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Joan Ocon, Director of Tandhem Representation Agency, explained to us the complexity of the soccer representation sector, the impact of COVID-19 , and the secrets to succeed as a Sports Agent.
Many dream of entering the soccer world as Player Agents. No early morning practices, best seats to the matches and millionaire commissions. Sounds like a dream job, doesn’t it?
That is only what you see on television, but behind it there is a job in which you do not rest, that you live far from your family and friends and from which you never disconnect. If you are able to assume these three concepts, you can take the first step. But only the first.
Can you explain what is really going on behind the scenes in one of the most competitive jobs in the sports industry?
As I said, this job demands a lot from you. Don’t let your guard down. The competition is fierce and if you want to survive, you must demand yourself the maximum every day. There are no schedules, there are no excuses, and there is no rest. You have to differentiate between two worlds. The formative and the professional. Both have really the same operations on a day-to-day basis but with a greater tension in the professional world.
You are the director of Tandhem, a Representation Agency, but you are also a lawyer. Why did you choose to enter the business of soccer representation/player management?
The question that everyone asks me. There was a time in my career as a lawyer when I realized that I was not born to sit in a chair for hours. I love law and I love sports, so I studied sports law, and thus step by step I entered this world.
Now that you are a Player Agent, does the reality correspond to your expectations? Why?
Although I am an agent, when asked, I always answer that I am a lawyer. It is something that has cost me years of dedication and that is part of my personal stamp in this profession.
What is the biggest challenge you face in your job?
To mark with my work team a style, a unique way of working and a unique philosophy. There are many representation agencies, therefore you have to seek excellence and make a difference. Tandhem has its own style and we must maintain it and enhance it day by day, that is the biggest challenge.
What is the biggest reward of being a Player Agent?
Work together with your player and achieve what we both have set out to do. It sounds easy, but it is not, because there are infinite risk factors. Gladly, I manage to achieve every goal I set with a player by working for it day by day.
What is the importance of press and social media in this business?
Today, it is key. Who does not know you, judges you by your social networks. Maybe before this didn’t happen, but now social media plays a leading role. Luckily, in our company we have a wonderful team of experts to help us and our players.
How did COVID-19 impact the players’ contracts and the transfer market in 2020?
The market is stopped. It should be borne in mind that the football market did not suffer the crisis of 2008, and that it has registered growth year after year until the Covid has stopped it. Salaries have also gone down and the disbursement for player transactions has been reduced by 70%, according to the information published by sports media outlet Palco 23.
Has player management changed with COVID-19?
There is a very important human factor in this work. If human relationships have been cut or reduced, that has affected work. Now it seems that we can travel more and meet with caution, hopefully we continue like this. It is very difficult to convince clubs and sports directors through a virtual meeting. Some clubs have also modified their methodology, replacing scouting travels by players’ data analysis to choose the new players. It is the first time in the soccer industry that clubs have given big data a leading role in recruiting players.
Do you get personally attached to the players or is it just business?
I do not like to give clues of what our style is. But in our case, the personal relationship with the player is key in our work. It is a business, yes, but the business is made up of people, we cannot treat players like trading cards. For us, they are our family. This is how we feel it and this is how they feel it.
What are your top 3 success rules?
Honesty, professionalism and ambition.
What is your best advice for someone who dreams of being a Player Agent?
It seems like a cliché, but in that profession I consider it essential. I would tell him not to give up. When you start and are small, there are many obstacles and everything seems to be a problem. Not giving up and being persistent is key.
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João Carvalho is a die hard fan of esports and an expert in the matter.
He was the Founder of Prémios Esports Portugal (Portuguese Esports Awards) and has been working with the esports industry for 10 years.
We asked him to explain to us what esports are and how they have grown so fast, to tell us about the leading esports games, and to share his insights from a business perspective.
But before, let’s take a look at the latest facts and numbers about esports and the video game industry:
The video game industry has been generating more revenue than the movie box office and music industries combined over the last decade, reaching $159.3 billions in 2020.
The esports popularity keeps growing and it is expected to reach over half a million viewers in 2023.
