@PSportsNetwork
12TH NOVEMBER CORINTHIA HOTEL, LONDON
www.premiersportsnetwork.com premiersportsnetwork
2018 INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES & PROGRAMME 12TH NOVEMBER CORINTHIA HOTEL, LONDON
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE | PAGE 01
@SportsNetwork
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
WELCOME I am delighted to welcome you to the Corinthia Hotel for Premier Sports Network’s International Player Care conference. This year we have been overwhelmed by interest in the event as it grows in stature and strength. We have lined up an absolutely stellar selection of speakers from around the world of player care making this event more international than ever before. Our top-level contributors will provide valuable insights into the evolving challenges and opportunities for those working in the sector both here in the UK and overseas. In addition to the conference sessions, we hope that the dedicated networking time will encourage you to exchange business cards and build your professional network among fellow delegates all of whom have been hand-picked to attend this event. Premier Sports Network’s next event will be our Finance in Sport conference next March which marks the start of an exciting year for the Premier Sports Network. A larger and more comprehensive Behind the Scenes Awards will be our flagship event in May and we will be back again for International Player Care towards the end of the year. Do contact us if you would like to find out more about these and other future events. Finally, I would like to extend my thanks to all of our partners and above all to you – our delegates – for coming together for what we all hope will be a day that provide some fascinating insights and valuable ideas to take away.
Spencer Hidge Director, Premier Sports Network
@PSportsNetwork www.premiersportsnetwork.com
PAGE 2 | INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
12TH NOVEMBER CORINTHIA HOTEL, LONDON
CONFERENCE PREVIEW The fifth edition of the Premier Sports Network’s International Player Care conference is bigger than ever with toplevel speakers in London from France, Italy, Belgium, the USA and Canada. Player Care can sometimes struggle to register in the boardroom of some of our largest sports clubs but this year’s speaker lineup shows that is changing with director-level speakers and delegates attending the conference in November. The view from the top will come courtesy of Keith Harris, Deputy Chairman at Everton FC, Paul Barber, CEO at Brighton and Hove Albion FC and Jeff Mostyn, Chairman of AFC Bournemouth who will outline how they as directors view the importance of player care. They will share their perspective of the costs and benefits and how investments in a more caring culture can pay dividends at their clubs. This year we have an unparalleled array of player care expertise from the UK and Europe starting with Manchester United FC legend Nicky Butt who now manages the club’s academy. He will be tracing his route from player to manager and giving his personal insights into the pressures on young players today. Alongside him former Arsenal FC star, Jermaine Pennant will share a few of the revelations from his book, Mental, where he admits that his inability to deal with overnight fame and fortune led to him being seen a wild child of football. As a player care manager, it would www.premiersportsnetwork.com
be interesting to ask whether you think anyone could have helped channel that energy more productively. Care for players off the pitch is part of the largest clubs’ competitive advantage and lessons from team managers and coaches from around Europe will be a vital part of the day’s programme. Representatives from AS Roma, SS Lazio, ACF Fiorentina, Inter Milan and Club Brugge KV will provide an opportunity to discover how continental European clubs approach player care and the state of the art in Italy and Belgium. New for 2018 is a session where leading agents and players’ representatives give their views on managing professional athletes in the sports of boxing, golf and football. They are the guardians of an important set of relationships and the way they work on behalf of their stars plays a crucial role in their success, contentment and longevity. With travel an increasing part of life as a sportsman or woman making sure they arrive in the right place and in the right shape is now a job in itself. We have the opportunity to review the transportation and logistics operation of two North American clubs who between them travel millions of man miles every year. Completing the stellar line-up we have current player Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu former players Sonny Pike, , Ryan Mason and Ryan Smith, athlete agents Egis Klimas and Christophe Henrotay alongside our expert professional advisors making this the best Player Care conference you can attend. As ever, our invite-only format guarantees you an unrivalled opportunity to expand your professional network in player care and to leave feeling better equipped to deal with the challenges you face in your role. INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE | PAGE 3
