Clubs Structure: Needed to Succeed

I have been an FA Licensed Agent now for 5 years this month. I have seen clubs rise and fall through the leagues and there is always a defining factor for those who are successful - organisational structure.

Where there is a clear organisational structure with staff who have defined roles, responsibilities and ultimately, accountability clubs give themselves the opportunity to succeed.

The clarity of structure makes it easier to identify who is doing well in their role and who is not. It means that no one individual is doing more than they should or being under utilized, likewise no one individual garners more power and influence than they should.

I have attempted to do deals with clubs that have no chief executives or managing director's - no singular point of decision making. I remember bringing forward a deal to a club worth half a million for them but it took months to get a decision because the club secretary needed to try to get feedback from foreign based owners or advisors. The deal fell through and consequently you can clearly see many other opportunities would be lost because of this lack of decision making right at the top.

It also happens deeper in the club. I have seen and worked with clubs with no Academy Directors no Head of Youth. So no responsibility for developing youth players lays at a singular point. This means shared responsibility and realistically a lack of accountability. The result of this after a couple years was not one player came through the academy, even though they had a plethora of talent.

I have represented clients in clubs with a lack of structure and it is infuriating for all involved from the player to the staff themselves. I have no doubt that without clear defined structure with defined levels of decision making and accountability, clubs simply cannot succeed.