Chillidog wrote:If you have a look around the AFL website, there is a list of registered player agents. I know anyone representing an AFL player (for a fee) must be registered, I assume it would be the same for most professional footballers and they would use the same group of people.
yeh, ya have to apply to the AFLPA to become an accredited player agent to have "clients" in the AFL, unless you are the "clients" parents or legal guardian. but i have never heard of such rules to be an agent and represent SANFL players.
i have a list of AFL accredited agents, and have called and spoken to a few of them, but they are generally tightlipped when i ask how i should go about geting into the business, even having one bloke go as far to say "i recommend you dont try get into it, its a cut throat business and you probably wont make it", which i thought was a bit full on.
also, ricky nixons mob, Flying Start, offer their services free for the first year, then just 3% for every year after that (thats what their website says anyway!), and having over half the AFL (over 300 players) on their books, they can clearly afford to do this. whereas if i was to attempt to become a full time agent, to be on $40,000 a year, i would need 10 kids on $80k a year each, and i would have to take 5% straight up!
now, if you were a promising young footballer about to become a professional athlete, who would you go to.......
a massive corporation with 20 years in the game and over 300 players, where they wont take a cent for the first 12 months of your career, and then only 3% every year after that, or........
one bloke that has no experience in the industry, stuff all (if any!) clients, and would have to take at least 5% of your salary from the second you sign with me!!
so i have figured, the best way to get into the game would be to work for a bigger company, such as Flying Start, Stride, connors, any of these, before venturing out myself (if i ever could!)