It’s one of the most lucrative jobs in football. We meet Aussie football’s deal makers who can turn footballers into millionaires in a couple of meetings. Just don’t call them “agents”...
Page 3 of 4 | Single page
Player manager Leo Karis also “hates” the term agent. Like Mandic and Nettelbeck, he’s a licensed FFA player agent who “manages sport and media personalities”. However, he does work with agents when the need arises, such as the recent loan move of Michael Beauchamp from Central Coast Mariners to Nurnberg in the German Bundesliga.
“The reality is that you often work with other agents in other countries because you really do need local knowledge.”
That said, he is convinced 21 licensed agents in Australia is too many.
“And anyway,” he notes, “I reckon maybe only three to five agents in this country actually do any business. The majority do it part-time which is obviously a problem.”
Karis sees his job as a strategic one, playing a “significant” role in a player’s development. “It’s about developing a plan for the player’s career as well as looking out for his potential outside of football in, for example, coaching or in the media.”
His football clients (check them out at www.leokaris.com) include Newcastle’s Paul Okon, Perth’s Naum Sekulovski and Beauchamp. Karis adds that he has “a real passion for the job, particularly when I see a player’s career grow. But I like to keep a low-profile myself.”
And what does he look for in a potential client? “Attitude and character would be the first thing, followed by their potential as a player to move either into the A-League or beyond that league.”
Similarly, Mandic looks for the person behind the talent. “His attitude, his ability and his parents. If any of these three are odd, I decline the invitation. We have only taken on four new players in six years, so that tells you how stringent we are in our demands.”
With established footballers, as Nettelbeck notes, it’s often word of mouth that leads players to certain agents and managers. “Locker-room talk… players talk about their agents with other players and that’s often the best referral. If a player rings you, you call the federation to find out if he does have an agent. At the end of the day it’s a small community,” he says.
Of course, not all licensed agents are player-managers. Some, like Lou Sticca, simply negotiate various deals. “Being an agent,” explains Melbourne-based Sticca, “is about relationships. A good agent is no different to any other professional. Ultimately, his client has expectations and you’re there to assist in his career. It’s about listening to your client.”
Since becoming a full-time licensed agent six years ago, Sticca has gone on to negotiate a number of high-profile deals with Sydney FC during the club’s recruitment phase prior to the inaugural A-League season, prompting Melbourne Victory football manager Gary Cole to taunt, “It appears Lou Sticca is piecing together [Sydney’s] team. What other club on the planet would allow a player agent to do that?”
Sticca also negotiates short-term guest deals: Kazuyoshi “Kazu” Miura last season and, through his Italian connections, the talismanic Benito Carbone this year.
“Some deals are quite smooth, others not so,” says Sticca, with the wearied tone of a man who’s negotiated many a deal. “The reality is that there is an infinite supply of players, but a small number of jobs. Every agent will have their own speciality – Asia, Europe or Scandinavia for instance– but I think your speciality is your last deal. For me, my speciality is probably the UK.”
And like Nettelbeck and Karis, Sticca adds “you need good contacts worldwide” to do the job properly. It was those UK contacts with Simon Bayliff, a licensed football agent with SFX sports management company, that got Sticca in on the negotiating of Dwight Yorke’s Sydney FC contract.
“The reality is that you often work with other agents in other countries because you really do need local knowledge.”
That said, he is convinced 21 licensed agents in Australia is too many.
“And anyway,” he notes, “I reckon maybe only three to five agents in this country actually do any business. The majority do it part-time which is obviously a problem.”
Karis sees his job as a strategic one, playing a “significant” role in a player’s development. “It’s about developing a plan for the player’s career as well as looking out for his potential outside of football in, for example, coaching or in the media.”
His football clients (check them out at www.leokaris.com) include Newcastle’s Paul Okon, Perth’s Naum Sekulovski and Beauchamp. Karis adds that he has “a real passion for the job, particularly when I see a player’s career grow. But I like to keep a low-profile myself.”
And what does he look for in a potential client? “Attitude and character would be the first thing, followed by their potential as a player to move either into the A-League or beyond that league.”
Similarly, Mandic looks for the person behind the talent. “His attitude, his ability and his parents. If any of these three are odd, I decline the invitation. We have only taken on four new players in six years, so that tells you how stringent we are in our demands.”
With established footballers, as Nettelbeck notes, it’s often word of mouth that leads players to certain agents and managers. “Locker-room talk… players talk about their agents with other players and that’s often the best referral. If a player rings you, you call the federation to find out if he does have an agent. At the end of the day it’s a small community,” he says.
Of course, not all licensed agents are player-managers. Some, like Lou Sticca, simply negotiate various deals. “Being an agent,” explains Melbourne-based Sticca, “is about relationships. A good agent is no different to any other professional. Ultimately, his client has expectations and you’re there to assist in his career. It’s about listening to your client.”
 |
| Rafa shows Kewell what can be done with a healthy groin |
Since becoming a full-time licensed agent six years ago, Sticca has gone on to negotiate a number of high-profile deals with Sydney FC during the club’s recruitment phase prior to the inaugural A-League season, prompting Melbourne Victory football manager Gary Cole to taunt, “It appears Lou Sticca is piecing together [Sydney’s] team. What other club on the planet would allow a player agent to do that?”
Sticca also negotiates short-term guest deals: Kazuyoshi “Kazu” Miura last season and, through his Italian connections, the talismanic Benito Carbone this year.
“Some deals are quite smooth, others not so,” says Sticca, with the wearied tone of a man who’s negotiated many a deal. “The reality is that there is an infinite supply of players, but a small number of jobs. Every agent will have their own speciality – Asia, Europe or Scandinavia for instance– but I think your speciality is your last deal. For me, my speciality is probably the UK.”
And like Nettelbeck and Karis, Sticca adds “you need good contacts worldwide” to do the job properly. It was those UK contacts with Simon Bayliff, a licensed football agent with SFX sports management company, that got Sticca in on the negotiating of Dwight Yorke’s Sydney FC contract.
Related Articles
