Don't forget the importance of mother's day!

I know a few of my clients read this, of any age, and this is just a little reminder to you all to make sure you do something for mother's day! 

Remember all the hours/days/weeks/years your mother has put into helping you get where you want to be in football. Make sure you take the time out, even if its just getting and writing them a little card, to let them know how much you love and appreciate them!

Have a great day. 

Put Them In The Pen!! Degrading Football Scouts

Since the introduction of the new EPPP rules and the basic adaption to the Premier League youth development rules, scouts of clubs are now required to contact and make their intentions known to other clubs before they attend any of that club' youth matches.

In response to this, several clubs have set up designated areas for these scouts when they attend matches. Sometimes it is a small box area, clear to all and is at times monitored by security. For scouts it is at times embarassing and degrading to be in these areas and the element of security at times can only reinforce this feeling of being - put in the animal pen.

Clubs have taken advantage of this new ruling to indeed make scouts feel this way, almost as a way of putting scouts off attending. The main benefit to these clubs is that the boxed area means they can make sure these scouts aren't talking to parents of players, however the negative to the scouts is this degrading feel they experience that they are put in a corner, on show to everyone.

My concern in football is always this -- the more it regulates and allows such practices to go on, in ways that would never attract or sustain the best quality people in any walk of professional life, will only attract people, in this case Scouts, who would be willing to put up with such restrictive, sometimes embarrassing environments. Those who are professional scouts will either eventually quit because they are fed up feeling like they need to have security around them when they watch games or they will find ways around the system to integrate as a normal human being to watch football matches, whether this includes being able to talk to parents or not. The problem is the more you encourage humans to find routes around laws and regulations to feel more 'normal', the more you are encouraging them down a path of getting used to getting round regulations.

At the same time, they may end up forcing out some of the most talented and professional scouts out of OUR game.

Players: Don't break your contract with another agent through desperation

During the transfer window, particular as it nears closure, I get calls from players or contacts close to players  who claim they are desperate to get away from their agent, break that contract and be represented by you or someone else as they are doing nothing for them.

Most of the time, all this does is put me off the player entirely.

Unless there is a genuine reason, most of the time the player has not taken the time to consider the right agent before signing for them. Additionally, they've just got desperate and are ready to cut off loyalties.

What does this tell me? How could I trust such a player myself?

Likewise there are agents who pursue players to try and get them to break out their contracts with their current agents. If I was player, how could I trust that agent to represent me ethically and within the rules of the game? When clearly it's an illegal approach or they've found a way around the FA ruling. You couldn't.

I'd rather a player if he is under contract and does want to seek help be honest with his agent and ask that agent to contact me to work together on a deal. Likewise, I'd want a player represented by me, who got desperate (and I hope it never happens but I'm not ignorant that it never will) to ask me to do the same.

All I can say is, the agent a player decides to go with is a reflection of themselves, I want players to realise this. If you are a player, make sure you take the time to consider the right agent for you before you commit. Look yourself in the mirror and believe that you are signing with the right person and that you find someone who is as loyal to you as you will be to them. There will always be someone out there telling you they can do better. Whether I could benefit from you as a player doing that or not financially, or if one of my player's was to incite such a possibility for another agent, this is not why I'm doing this. I expect loyalty and respect from players I represent. I want clubs to know when I call they are dealing with an agent of these types of players and this is an exceptional thing for players themselves as you can negotiate better deals from this stand point when Chief Executive's and Owner's think they are getting that type of player.

For players, before you sign with any old agent who fulfills your ego, ask yourself what they can do for you and can you commit to them and can you commit to you in a way that feels right in your heart and your gut. Don't just sign and feel on transfer deadline day that you can call 10 agents to try and break a contract and that goes to other agents too.

Parents: Don't believe all you're told by clubs

My role as an agent is there to protect and enhances the interests of my clients, it is also to help clubs source new players and mediate with players currently there to keep them happy and progressing, regardless of age.

Perhaps fitting into the former more than the latter on this particular issue, I have to admit I am seeing more and more clubs, particularly at academy level, create scenarios, laws and regulations that simply do not exist and portray them to unsuspecting parents as the truth.

The new myth of the month being touted by the odd academies across the country, which I believe was first implemented by a club in the south, is this so called 'scholarship extension'. Now, I am not talking about an 18-year old at the end of his 2-year scholarship being offered a 3rd year on 'scholarship terms' either. I am talking about under-16s being told at this particular time by clubs that at the moment they will not be being offered a scholarship. However, the clubs are then going on to say they want to offer them a month's "extension" or a rolling extention - to give the player time to convince them they are worthy of a scholarship.

