Entering the sports industry

• Industry evolution

• Dr. Erkut Sogut's advice

• Reality check

The 100 point shot

• Nick Robinson's 100 point shot

• Daniel Geey’s 100 point shot

• Miles Jacobson's 100 point shot

Developing your USP

• Your Unique Selling Proposition

• Languages as a competitive advantage

• Leveraging unique skills and background

• Building a profile before you need it

• Closing

Getting your first role

• The application game

• Surviving rejection

• Ambition v execution

The sports industry landscape

• Your core operators

• Where the jobs actually are

• The hidden reality. Glamour vs grind

• Closing

The Sporting Landscape

• Sport Isn't One Industry

• Industry Terms

• Football: The Transfer Market Casino

• Rugby: The Salary Cap Straightjacket

• US Sports: The Franchise Fortress

• Olympic Sports: The Sponsorship Survival Game

The Agency Game

• More Than Negotiators

• The Business Model

• Layering Revenue

• Scale vs Service

How to Behave

• Values & Reputation

• Company Culture

• Negotiating Without Burning Bridges

• The Rainmaker Risk

Contracts & Deal Structure

• Transfer & Playing contract

• Sponsorship contracts

• Athlete sponsorship

• You're Really Just a Dealmaker

Building Your Client List

• Starting From The Bottom

• The First Client Paradox

• Sponsorship and Rights Holders

Developing From Here

• Progressing through the industry

• The Sports Framework

Introduction

• Welcome to Module

• The Core of Athlete Management

• The “Day Job”

• What You Will Learn

Athlete Management Fails

• The Recurring Mistakes

• Friend over advisor

• Short-term thinking

• Susceptibility to intimidation

• Negotiation

• Market Knowledge

• Sponsorship

• Off-field Aspects

• Entourage

• Greed

• Behaviour Management

The Total Life Manager

• Beyond the Highlights Reel

• The Global Network Example

• Closing

Young Talent and Managing Sudden Wealth

• The Young Striker example

Career-Damaging Blind Spots

• The Risks they don't see coming

• Betting

• Social Media

• The Company You Keep

• Contracts They Didn't Understand

• Tax and Financial Structures

• When Silence Is the best plan

• The Broader Point

Strategic Player Acquisition

• Strategic Player Acquisition

• Pillar One: Talent

• Pillar Two: Character

• Pillar Three: Strategic Fit

• The Framework in Practice

• Signing Your First Players

• Representation Agreements and Mandates

Career-Long Partnership

• The Foundation of my Business

• The 4 Phases of a Player's Career

• The Emotional Side

• The Hard Conversations

• Closing

The Global Network Model

• The Global Agent

• How to Build Real Infrastructure

• Strategic Deal Architecture

• Reading the Market - Chain Reactions

Cultural Intelligence

• Why it is Important

• Culture Shapes Career Priorities

• Clubs’ cultural differences

• The Narcissistic President

• The Stalemate

• Communication Styles and Negotiation

• Beyond Culture: Personality Still Rules

Integrity in Sport

• The Integrity Advantage

• Case Study: Two Agents, One Opportunity

• Conclusion

Pre-Negotiation Preparation

• Welcome to Negotiation

• The First Move

• Market Research and Due Diligence

• Understanding the Other Side

• Know Your Own Position

• Define Your Walk-Away Point

• Map Your Strategy

Setting the Arena

• Timing and Sequencing

• The Sequencing Trap

• Location and Setting

• The Right People in the Room

• 3D Negotiation

• Sequencing Within the Room

Tactical Tools

• Understanding Leverage

• Credibility and Perception

• Real Leverage Examples

• Building Your BATNA

• The Reputation Risk

• The Power of Silence

• Anchoring

• Handling Their Anchor

• Who Goes First?

