As the heads of European football publically review player's agents and scrutinise the role they play in the football industry, Australia’s licensed player agents and Football Federation Australia have held an historic first meeting to discuss the future of the industry, its regulations and the game in Australia in general.
The FFA side, including head of operations Matt Carroll and A-League operations manager Rob Abernethy, met with the majority of Australia’s licensed player agents in Sydney to discuss A-League regulations and future planning, collective bargaining agreements, agent regulations and their policing, academies, development and a further wide range of issues that the agents wished to address.
"We had to wait patiently for a long time, as we understood FFA had a lot on their plate with reform, the A-League and World Cup qualification," Chris Tanner, chairman of the Australian Licensed Player Agents Association told Asian Football Business Review in a written statement. "The wait was worth it however, with Matt and his team filling us in on many future plans and developments. Working together, we are confident we can tidy up many areas of the often-misrepresented player agent industry.
"It was also pleasing that the FFA team were prepared to listen to our concerns relating to the conduct of some clubs and the policing of clubs and players who breach FIFA regulations when using unlicensed agents," he said.
The 20 agents were brought up to date with the plans and rules for next season’s A-League and offered unity with the FFA in a commitment to educating players, especially young players and their families, as to the risks of getting involved with high profile unlicensed operators, who talk big plans, but deliver career- endangering trouble.
"We have got some great young Aussie players in Europe right now, in trouble due to the nature of poorly constructed deals, done by unlicensed agents. I think it is fair to say from the mood of the meeting, that we encouraged FFA to put a stop to the rot, and they have agreed to work with us closely, including two forums each year to address issues in our area of the game," Tanner explained.
The FFA side, including head of operations Matt Carroll and A-League operations manager Rob Abernethy, met with the majority of Australia’s licensed player agents in Sydney to discuss A-League regulations and future planning, collective bargaining agreements, agent regulations and their policing, academies, development and a further wide range of issues that the agents wished to address.
"We had to wait patiently for a long time, as we understood FFA had a lot on their plate with reform, the A-League and World Cup qualification," Chris Tanner, chairman of the Australian Licensed Player Agents Association told Asian Football Business Review in a written statement. "The wait was worth it however, with Matt and his team filling us in on many future plans and developments. Working together, we are confident we can tidy up many areas of the often-misrepresented player agent industry."It was also pleasing that the FFA team were prepared to listen to our concerns relating to the conduct of some clubs and the policing of clubs and players who breach FIFA regulations when using unlicensed agents," he said.
The 20 agents were brought up to date with the plans and rules for next season’s A-League and offered unity with the FFA in a commitment to educating players, especially young players and their families, as to the risks of getting involved with high profile unlicensed operators, who talk big plans, but deliver career- endangering trouble.
"We have got some great young Aussie players in Europe right now, in trouble due to the nature of poorly constructed deals, done by unlicensed agents. I think it is fair to say from the mood of the meeting, that we encouraged FFA to put a stop to the rot, and they have agreed to work with us closely, including two forums each year to address issues in our area of the game," Tanner explained.
See also: Player's Agent who "wants to sleep well at night" (6 March)