FIFA sports agent Lyle Yorks has been entrenched in the agency business for almost 15 years. And while the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be his fourth as an agent, the implications of the month-long spectacle for his agency and his clients are substantial, to say the least.
“There’s not a bigger event globally than what the World Cup provides for players,” said Yorks, whose agency, James Grant Sports, represents the most Americans (five) of any global sports agency.
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Perhaps their most well-known clients are forwards Jozy Altidore (Sunderland, England) and Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders, MLS).
Added Clifford Bloxham, Managing Director of Octagon Soccer: “The World Cup is like a trade show. Every match is a Super Bowl. ... I don’t think there’s anything else in this country where everyone unites like the World Cup.”
In the run-up to the event, Yorks’ clients filmed commercial spots they have with current partners. For Altidore, that meant participating in Beats by Dre’s "The Game Before the Game" commercial campaign, which included other footballers like Brazil’s Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. and Germany’s Mario Götze.
Even though Altidore and James Grant Sports clients may have already fulfilled their commitments away from the pitch, the work for Yorks does not cease. During the Group Stage in Brazil, York will spend much of his time shuffling around the venues, meeting with European club scouts and coaches during his clients’ matches. He’ll gauge their thoughts and analysis of his clients, and then, entertain conversations with the managers of those teams.
Player transfers following the World Cup are common, and as a result, much will depend on how well Yorks’ clients perform along with how their respective country performs, too. Once the dust settles on the global sporting event in mid-July, he’ll circle back with his clients and get them caught up to speed on his conversations.
So, how many matches will Yorks attend in Brazil? Well, in South Africa four years ago, he caught 11 matches — and that was just in the first round. In Brazil, that number will probably be a little less considering Yorks’ agency doesn’t have as many clients playing in these games. Regardless, though, a sports agent’s responsibilities at a large-scale event like the World Cup are drastically different from just a stand-alone match.
“It’s a period where you get very little sleep,” Yorks said. “You’re on 24 hours a day.”
Not to mention, an agent and his agency play the role of "buffer" between player and his friends and family who make the trek to the venue.
Clifford Bloxham, also a FIFA sports agent, represents one client playing in the World Cup: English striker Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool, England).
While Bloxham won’t travel to Brazil unless England emerges from the Group Stage, Octagon will have a number of marketing employees on the ground to handle any requests from Sturridge and his family. It’s certainly a small detail but when a global event only comes around every four years and with lots at stake for Sturridge, his country and agency, the last thing Bloxham wants is for Sturridge’s mind to be elsewhere away from the pitch.
“We don’t want to be a worry on the player’s mind at all,” Bloxham said. “ ... We always tell the family that if you’re going to the games and you need something, that you call us or call the England team management, not the player. Daniel doesn’t need that sort of thing.
“If he’s calling us, that’s good because it’s something on his mind that we can take care of. We shouldn’t be calling him and adding to his list of things on his mind.”
Like Yorks, Bloxham and his team at Octagon have already assisted in fulfilling Sturridge’s sponsorship commitments, which includes Beats by Dre, Subway, Nike and BT Sport.
Establishing Sturridge’s social media presence on a few platforms — Twitter, Facebook and Instagram — began last August. In partnership with Nike, Sturridge will also create a Weibo account, China’s well-known social media platform. Because of the growing contingent of Chinese soccer fans with some of the bigger English Premier League clubs, like Liverpool and Manchester United, joining Weibo made sense for Sturridge’s brand image.
Bloxham said that the four to six weeks following the last match is an ideal time to capitalize on the success at the World Cup. Depending how well Sturridge performs on the pitch and if England happens to make a deep run in July, the opportunities increase exponentially.
“Daniel's been known as a Liverpool player for much of his time,” Bloxham said. “Right now, he’s an England player, so he has the whole country behind him whereas during the regular season, the rivals of Liverpool, in essence, are against him. This is a massive opportunity…and the brands see you now as an England national hero as opposed to a hero with everyone who supports Liverpool.
“Once (Daniel) gives brands a platform where he’s going to be better known in other markets or to a broader demographic, then they’re hopefully going to step in.”
Mark Burns is a contributor on sports business for Sporting News. He is currently an Editorial Assistant with USA Hockey Magazine. Follow Mark on Twitter @MarkJBurns88.