experts in sport image

Experts in Sport: The truth behind the role of the sport agent in the football industry

Negotiating contracts and securing important deals are what sports agents are known for, but how else does the role extend within professional sport?

In this week’s Experts in Sport podcast, host Martin Foster (Applied Sport Management Lead), sits down with Simon Bayliff, Founder and Managing Director of ARETÉ, and ex-Arsenal FC and now Beijing FC professional footballer Nico Yennaris, to delve further into the world of talent management in the football industry.

Simon set up ARETÉ six years ago as a holistic management service working across talent representation, sales and sponsorship, brand management, content and social media.

He has worked with some of the biggest names in sport over the last 25 years, including David Beckham, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Mark Cavendish and Daniel Ricciardo.

During the episode, Simon and Nico speak about some of the negative perceptions surrounding the football industry, also detailing the changes in agent regulations surrounding the representation of young players:

“I would say that it's like any industry, there are always going to be really good operators and sadly, there’s always going to be not so good operators, and it tends to be the not so good operators that end up shaping what the public perception is of the agency world,” Simon explains.

 

Simon also talks about ARETÉ’s approach to sports agency, explaining how its holistic ‘360 approach’ benefits its clients:

“One of our unique selling points is that we're here to empower greatness in our clients and that means that we have to sweat the small details, the one per cents.

“Yes, we need to do the important job, which is negotiating great contracts that secure our athlete’s futures, but around that, we make sure that we're pursuing excellence in every element of what we do for our clients.”

Nico added his perspective from the client point of view:

“With some agents you don't hear from them for a while, until maybe your contract is coming up for renewal. Then there's other agents that are very hands on and build their relationship from early on with the player.

“So with Simon, for example, there was one off-season that I felt like I needed to get stronger, and more powerful in my game.

“I asked him if he knew anyone outside of the football network that specialised in strength and conditioning in power and strength training, and he put me in touch with somebody that he’s known for many years. From this, I was able to play a full season without missing a game.

“Everything is very much dependent on the relationship with the agent and the player and the agency in general. I’ve been fortunate that that this is ARETÉ’s view on how they want to be agents, and it's benefited me massively in my career.”

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences offers a Professional Certificate Programme for Sports Agents. More information on this programme can be found by visiting HERE.

The Experts in Sport podcast is a regular series that brings together experts from across º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ with external thought leaders to discuss the latest research and hot topics in sport and academia with new episodes launched every two weeks.

Listeners can subscribe to the podcast and download the latest episode by visiting iTunesSpotify, and TuneIn. All subscribers will receive an alert once new episodes are published.

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 21/127

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 7th in the Guardian University League Table 2021, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2021.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

Categories