Esports is the competitive side of gaming. I always explain it like this: a person juggling a football ball is not playing a football match. He’s using the same tools (football boots, the ball, might even use a net and a goalkeeper), but he is not competing against anyone other than himself. It is the same with esports: when you are playing video games against other people, in a competitive way, you can call it esports.
I would attribute that to 2 main reasons: the technological advancements of our society, that created the infrastructure needed (high speed internet, accessibility and affordability of video game consoles and gaming PC’s) for people to connect online like they were in an offline environment (no lag, no difference in ping, etc.) – vital for competitive integrity; the eager that human beings have to compete. Since the beginning of time humans are competitive animals in everything they do, so it is just natural that the same applies also to video games.
Tandhem Esports is an extension of Tandhem itself. Tandhem is a global talent agency, with expertise in athlete management and sports marketing. Tandhem Esports shares the exact same values and principles, but applied to the esports industry.
We aim to help semi-pro and pro esports athletes to achieve their goals, both professionally as well as personally. The majority of the athletes in the esports industry are very young and still very naive. They just want to compete and there is nothing wrong with that. We try to defend them from people who know exactly how to take advantage of that, giving them financial, legal and representation advice.
We see ourselves as partners of the players, more than their agents, in the traditional sense of the word.
They are aware of the phenomenon. They know that not entering now may jeopardize their business in the future.
Traditional sports are seeing their fans and viewership grow older as the time goes by. They need to do something to reverse the trend and one way to do it is to target the kids who give the majority of their attention to esports competitions, other than traditional sports ones.
Football and non-football sports institutions know this and see esports as an amazing opportunity to captivate younger audiences.
It is very difficult to tell which teams generate more revenue as the majority of them don’t disclose their annual income in full. One can only grasp and assume, based on the teams they build, the players they hire, the content they produce. Which is not exclusively related to the revenue they organically generate, because some teams survive via continuous outside investments from people still trying to enter the scene.
As of the games with more audience: League of Legends and Counter Strike have been producing top numbers for quite some time and I would consider them top 1 and top 2, respectively, based on the longevity of the numbers they’ve produced.
However, Fortnite and FIFA have been producing amazing numbers too, in platforms such as Twitch and Youtube, and it is very interesting to see what the future holds.
It is important to remember that there is a HUGE gap between the amount of professional teams in traditional sports compared to esports. Top esports players can earn multiple million dollar deals a year, but there are only a few of said players in the world, while in traditional sports it is rare that a player from a top league does not earn those amounts.
This is changing however, because esports players are more keen to create content and to share certain aspects of their daily routine (like training, exercising, habits), something that the younger fans want to see, because they want to emulate their idols.
Could you imagine the hype if Cristiano or Messi would train with a gopro on their heads? The world would stop to see it.
It depends on different factors, but right now I would say it would cost more than one million dollars a year. Two years ago, with talent from Europe (the best region in terms of talent besides the Asian market), you could build a great team with half a million a year.
The salaries increased a lot since the players perceived their power and how much they were generating for the teams just in exposure and stream numbers.
Currently, sponsors are the biggest source of income for team organizations.
I would say that TV Rights will play a huge role in the next 5-10 years, because only now the teams are understanding their importance to the Leagues: the Leagues capitalize on the teams’ exposure to close multi million dollar contracts with sponsors – League of Legends European Championship – LEC – is the biggest example of this.
Other than that, esports have the same revenue sources as traditional sports teams: merchandise, player buyouts, prize pools from tournaments, events’ ticketing, etc.
It is one of the best investments one can make still of today. Esports exposure will only go up, as more and more kids change their hobby habits to playing video games on a daily basis, because they now have the access to the technology (mobile phones, tablets, computers, consoles, etc.) that we didn’t have 5-10 years ago.
5G will also play a huge part in the dissemination of mobile competitive gaming, as we will only need our cellphones to be able to compete at the highest possible level, from anywhere in the world.
I believe that because all of this, associated with the streaming tools that exist today, in 10-20 years esports the number one sports in the world.
ISL’s player management arm, Tandhem, is one of the first sport talent and marketing agencies in Spain to open an international esports section.