@PSportsNetwork
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
GUEST SPEAKERS Mauricio Sulaiman, Egis Klimas, Klimas President, World Management Boxing Council
Christophe Henrotay Drewe Broughton, Matt Kendrew, Football Intermediary Former Professional Director of Golf Footballer Operations, ISM Golf
Sonny Pike, Ryan Smith, Former Professional Former Professional Footballer Footballer
Luke Gill, Recruitment Manager, 5 Day
James Brady, Head of Media, Hiscox UK
Thomas Hal Robson- Jermaine Pennant, Former Professional Kanu, Professional Footballer Footballer, WBA FC
Joe Gallimore, Betsy Maxfield, George Wrighster, Director, Player Care, Biz Dev Director, Former NFL Sporting Kansas City Air Charter Services Footballer
Nicoletta Flutti, Luca Ferarri, Head 1st Team Player Sports Lawyer, Services, Inter Milan Withers LLP PAGE 4 | INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE
Keith Harris, Deputy Chairman, Everton FC
Tim Marlow, Head of Prestige, Magnitude Finance
Mariel Koerhuis, Director, Johan Cruyff Institute
Tim Hyatt, Head of Peter Kelsey, Residential Lettings, Financial Advisor, Knight Frank Close Brothers
David Cotterill, Former Professional Footballer
Paul Barber, CEO, Brighton & Hove Albion FC
Meryl Hershfield, 1st Team Ops Manager, Vancouver Whitecaps
Stefan Derkum, Team Manager, SS Lazio
Alberto Marangon, Team Manager, ACF Fiorentina
DĂŠvy Rigaux, Team Manager, Club Brugge KV
Jeff Mostyn, Chairman, AFC Bournemouth
James Gray, MD Roy Rajber, Cyber & Intelligence, Managing Director, Raytheon Stellar Group Germany www.premiersportsnetwork.com
12TH NOVEMBER CORINTHIA HOTEL, LONDON
Adam Leventhal is an experienced broadcaster, journalist and author with over 20 year’s experience in the sports industry on radio, TV, print and online. He’s a popular TV presenter at one of the world’s leading 24 hour news channels, Sky Sports News where he has broken many key news stories during his 14 years. Clubs, companies or organisations interested in working with Adam should please contact him at: adam@talesfrom.com, Twitter: @adamleventhal
MODERATOR ADAM LEVENTHAL
Nicky Butt, Academy Manager, Manchester Utd FC
Ryan Mason, Former Professional Footballer
AGENDA 9.00am 9.40am 10.00am 10.30am 11.00am 11.20am 11.55am 12.35pm 1.00pm 2.20pm 2.30pm 3.00pm 3.30pm 4.00pm
Complimentary breakfast and networking in exhibition village Keynote presentation & One-on-One Interview: Player Care in Boxing: President of World Boxing Council, Mauricio Sulaiman The Agents View on managing professional athletes Life as a hot prospect One-on-One with Former England International Ryan Mason Coffee and networking in the exhibition village Selecting trusted advisors Reflections from Jermaine Pennant and David Cotterill Complimentary lunch and networking in the exhibition village On the road with 5 Day Ltd Practical care when moving, travelling and touring International Player Care Coffee and networking break One-on-One with Nicky Butt, Academy Manager at Manchester United FC
4.30pm View from the top: Player Care starts in the boardroom 5.00pm Complimentary Drinks and Networking 7.00pm Event finished
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE | PAGE 5
@SportsNetwork
9.40AM
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
KEYNOTE ADDRESS AND ONE-ON-ONE MAURICIO SULAIMAN President of World Boxing Council
10.00AM
THE AGENTS’ VIEW ON MANAGING PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES Careful management can extend the careers of elite athletes and maximise their opportunities within their chosen sport and in the commercial world. An elite boxing managers who guides the careers of world champions will discuss how he supports his athletes and compare practice with elite agents in golf and football. • What can team sports learn from the management of athletes in individual sports? • What role can agents play in helping sports stars work through their mental health challenges? • How can sports stars be effectively marketed to gain worldwide attention?
Egis Klimas, Klimas Management
Matt Kendrew, Christophe Henrotay Drewe Broughton, Director of Golf Football Intermediary Former Professional Operations, ISM Golf Footballer
PAGE 6 | INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
12TH NOVEMBER CORINTHIA HOTEL,10.30AM LONDON
LIFE AS A HOT PROSPECT Precocious talent can be a curse as well as a blessing. Panellists share their own experiences of life in the teenage spotlight, the pressures it brought them and the advice they would give to today’s young sensations. • The dropout rate among young players is worryingly high. Are there ways to reduce it or is that inevitable? • The combination of immaturity, pressure to succeed and fame and fortune can overwhelm a young player. How can player care, coaches, parents, agent and other advisors create an environment which brings a teenage through that? • Do ideas like putting young players’ money in trust have any validity? • How much do you think coaches should be trained to look out for and work with boys who are feeling the pressure. Do they always understand how to work with children and young people at a formative period in their lives?
