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Football enthusiasts with an entrepreneurial spirit dream of becoming football agents and starting their own agencies. This move can be a great opportunity if you would like to get involved with local football leagues and help talented players realize their full potential.
In some cases, you might be interested in moving to a different country such as the UK, France, Germany, and Italy and starting a football agency there. This may seem like a daunting task, but it is possible to do this successfully. In this guide we will go over the steps to start a football agency in the UK, France, Germany, and Italy.
Why You Should Start a Football Agency in UK, France, Germany, or Italy
You should know that there are many benefits associated with opening a business in Europe. This includes starting a sports agency in the countries mentioned above. Some of the benefits of forming a football agency in UK, France, Germany, and Italy include:
Being Able to Bring in Talent from Other Countries
As a football agent you can scout talented football players from just about any country and bring them over to the UK, France, Germany, and Italy, and represent them locally. This will require you to help them obtain the correct type of visa. For example, foreign sportspeople can come to the UK and participate in local leagues by obtaining an International Sportsperson visa.
These players may come from countries where there is less competition among football leagues, as a result their talent may go unnoticed until you bring them to a country where their skills are more valued. This strategy is useful because the football leagues in the UK, France, Germany, and Italy are always looking for talented players and are willing to pay top billing to sign them.
Following this strategy regularly can also help boost your agency’s reputation and make your business the go-to choice for leagues interested in signing foreign players.
Working With Great Leagues
Each of the countries listed above feature their own local football leagues designed to scout local talent and produce some of the best players in Europe. The UK has the English Premier League, France has Ligue 1, Germany has Bundesliga, and Italy has Series A.
If you decide to start a football agency in another of these countries, you will get an opportunity to work with these leagues and promote your client footballers. This gives you a chance to earn huge sums by signing players with major football teams and get your name known within local leagues.
This publicity can help you scout out other prominent local footballers and get them to sign with specific leagues that offer great growth potential. For this reason, starting a football agency in European countries such as the UK, France, Germany, and Italy holds excellent growth and profit potential.
Benefitting from Lax regulations
Government agencies in the UK, France, Germany, and Italy are known to be incredibly lax when it comes to regulating football agencies in their countries. These agencies do set certain requirements for who can become agents and run leagues. However, once you meet these requirements, you won’t need to worry about strict regulations holding you back from achieving your agency goals.
Steps to Set Up a Football Agency in the UK, France, Germany, and Italy
If you would like to set up your own football agency in the UK, France, Germany, and Italy, you can follow the steps described below.
Choose an Appropriate Agency Name
Choosing an appropriate business name is important for businesses in any industry. This includes football agencies. A football agency is essentially a sports talent agency, so it may help to choose a sports-centric name with the word “sports” in it. For example, Sheffield Sports Co or Marseille Talent Agency would make great names for football agencies located in the UK and France respectively.
It is important to ensure that the name you choose is unique and isn’t already being used by another company. The country you intend to open your football agency in will likely possess its own business name database, so you should check to see if the football agency name you have chosen has already been taken by another business.
For example, the UK has a dedicated service database you can use to check if your business name is currently in use. Similarly, France has its own company name database you can visit to determine if your football agency name is unique.
Make a Comprehensive Business Plan
Every business needs a comprehensive business plan to show off its goals and obtain funding. This business plan will also guide your business during its set up stage and its eventual operations.
Your business plan should include many things to present a convincing case for investors. This includes:
Market Analysis
Your business plan must include an accurate market analysis. Consider spending some time assessing the football industry in the market you intend to break into.
This includes listing the number of football leagues in the country, the number of teams and players they have, the league’s annual revenue, and the league’s growth rate. This will also help your business determine its revenue potential.
Services
It’s important to list the type of services your football agency will provide. This can include many things, such as:
- Negotiating contracts on behalf of players
- Obtaining sponsorships and endorsement deals
- Setting up public TV, digital media, and radio appearances
- Offering media publications meetings with players
These services should serve as a foundation for your business. You can always choose to add more services at a later time, but these initial services should express your core capabilities during your business’s early stages.
Resources
Every football agency should be able to list the resources they have available to perform their setup and operations. This includes resources such as funding sources. You can also mention any important contacts who can help you connect with local football players and agencies.
You can also list any skills or credentials you possess that may assist you in assessing players with great potential. All these factors will show investors that you are capable of setting up your business and operating it successfully.
Hiring Plan
It is important to also include a hiring plan with your business plan. This hiring plan should demonstrate your agency’s management structure and staff plan. You can describe how many agents you plan to hire for your business as well as their intended duties.
You can also point out the selection criteria you will use to hire employees. In some cases, it may be beneficial to show that you intend to hire local sports agents as this may help you secure grants and funding from the country’s government.
Company Registration
The next and most important step is to register your business with local authorities. Each European country has its own registration process for businesses. However, some countries include special steps for football agencies.
For example, if you want to register a football agency in the UK, you will need to first register yourself as an intermediary. You will then need to register it with the English Football Association. You may be required to complete an exam and undergo a character assessment during this process.
If you want to register a football agency in France, you must first be aware that foreign-born citizens can’t do this outright. If you possess a license from another country in the EU, you can apply to get the right to practice with the French Football Federation. However, this right isn’t’ guaranteed.
Hire Staff and Start Operations
Once the registration process is complete you can legally start the setup process for your football agency. Consider scouting out a location for your business office in the right city.
You can then start hiring staff to fill different positions. You can also hire other football agents provided that they meet the local requirements described above.
Finally, you can start connecting with football leagues and scouting players in the country. Your success will depend on your ability to assess players as well as negotiate good contracts for them. There are many football agencies currently operating in the UK, France, Germany, and Italy, so you should familiarize yourself with the local football landscape as quickly as possible to catch up with your competitors.
How OpenAEuropeanCompany Can Help
If you’re interested in setting up a football agency in the UK, France, Germany, or Italy, please contact OpenAEuropeanCompany. We understand the steps and requirements for registering a football agency in these countries and can guide you in these areas. Contact us today to make your dream of starting a football agency a reality.