In February 2020 ISL announced Tandhem, a global player management agency created to help athletes reach their maximum potential on and off the field, with a 360 degree management service covering representation, intermediation, marketing, and legal/financial support.
Now, not even one year after Tandhem’s launch, ISL’s “baby” is ready to expand in new directions and apply its full expertise to esports players and content creators.
“It only makes sense that we share our valuable expertise in soccer representation as well as our strong sports clubs network. Our proposal is to bring in the values and work models of traditional sports to help improve and develop the esports sector.” says Marc Segarra, ISL Co-Founder and Tandhem managing partner.
Tandhem Esports is a reflection of the brand’s vision to keep growing and expanding, always on the lookout for the hottest trends in the sports scene.
For this e-chapter, Tandhem is teaming up with Portuguese esports lovers and experts, João Carvalho, Founder of Prémios Esports Portugal (Portuguese Esports Awards) and ex-partner and founder of Braver Media Group, and Tiago Niza, who has worked in multiple countries and multinational environments, primarily focussed on RPA.
Tandhem esports has already signed 2 top LOL players: Francisco “Xico” Antunes, from BDS, and Amadeu “Attila” Carvalho from Vodafone Giants.
The vision of Tandhem Esports is to bring professionalism and integrity to a fast growing industry that not always operates with the organized and legal formats that we are used to see in traditional sports.
“We have the moral obligation – as entrepreneurs and passionate fans of videogames – to protect and nurture the centerpiece of this evolving market: the Player/Content Creator. They are the ones who add the most value to the market but unfortunately also the ones who are treated the worst. We intend to help by creating the support infrastructure that they need in order to become the best version of themselves.” explains João Carvalho, Tandhem Esports Co-Founder & Esports Director.
Just like the football section, the esports section will also offer 360º services: representation, intermediation, sponsorship brokerage, marketing, and legal/financial support.
Why esports?
Video games have experienced an exponential growth in the past 2 years, currently generating higher revenues than the cinema and music industries combined:
In 2019, the video game industry was worth about 145 billion $, while Box Office and Music were worth $42.5b and $20.2b, respectively.*
The esports audiences keep growing both online and offline, surpassing the number of spectators of the world’s most popular sports events such as the NBA finals: the 2019 League of Legends World Championship Finals amassed a staggering 44 million concurrent viewers while the NBA finals in the same year averaged 15.1 million viewers. *
Esports are not the future, they are the present, and both ISL and Tandhem want to actively participate in revolutionizing the way in which sports are being played and consumed by contributing to the continued growth and development of this fascinating new sector.
Sources:
* https://www.statista.com/chart/22392/global-revenue-of-selected-entertainment-industry-sectors/
* https://nexus.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/2019/12/2019-world-championship-hits-record-viewership/
Long before ISL formed into a global marketing and management firm, co-founders Alex Isern and Marc Segarra grew up in the futbol rich city of Barcelona. They were both gifted in being selfless in looking out for others and helping each person they came into contact with reach their fullest potential. This passion transferred into their vision and goals for providing opportunities to players through ISL.
After successfully completing a senior year on the field playing for the Winthrop University in South Carolina by winning the Big South Conference Championship (2012) and graduating with honors, the two childhood friends decided to take their passion for the game and (ultimately) for people and put it to work by staying in the United States and forming ISL. Initially the focus was being a soccer company, but ISL has since matured and grown over the course of 7 years into a battle tested and seasoned company with an array of offerings outside of the beautiful game, but still with a people first emphasis and ideology.
The U.S. has become one of the most competitive markets in the world for youth soccer, so it only made sense for the co-founders to bring the same values and methodologies that they both grew up playing under in Spain and infuse them into a budding system. Through summer camps, and eventually starting their first academy in Charlotte, NC their new dream of helping players achieve their goals started taking shape and began to thrive.
After inking a deal to represent FC Barcelona throughout the United States with their academies and nationwide camps ISL were now able to identify kids from around the country who were believed to be next level talent by trained FCB coaches and staff, and get them over to Europe to play against top academies and club teams in Spain.