Sonny Pike, Former Professional Footballer
Ryan Smith, Former Professional Footballer
Mariel Koerhuis, Director, Johan Cruyff Institute
11.00AM
ONE-ON-ONE
WITH FORMER ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL
RYAN MASON
Ryan talks about the injury which ultimately ended his playing days, the help and support he received and how he has carved out a new career beyond competitive football.
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE | PAGE 7
@SportsNetwork 11.55AM
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
SELECTING TRUSTED ADVISORS Player Care managers occupy a key position of influence over decisions made by players and their families regarding professional advisors. The cost of bad advice can be ruinous making this area one of the most important. Our panel considers the questions you should be asking when reviewing professional advisors. • There will always be unscrupulous advisors but how can a player care manager effectively navigate through the minefield? • Are there specific things that provide guarantees of high quality advice or warning signs that should set alarm bells ringing? • Young athletes can take a while to wake up to the importance of financial planning for the future. How can situations be recovered later on in a career?
Peter Kelsey, Financial Advisor, Close Brothers
James Brady, Head of Media, Hiscox UK
Tim Marlow, Head of Prestige, Magnitude Finance
Tim Hyatt, Head of Thomas Hal RobsonResidential Lettings, Kanu, Professional Footballer, WBA FC Knight Frank
Trusted advice: your role Player Care Managers are in a unique position of influence and their recommendations can have far-reaching consequences. Most people working in player care did not get the job they have through their expertise in finance, insurance or the law, yet they are regularly asked for their opinion on the many schemes and services players are offered. So, how are they to advise and help their young charges avoid falling foul of unscrupulous advisers? One of the most important areas of influence you have is over a player’s financial decisions but for many it is an area where Player Care Managers have little expertise and confidence. You will have heard the mantra that it pays to start early and get good advice but what is the difference between good and bad and how can you spot it? One of the first questions to ask about any recommendation is ‘who is making money?’ Never trust a recommendation from a friend, teammate or agent who is being paid by the advisor. Professional advisors should be completely transparent about how they are paid for their services and by whom. They should also make a rule of never paying for introductions or recommendations themselves. After that, there are a few basic principles you can follow which should help decision making. Always check the credentials of the firm and characters involved. Financial investments are long term so check the length of time a firm has been in business. Is it big enough with a reputation PAGE 8 | INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE
which suggests it will still be around through good times and bad? Advisors in most professional firms will normally be required to sit exams and gain qualifications before they can practice so check these out too. If you are getting the wrong answers or no answers at all then alarm bells should start ringing. There have been all sorts of tales of sports stars getting stung by HMRC for investing in unregulated and unapproved schemes many years later. So, always ask if investments are regulated in the UK as, if not, losses can be catastrophic. Spanish property, Bollywood films etc. are not regulated products and if things go wrong there is no one who will take action on your player’s behalf. In general, advise against anything which promises investors they will get rich quick. There is no reason for well-paid sports men or women to invest in schemes which promise instant riches. It may sound boring, but a portfolio of regulated products will deliver financial security. The same goes for property, insurance and auto finance. If a deal sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Finally, player care managers should extend the duty of care to all areas including professional advice. It is tragic when sportsmen and women have nothing left at the end of their playing careers, so use the influence you have to help make sure that doesn’t happen. www.premiersportsnetwork.com
12.35PM
REFLECTIONS FROM JERMAINE PENNANT AND DAVID COTTERILL Two former footballers open up about the pressures of the professional game, how it affected their behaviour and mental health and the support they did or didn’t receive.
2.30PM
PRACTICAL CARE WHEN MOVING, TRAVELLING AND TOURING Experienced North American and European operators look at the complex logistics of running a major sports team and how players can be supported through an international move, a hectic travel or touring schedule. • Life on the road seems to be an increasing feature of modern sport but how can that be managed without it taking its toll on the field of play? • How much should teams retain logistics operations in house vs hand over to a third party professional services company? • Relocating multiple times during a sports career is also more common now. What advice would you give to player care managers trying to settle a new player and quickly get him up to speed with local practices and culture?
