Off-season Preparation: What I'm doing to stay ahead!

Hey everyone,

I hope you all had a great week and the weather is getting warmer (I hope for all of you!), so I’m sure there’s some great plans for the weekend! Before we start, I’d like to thank all of the current subscribers to this newsletter, you’re support has been great and I hope you’ll stick around for the journey. To any new readers, I welcome you to subscribe for free by entering your email below, and join our roster!

As most of you may know, the 2022-23 football season is beginning to wind down as we enter April. In addition to preparing for their exams, agents are going to be ramping up their marketing efforts for their clients in preparation for the 2023 off-season, if they haven’t started doing so already. Studying has been grueling to say the least (especially the Code of Ethics and Disciplinary Code, if you know, you know) but at the end of the day, the company and I will be better off once I’ve passed! But that doesn’t get in the way of the work I’m doing for my clients, which will always take top priority on my list.

The last few weeks I’ve been hunkering down and trying to get some good conversations going with my scouting and recruitment connections. I keep these lines open throughout the year, but as we get closer to the end of the season and even more so closer to preseason, clubs usually start to know what they’ll be looking for and targeting. Over the last couple off-seasons/pre-seasons, I’ve found that while being first is pretty important to these discussions, it is equally as important to have the right fit based on what the club wants. There’s no sense in pitching a player if they don’t meet the necessary prerequisites a club is looking for within that profile.

I’m sure other agents have the same or similar processes, but I like to keep a database of my ‘closer’ connections, ones who have been open in the past and keen to help or get involved in conversations around my clients. I’m also diligent on keeping note of how certain clubs operate, for example if they prefer in-person or video scouting, the minimum level of experience they prefer their targets to have played at, age range, etc. Having these already stored and logged is a great way of saving time and effort when pitching clients, and I find it shows clubs and the individuals I communicate with that I know what I’m doing when I talk with them!

During these last few months of the season can be a bit difficult to build new connections just off of introductions, it is probably best to have something to offer a new connection to kick-start the conversation and therefore relationship. I always like to approach potential new connections with an open-minded presence which shows I want to learn how to help them in the first place, rather than how they can help me. Whether they are actively recruiting in a position that any of my clients operate in, just understanding what they are looking for and how they like to search for new players and subsequently deal with agents, is just as important to understand.

It’s going to be an interesting few months leading up the the off-season/pre-season, so I wish all my fellow agents good luck, and I hope it is a great summer period for you and your clients! If there are any agents or club officials who would like to reach out to me to discuss how AceBoy Sports Group may be able to assist you during the off-season/pre-season months, you can get in touch with me via our website. I’m looking forward to working with you!

Until next week, enjoy your weekend!

Cheers,

Jason