Now just for clarity for parents and players that don't know - this is not an extension.

Under regulations, the club has until 1 March to offer a scholarship to a player. It also does not have to release the registration of any player before that. In essence, the player is just continuing on a registered basis as he always has - no extension, no additional contract length, no nothing. All I ask is parents do not be fooled by some of the terminology being used, it is not fair ever to use legal and regulatory language to in essence try to motivate players if it is not true. Additionally, it is just confusing. 

This type of talk is also another ploy by clubs. If on 12 January I tell young Johnny he isn't going to be offered a scholarship and he can have the 6 weeks to prove himself or can go on trial elsewhere if would like, there is a financial reason behind this also. If Johnny decides to go on trial and that club would like to sign him before 1 March then the original registered club of Johnny are within their right to ask for full compensation inclusive of the scholarship years (even if he wasn't going to be offered) as they can still imply they intended to offer a scholarship and therefore expect that payment. This can be done and some clubs are sly in wanting this. However, this does present risks to clubs who to try to maximise compensation may end up offering a scholarship with the interested club(s) pulling out and the club still being obliged to fulfill that scholarship offer. Ultimately, offering for Under-16 players to go out on trial or be heavily watched before 1 March is a good idea for clubs if they have players that truly are 50/50 on whether they want to take or not so they can either aim for full compensation or if it comes to the worst he will have a scholarship but only after clubs have shown interest in him anyway.

At least the regulations protect Under-16s to an extent that at least there is sometime for them to find another club if they don't get offered a scholarship before the season ends. Whereas players coming to the end of their scholars can go until May before finding out if they're going to be offered contracts and by then the season can end without them being able to source a new club or having time to trial. That is something that also needs to reviewed - and will probably require another blog post I'm sure at some point!

Law and/or Enforcement

Whilst I studied for my master degree in laws over 4 years ago at Durham, I very much recall being fascinated by a legal theory question that essentially posed the question: What acts as a greater deterrence, law itself or enforcement of the law?

Ultimately, the obvious conclusion is that without enforcement, law itself is rendered redundant. So it begs the question of why many football regulatory bodies set down such extensive regulations yet not prepare itself to be able to enforce the regulations?

At a recent AFA (Association of Football Agents) meeting in London, The FA's key financial regulation department figures themselves admitted they did not have the man power or finances in order to always be able to speedily forward on finances held in their account, let alone to fully enforce all the regulations rigorously.

[For those interested in the AFA please visit here.]

The FA are ready to admit there is a problem with unlicensed agents operating in the business for example or a knowledge that players and agents are signing contracts but not lodging with the FA or know that experienced pro players are trying to sign shorter representation agreements which are not in line with FA regulations - but really do not have the time or resources to investigate. As a result, where these people can get away with sometimes notably honest mistakes or mis-alignment with the regulations and should be due just a quick personal reminder, this never comes and these (sometimes honest) corners can easily open up to something much wider to those who care to exploit it.

An example would be pretty crime. If petty crime was not acted upon and enforced then criminals would move on and on to see how far they can go without repercussion. Likewise this is happening in our industry.

One of the most known reactions recently by FIFA to the fact that many people operate out of alignment with agent regulations they set at the top and through associations country by country is to look to allow agents to operate without a license potentially from the end of this year. They want to do this so their regulations towards agents and anything related will apply to anyone automatically who is involved in this side of the game - regardless of whether they are licensed. Again all this relates to is greater regulations. But the key question should be what is being done to increase enforcement?

I'll make this rather simple. Unless FIFA, the FA and other bodies looking at increasing what can be done to increase enforcement - not just to agents - but to players, clubs and more who wish to deviate from the regulations relating to transactions and more - then why bother to look at what can be done with changing the regulations? Otherwise all your doing is widening the catchment of what the law applies. Is that enough?

The Football Industry Encourages Bad Agents

The industry often advocates bad agents unknowingly by making the environment of doing business tricky. Let's take typical recruitment agency work for example, a fee for helping a company secure a new employee is agreed at the beginning before work commences. That recruitment agent will submit candidates they've sourced for the job, if one of those candidates gets the job (barring any rebates) that recruitment agent is paid - simple.

In football however, despite the fact it shares similar characteristics to that of recruitment apart from it may be more complex at times, it can be a battle even to agree a fee from the start. Some clubs may even try to agree an agents fee once the player's terms are agreed and then play you around on that fee or dispute it all together. Some may even agree to that fee up front, do the deal and then not pay at all. I'm afraid to say this is just a few examples of what is pretty much common practice in the industry.