• Concession Strategy

• Deadlines and Time Pressure

• Using Deadlines Yourself

• Resisting Tactical Pressure

Channels of Communication

• Written vs Face-to-Face

• Internal Influencers and Alliances

• Bypassing a Blocker

• Leveraging Allies

• Media and Public Narrative

• Teammate Communication

Negotiating Under Pressure

• Managing Your Mindset

• Stay Grounded in Facts and Process

• Use Breaks to Manage Stress

• Prepare for Worst-Case Scenarios

• Breaking Deadlock

• Key Takeaways

Long-Term Thinking

• Short-Term Wins vs Long-Term Success

• The Danger of Crushing Wins

• The Rise and Fall of Aggressive Agents

• Consider Flexibility as a Long-Term Win

• Honesty as a Long-Term Win

• Consider the Player's Broader Goals

Adapting to Personalities and Styles

• Different People, Different Approaches

• Handling Different Executive Personalities

• Adapt Your Communication Style

• Pacing and Leading

• Adapting to Hostility

Deal Structuring and Protections

• Building Value in the Small Print

• The Hidden Value in Clauses

• Protecting the Downside

• Option Clauses: Read Carefully

• Sell-On Clauses

• Legal Review Is Non-Negotiable

• Closing

Avoiding Rookie Errors

• Avoiding Rookie Errors

Conclusion

• Negotiation Mastery

• A Final Word

What is sports law?

• There Is No Such Thing as Sports Law

• Why Legal Awareness Gives You an Edge

Contract Law

• Release Clauses: Confidentiality and Payment Traps

• Representation Agreements and Where Agents Lose Money

• The Gross-Up Clause

• Image Rights: Where They Came From and How They Work

• Image Rights: What Clubs Are Really Paying For

• Coaching Contracts and the Cost of a Sacking

Commercial Law

• Intro

• The Clauses That Cause The Biggest Tension

• The Collaborative Approach to Restrictions

• Control: The Common Thread When Deals Go Wrong

Dispute Resolution

• Intro

• The Neymar Release Clause

• Messi v FIFA: Winning a Case Nobody Expected to Win

• The Football World Is Small

Litigation, Lawyerball & Legal Reality

• How Sports Litigation Works

• Player Contracts = Employment Contracts

• Building a Defence: What Actually Happens

• Lawyerball: Man City - APT

• Lawyerball: The European Super League

• The Player-Club Standoff

• Gentleman’s Agreements

Crisis Management

• When Reputation Lawyer

• Blackmail and Extortion

Immigration Law

• Post-Brexit Work Permits and the GBE System

• Immigration as Sporting Strategy

The Grey Zones

• Financial Manipulation and Salary Cap Scandals

• Bloodgate

• Corruption

• Anti-Doping: Strict Liability and the System’s Unintended Consequences

How High is the Bar?

• Closing

75 Years of Content

• How Sport Became a Digital Media Industry

The Platforms

• Instagram

• TikTok

• YouTube

• X, Facebook, and Snapchat

• LinkedIn

Measuring Value on Social Media

• The Metrics

Athlete Personal Brands in the Social Media Era

• Athletes v Influencers

• Alisha Lehmann

• Ilona Maher

Clubs and Rights Holders

• Club Side – Social Media as Commercial Inventory

The Digital Past

• The Digital Past

The Money, the Rights and the Content

• The Rate Card

• Club Rights vs Player Rights

• Building the Content

NIL

• NIL

The Bigger Picture

• The Bigger Picture

The Most Important Department in Football

• Introduction

How Recruitment Departments Actually Work

• The Model

• When It Works

• When It Doesn’t

The Scout

• The Job in 2026

• Is Live Scouting Still Relevant?

• Talent Selection vs Talent Potential

• The Signings That Scouts Like to Remember

The Head of Recruitment

• The Role Nobody Fully Understands

• Succession Planning

• Agent Relationship Management

Sporting Director

• The Role England Couldn’t Define

• Managing Up and Down

• The Head Coach Relationship

• What the Job Takes From You

• The Southampton Model

Data and the Future of Recruitment

• Data and the Future of Recruitment

How to Get Into This Side of the Business

• How to Get Into This Side of the Business