The role of a Football Intermediary (or Football Agent) represents a dream career path for lovers of the “beautiful game!” Football intermediaries have an important role to play in the world of sport, and this is an ideal career path for anyone with a passion for sport and supporting others to enter the industry. Although professional football is highly competitive, it can be a very rewarding career and presents the opportunity to make a real impact the game. It can also be a highly lucrative field to move into.

In simple terms, the role of the football intermediary is to manage various aspects of their client’s career, in order to allow the player to concentrate on playing professional football. If you are organised and self-motivated with a passion for sport, perhaps a football intermediary would be a good role for you.

If you are looking for more information about the career path of a football agent or football intermediary, you are in the right place. In this article, we aim to give you more details to enable you to decide whether a football intermediary is the right role for you. We will look at an overview of the day-to-day activities of a football agent and examine the best ways to start your career in professional football.

Explore our Football Intermediary Certificate training course.

What does a Football Intermediary do?

Common tasks and day-to-day duties of Football Intermediaries include:

• Managing the careers of professional players.
• Supporting professional players in any daily issues which may occur in their lives.
• Negotiating on transfers to other teams.
• Negotiating on terms of player contracts.
• Having an involvement in sponsorship and marketing opportunities.
• Appearing in front of the media and managing public relations.
• Dealing with disciplinary issues.

In terms of salary for Football Intermediaries, this depends greatly on a variety of factors, however, the role of Football Intermediary can be an extremely profitable career path. Typically, the agent will take a cut (usually 3-5%) from a player’s wages. Arguably, there has never been such a lucrative time to become a football intermediary – it has been reported that a football agent might make between £1,200 and £550,000 per Premier League client per annum. As a professional football intermediary, your ability to command a high salary will increase with the experience you have and the quality of players and connections you have.

Do you have the skills needed to become a Football Intermediary?

Arguably, a Football Intermediary’s number one quality will be an excellent knowledge of football and how this industry operates. Other key skills and qualities include:

• Patience
• Fantastic negotiation skills and business acumen.
• Excellent communication skills.
• An ability to think strategically.
• Comfortable and confident when dealing with the media in the public eye.
• Good problem-solving skills.
• A passion for all aspects of football.
• Supportive and personable, especially when working with younger players.

What do career prospects look like for Football Intermediaries?

Football agents are expected to find new talent, negotiate employment contracts, and endorse deals for their players. In return, the football intermediary receives a commission (usually 3-5% of the contract). Therefore, with strong business acumen, many football agents become extremely wealthy individuals. While some football agents work as part of large corporations, and others are self-employed and work to build up their own business.

Your earning potential as a football agent is subject to the number of players you manage and the level of player you are dealing with and the connections you have within the industry. Your success as an agent will largely depend on the success of your players, and at times you may be expected to help with the social and personal side of your players’ lives in order to ensure that they can focus on playing football. After reaching a certain level of success you may have the option of opening your own sports agency.

How do I become a Football Intermediary?

As so many have a passion for football, the role of Football Intermediary is highly competitive. While there are no fixed requirements to become a football intermediary, a number of paths may lead you to this role. You might take on work experience with a sports agency or have contacts within the sports world. Some individuals become football intermediaries after studying law, particularly sports law. Others might break into the field after studying business, as a good head for business is essential to success as a football intermediary.

Whether you’re new to the world of professional football or are simply looking to add to your existing skillset, we are sure that you will find an FIA qualification to be worthwhile. Enrolling onto our FIA Football Intermediate Certificate training course is the first step for those who want to forge a successful career in the sport they love. After completing your course, you will have what it takes to apply for football agent jobs.

Entry requirements

In terms of how to become a football intermediary, there are no solid entry requirements. However, e-Careers currently offers a training course to help you gain the knowledge required to succeed in this industry, outlined below:

• The Football Intermediary Certificate – This is an online course with FIA certificate.

Call us on +44 (0) 20 3198 7700 to speak to one of our Career Consultants today, to discuss your career goals or get started.