A significant issue in football as it stands, let's say at least in the UK, is found in how people working in the industry find it hard to distinguish between the emotional elements of football management and the reality that it is a business where agents are in-fact a key element of revenue generation and player sourcing for clubs. As a result, business is happening, sometimes very big business, but it's far from the professionalism you'd find in other industries.

In this industry, the best way to agree a fee or get paid is simply to have a top player. A top player that everyone wants and then the agent would just tell clubs if you don't agree a great fee from the start and pay a significant portion of it up-front as an agents fee when the deal is done then simply that agent will refuse to negotiate and agree player terms with the club.

If you have a less in-demand player then clubs often want you to fight for your fee; thus we often see agents contacting other clubs trying to create a dutch auction for the player until one club agrees to pay a basic fee. Sometimes for an out-of-contract or a youth player who is even less desirable to the eyes of most, some clubs will just try not to pay an agents fee at all, despite the fact you may have helped that club source a player that does increase player asset value at the club or has distinct potential. There are even clubs that will refuse to take a standard % from a players salary to pay the agent as a matter of accountancy on request of a player - because they don't want to pay an agents fee in principal.

So if you revert back to the recruitment agency concept - do you see those agents not agree a fee or not be paid simply because they're bringing in a £12,000 per year low demand employee rather than a £200,000 per year executive? The answer is no. Likewise, the variety of manipulations of players agent' transactions, including the debate of whether the player or club should pay and what that truly means, is murky, not needed and unhealthy as an insider and looks even worse from the outside.

What I am trying to show in the above primarily is how there is a broad sense that there is no standard way of operating as an agent and each deal with each club can be very different. Where this encourages bad agents is the ones who, regardless of the player' level or demand, are prepared to do anything they can to force agreed terms and payment through any means necessary because they feel it may be the only way they get paid for their work. That's where you see agents offering players to as many clubs as possible or touting them in the press or agents who are keen to manipulate players to hide them from all offers and only disclose offers to them if suitable agents fees are agreed or manipulate families or even step into the realm of corruption all in order to secure their living. It's exactly what the industry says it doesn't want but here it is making agents feel they have to fight all the time.

The industry has allowed itself to manifest poor professionalism and low standards in business in various transactions. As a result, good professionals will harbour away from an industry where you don't know if you'll be able to structure a fee as you'd expect or even be paid from one client or club to the next. Then in turn, the ones who will thrive will be those who enjoy the dark arts and are prepared to needlessly fight for deals and as a result tarnish the name of agents, which could be good one in the right circumstances, and ultimately football.

To reduce the role of 'bad agents' that are corrupting the game in more ways than just morally, the FA and other footballing bodies need to take a firmer role first by giving more acceptance and acknowledgement to the role of agency work and begin to define transactions that safeguard agents and I can guarantee you all out there, cynic of agents or not, that you will begin to see those who are good professionals strive and the image of agents improve. Until that point and agents have to remain in a consistent dog fight to agree fees or even get paid once agreed, the bad agents will continue to operate and the industry will continue to unknowingly encourage it.

Sometimes not being allowed to do the right thing

Hi all,

Just a quick update of my musings of the industry at the moment. Rather than discuss the transfer window I'll give you a little insight into an occurrence recently as we tried to sign to represent a young talented international representative player.

As you will know if you follow or are involved with us, Simply Sport has a code of conduct where we try to as much as we can to inform any club before we make an approach for an 18 or under youth player player at their club. As like any industry, some clubs/companies you have closer relationships with than others, even if we have relationships with most.

However, 5 months ago we rang up one particular club to ask if we may approach a player and whilst it rarely is a question that gets Academy Manager's singing and dancing he appreciated our call and affirmed. However, as of late that same Academy Manager has informed the parents that he has never spoken to us on this subject - and this has upset the parents. Is it merely bad memory, specifically chosen memory or politics? You can decide for yourselves.

Ultimately, I am sure with a conversation with the Academy Manager later today, I can try to get this resolved, but this isn't the first time this occurrence has happened and it really concerns the parents rightly of any young player - albeit I must state it is is a very rare occurrence. Obviously if this occurrence happens it is typically with clubs we have a less close relationship than with others, but it goes to show that even if you try to do the right thing by clubs sometimes, they may appreciate it externally but internally it will be dealt with a different manner. It's disappointing but it won't change the way we are trying to operate at Simply Sport but you if you're reading it as an outsider you can understand how so many unscrupulous agents would happily try never to let the club know they are approaching the player until they turn up for professional contract negotiations because their fearful of how academies may deal with that approach internally and perhaps that club may even gear that player and his family towards 'preferred agents' who may only serve the interests of the club.

Simply Sport will continue to do things the right way - even if it hurts sometimes. And it does hurt.