Talented players have continually emerged from ISL events. Many players have impressed with their field IQ, skill and level of play over the years, but some more so than others have stood out head and shoulders above the rest. We have been fortunate to be able to work with them and to help mold their style and technique, but more importantly their attitude and philosophy toward the game.
The list of players continues to grow as each year passes, but some have made that jump from the academy system and international tournaments to signing contracts with MLS and USL teams, notably Tucker Lepley (USMNT (U17)/Sporting KC); Brennan Conger (DC United) and Chris Thaggard (Charlotte FC). Other up and coming names to keep an eye on that have come through ISL include, William Cardona (New York Red Bulls), Ryan Fessler (Sporting KC), Donovan Roux (Rapids), Edric Zhang (Charlotte FC) and Julian Ramirez (Charlotte FC). For each the future is bright.
ISL stays committed to these players in order to keep helping them achieve their goals, as well as future players seeking to achieve the same thing. Alex Isern and Marc Segarra promise to keep providing these opportunities to players, and
“Each trip is a different and unique experience, in the sense that each player is handed an opportunity to prove his or herself and their abilities on an international stage of top level competition, all the while refining their skills and getting better each day.” – Alex Isern (CEO and Co-Founder)
The chance of building a company that has helped future stars reach their potential in taking the next step and to chase down their dreams is the greatest reward and ultimately life changing. We look forward to seeing each of these stars rise, as we continue in our commitment to helping others achieve their goals and life pursuits too.
“We love people and we love the game of futbol. So, for us we get to marry those two passions and see dreams become a living and breathing reality. It’s exciting and humbling to be able to do what we do.” – Marc Segarra (Managing Partner and Co-Founder)
During our 6 year history as a company, we’ve continually built strong relationships throughout the soccer community, including with professional players.
Tandhem is the culmination of years of hard work navigating the sports business landscape, and valuing the relationships we’ve built. Tandhem is a global player management agency which offers a 360 degree management service to help athletes reach the levels in their career they deserve. Tandhem is built on 4 primary services; representation, intermediation, marketing, and legal/financial support.
We have been working with professional players for years in developing bespoke events relevant to player brands and aided in driving their marketability. But now we are lucky enough to take it to the next level with a full offering of professional services for players.
Tandhem’s roster of players will feature a mix of current professional players and young talented players with a big future in the game. The professional roster includes players plying their trade in the MLS, Serie A, Liga MX and several other top leagues which features Mexican International and LA Galaxy star, Jonathan Dos Santos. The young talented players are currently learning their craft at top Academies like FC Barcelona, RCD Espanyol, UE Cornella and Girona FC.
Key to building a player management agency is providing the transparency to our clients and partners which can often be neglected in the industry. This is of vital importance, and in order to do this we will be applying the same values which ISL pride itself upon to the management of Tandhem. We want our clients and their families to feel they can approach us with anything and know our team will take on every day with the intention of providing a complete, professional and transparent service which gives the priority of our interests to the athlete.
Perhaps the most interesting attribute to Tandhem is its link between European soccer and the the Americas. Over the years ISL have built a proven track record of linking European soccer cultures, most notably Spanish, to the American market. That union of cultures is a positioning that sets Tandhem apart from others in the market, and will be a unique selling proposition through the years.
Alex Isern, ISL CEO, said of Tandhem, “With Tandhem we make a big step as a global sports management company. After launching a few months ago with our new tours & Friendlies division, we now get into the representation industry. We understand the challenge and that’s why we put a team of experts, from inside and outside the company, leading this project. Or goal is to leverage our positioning in the United States and bring great players to a market that is continuously growing, especially with the new MLS franchises and the 2026 World Cup.”
Tandhem’s home base will be stationed in Barcelona, Spain, but will have representation in 3 other strategic cities. Los Angeles, Miami, and Madrid will be the key placeholders for Tandhems global business.
We are extremely excited to the opportunities Tandhem have already and will continue to create. Tandhem will only be as successful as its team and partners, like Borja Garcia, who is an expert in the space and has partnered with Tandhem. With 7 years experience in the global player management business, he has been managing the career of top players like Enzo Perez, Gustavo Cabral, Elieas Pereira as well as recently sealing the deal of Christian Espinoza for San Jose Earthquakes.