Paul Barber, CEO, Brighton & Hove Albion FC
Meryl Hershfield, 1st Betsy Maxfield, Joe Gallimore, Team Ops Manager, Director, Player Care, Biz Dev Director, Vancouver Whitecaps Sporting Kansas City Air Charter Services
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
George Wrighster, Former American Footballer
INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE | PAGE 9
@SportsNetwork 3.00PM
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE For clubs competing internationally, Player Care is a key area of competitive advantage. Here panellists compare and contrast approaches around Europe to identify best practice and share their perspective on what constitutes top-level care. Elite representatives from across Italian & Belgian football highlight their approaches to Player Care at the top level, providing an international perspective to what works in looking after the very best. • How is player care viewed in continental Europe? Is it seen as a positive enhancement to the way a club operates or is it overlooked? • Are there differences that you have observed between the UK and other European leagues in managing youth academies and bringing young players through into the top-level game? • When a new manager comes in, how does that impact and affect the role of a Team Manager and the structures that are already in place?
Moderator: Luca Ferarri, Sports Lawyer, Withers LLP
Stefan Derkum, Team Manager, SS Lazio
Alberto Marangon, Team Manager, ACF Fiorentina
Dévy Rigaux, Team Manager, Club Brugge KV
Nicoletta Flutti, Head 1st Team Player Services Inter Milan
Academy to first team Creating effective pathways into the professional game is a big talking point. Here we examine some alternatives to warming the bench. Signing as a teenager with one of the big teams feels like the culmination of years of dreams and hard work but, we we know, it’s only the beginning. Walking the path to the first team is getting harder as stakes are raised at the very top of all sports. As we have reported in our magazine, On The Front Foot, there is more than one way to skin a cat and young players and their clubs would be well advised to consider a range of alternative ways to get into senior level sport. The key, though, is to be playing with men on a regular basis. Dave Brammer football intermediary with Stellar Group says it’s not all about expecting Premier League managers to give young players more game time. “Some of the young players have got to be brave and respect the levels we have in the English game. I tell them not to be snobbish about playing in League One but to get out there and put yourself to the test. If you’re good enough, you’ll get there and the more games you have the quicker it will happen. If you look at a player like Jordan Pickford. He’s played football at every level of the game. My advice to young players is always you’ve got to be brave enough to say, ‘I’m just going to go and play, get experience and take my opportunities.” That is the route taken by Nathaniel Chalobah who has earned himself the nickname ‘Loan Ranger’ beacuse of the time he spent away from his original club, Chelsea. PAGE 10 | INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE
“I made the decision to leave Chelsea because I wanted to get as many games as I could,” he says. “You have to keep pushing and learning. Go abroad if you have to and get experience playing in games that matter. You need to put yourself in that environment and see how you cope. Get a taste of men’s football.” Playing abroad, especially in the German Bundesliga, is looking like an increasingly well trodden pathway into the senior game as German managers target England’s current crop of promising teens. Stephan Kallass, a player’s representative working between England and Germany thinks there are opportunities. “The grass isn’t greener in general, but, if you compare it to England, the average age of debutants is way lower in Germany. German clubs are trying to keep up both domestically but also on a European level. Many of them can’t (or don’t want to) pay over the top transfer fees for ready-made players so they try to find alternative ways and many see the best is to get young players with high potential.” He points to stars like Jaydon Sancho as examples of how it can work and praises both the teams and the players for the commitment they are showing one to the other. “Although the strategy is a risk as they’re not finished players, when coached well and being in a good environment these players development can turn out to be very positive both in sportive and financial ways.” Time will tell whether the players make a triumphant return to the EPL. www.premiersportsnetwork.com
4.00PM
ONE-ON-ONE NICKY BUTT
Academy Manager MANCHESTER UNITED FC
The former Manchester United star turned manager of the youth academy talks about the transition to coaching and what he brings to the role from his time under Sir Alex Ferguson
The academic legacy of Johan Cruyff Sport, management and social work are three key words in the world of Johan Cruyff and basic pillars of his legacy. Johan Cruyff’s own experience as a professional football player and later as a coach and advisor led him to devise a plan to help athletes to enter the working world at the end of their sports career and to promote the professionalization of management in the world of sport. And thus the Johan Cruyff Institute was born, the academic legacy of Johan Cruyff.
