings.

An agent now carries the burden or advantage (depending on perspective) of advising their clients on how best to go about expressing potentially controversial statements. The agent must offer guidance and ensure that whilst the player feels comfortable and able to use their position to try and achieve what they believe is the greater good or at least a positive change, they must also reinforce the appropriateness of delivery that prevents any threat to or detrimental impact upon the client’s career. This extends to keeping their employers, football association, sponsors and, sometimes most importantly, their fans, happy.

There have been several driving factors behind the changes seen in the positioning of players in the public sphere and consequently, the role of an agent in looking after them. The globalisation and commercialisation of football has been a gamechanger for the possibilities for a client. As the popularity, financial wealth and commercial value of the sport has grown across the world, more corporations and industry-leading businesses are willing to invest substantial sums of money into the game. This began with major sponsorship deals for shirt sponsors, stadium naming rights and television broadcasting. The scope for these sponsorships has now extended to almost every element of a football system such as trophies, training kit, boot deals, leisurewear, matchday programmes and stadium advertising and links football with clothing, airline, timekeeping and even betting and alcohol partners. These endorsement deals can target and benefit players and it is the role of a modern agent to identify which ones to engage with.

Football as a whole has become extraordinarily popular. However, the impact has filtered down onto players and their agents. The emergence of social media has been a forceful driver of this. Players themselves have become heavily commercialised and some could claim to have more power than the clubs they are a part of. Players are accessible by millions of fans all across the world through engaging with them on social media. In instances where players have more of a following than the club they are a part of, they are able to influence decisions and their commercial value to the club is exceedingly high.

This popularity can be channelled and materialised in various ways. Especially for the top players, their position facilitates a diverse range of personal branding and promotion opportunities. In my case, identifying the status that Mesut Ozil held after winning the world cup was enough to warrant a major launch of a personal trademark brand and logo in 2015. This developed into the M10 brand and opened up new and exciting avenues through things such as clothing lines and sports apparel as well as the future of NFTs which I will detail in the next edition of the blog. With Mesut, I also manufactured a boot deal agreement with Concave which takes a similar structure to Michael Jordan’s deal with Nike and Air Jordan. It was important that I had the knowledge and ability to be able to support this venture and advise and assist in a productive manner whilst also outsourcing to social media and marketing experts.

The role of the agent here is to ensure that their player is properly valued. Traditionally, the signing of a player by a buying club would be based upon their ability to perform on a football pitch. In the modern era, this is no longer the case. Players have their own commercial value that they can bring to a club which creates nuances and opportunities that an agent must understand in order to ensure a fair deal is reached. A player with a large fanbase and a global influence can attract large sponsorship deals and sources of revenue through things such as shirt sales for the buying club. A knowledge of image rights and commercial value as well as general business and financial aptitude is imperative for an agent to achieve a desirable outcome for their client in these situations.

Club Agents

In any single transfer deal in history, several agents may have been involved. In recent times it has become more common for buying and selling clubs to seek a more simplistic process by using the same agent in a multiple representation agreement. However, with the new regulations coming into force set to prohibit this it is likely that more than one agent will be involved in any transfer deal once more. Importantly, the new legislation prevents multiple representation in every circumstance except for acting on behalf of the player and the buying club. Any other conflict of interest will no longer be possible and will alter how agents operate within a deal.

One way that the responsibilities of agents have changed is that there is now more of a tendency for operatives to take on the role of representing the clubs involved in a deal. They have created an alternative version of the profession that can be referred to as ‘club agents’. This line of work involves the same duty of acting in the best interests of the client but in order to achieve the most desirable outcome for the buying or selling club.

Mandating has become a norm within football agency. Clubs are identifying players that they are interested in and providing mandates to agents in order for them to try and push for a deal that suits the club. This is a further reason that emphasises the importance of agents establishing networks within clubs as it gives them access and credibility in order to be well-equipped to carry out such a deal. Whilst agents that represent players are still very common, the emergence of club agents has increasingly widened the scope of demands upon the ability of football agents in the modern era. However, the underlying principles of the profession remain the same; to procure and negotiate a contract in the best interest of their clients, whether that be for a player or for a club.

Summary and the Ability to Collaborate

This blog has examined the work of a football agent in this modern era of the game. It is evident that to be a successful agent requires a diverse and comprehensive range of skills and knowledge to allow individuals to operate in football and achieve the best outcomes for their clients.

An important point to note is that whilst it is integral for agents to hold a diverse range of skills and at least a foundational understanding and comprehension of many facets that modern football players are involved with; it is important to recognise that in order to best serve their client, an agent must be prepared and willing to outsource work to experts in certain fields. It may be required, particularly for the top players, to form a suitable team around them in order to support the range of their ventures. For example, using social media companies, marketing specialists, lawyers and financial advisors can only enhance the service that the player receives from a supporting team which is constructed and managed by the agent who themselves have a brief understanding of each specialist area but will most likely only provide basic preliminary advice before bringing in experts.

Next week I will delve into how the role of an agent might continue to alter alongside the ever-evolving world of football. What do you think the next 50 years of football agency might look like?