Proof of the quality of its training is that the Johan Cruyff Institute received the official accreditation of its Master in Sport Management as a university degree with the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. The Master in Football Business in collaboration with FC Barcelona is the result of an alliance with the club and its training platform, Barça Universitas. In recent years, the institution has signed agreements with key entities in the sports sector, including FIFPro Americas and AEFCA (the European Alliance of Football Coaches Associations), among others, and with clubs such as Borussia Dortmund and Girona FC. It also has a presence in the most important sport management congresses on the international scene, such as Soccerex, the World Football Summit, SIS Mexico, Paris and Tokyo, the Coliseum Summit Europe (London), Coliseum Summit Asia at Singapore and iWorkinSports. The Johan Cruyff Institute appears in SportBusiness Group’s best postgraduate program rankings, with its Online Master in Sport Management rated the second best in the world in 2016.
“Who better to serve the best interests of sport than someone with the heart of an athlete?”
Since its founding in 2002, the Johan Cruyff Institute has trained athletes, managers and other professionals in Sport Management, Sport Marketing, Sponsorship, Football Business and Coaching. Its expansion has been unstoppable and it currently offers 64 programs. Today, it has 14 offices around the world, with a physical presence in Spain, the Netherlands, Peru, Mexico and Sweden, and international agents in 13 different countries. A total of 5,356 students have been trained in their classrooms in on campus courses and 4,173 in online courses. www.premiersportsnetwork.com
INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE | PAGE 11
@SportsNetwork 4.20PM
www.premiersportsnetwork.com
12TH NOVEMBER CORINTHIA HOTEL, LONDON
VIEW FROM THE TOP: PLAYER CARE STARTS IN THE BOARDROOM Top-level executives reveal how they assess the costs and benefits of investing in player care. They examine the role of the board in creating a culture of care and look at the risks clubs face in the modern era. • How does the culture set by the board translate throughout a club and how can investment in player care be measured? • What new risks do clubs and players face today and how can they be better understood? • With the large amounts of money in today’s world of sport, especially football, what level of investment is being made into player care departments and how does this compare to investment in other areas of the club?
Keith Harris, Deputy Chairman, Everton FC
Jeff Mostyn, Chairman, AFC Bournemouth
James Gray, MD Roy Rajber, Cyber & Intelligence, Managing Director, Raytheon Stellar Group Germany
Player transfers and image rights: a missed trick? Moving from one country to another involves all kinds of issues, including legal, tax, cultural and practical ones. One legal aspect that it is often overlooked when a footballer transfers from a club abroad to an English one, is the status of the player’s image rights; in particular, any existing endorsement contracts with sponsors who may be competitors of those of the player’s new club. For example, the player may have a deal with adidas, whereas the Club is sponsored by Nike. Such conflict marketing issues need to be taken into account, negotiated and covered by special provisions in the transfer agreement, to avoid problems going forward. For example, when, several years ago, David Beckham moved to Real Madrid, his new club had to accommodate his existing arrangements. Also, incidentally, a special Spanish Tax arrangement was enacted, known as ‘Beckham’s Law’. PAGE www.premiersportsnetwork.com I | INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE
An additional legal problem for a foreign player transferring to England is that image rights are not legally recognised as such under the general law here. This is a particular problem for the player coming from a country where image rights, generally, are legally recognised, for example, in Continental Europe and the United States. However, a player can gain some legal protection by registering his image rights in the English Channel Island of Guernsey, which has a special legal regime covering them. One further point: image rights are legally recognised for tax purposes in England following a tax ruling in 2000 involving David Platt and Dennis Bergkamp, former Arsenal Players. However, the image rights arrangements have to be very carefully organised and legally and contractually structured to be tax efficient and pass muster with HMRC!
Another related issue is valuing the image rights for tax purposes and we have access to a particular firm that is specialised and very experienced in this field. Very recently the Spanish authorities have fined Gareth Bale £300,000.00 for alleged unpaid tax in Spain. Image rights and the assessment of them are very topical. We can provide legal advice, assistance and guidance on all of these matters for incoming football players. We take a holistic and personal approach, because each case depends on the player’s own particular facts and circumstances, including the stage in his playing career. For further information and a consultation with our highly skilled lawyers, please feel free to contact us at A J Consulting, a specialist legal services offering to the sports industry. A J Consulting, 38 Chancery Lane, WC2A 1LF (t) 020 3965 1850 (e) enquiries@aj.consulting INTERNATIONAL www.premiersportsnetwork.com PLAYER CARE | PAGE I