ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the activity of football agents and looks at the agents market in terms of its size and scale as well as who these people are and why they have come to perform this role, before looking at the specifics of what duties an agent is likely to perform. The practicalities of the tasks undertaken by agents often relate directly to their pre-agency careers. The chapter provides an analytical view of the profession of licensed agents. Based on empirical research on licensed agents within the big five European football leagues, it describes the demographic profile of licensed agents, identifying key trends in their profiles and the impact that this has on the role that they perform. Traditionally, labour markets in sport have been thought of as monopsonies, in which the club occupies a strong position relative to the many equally talented players who wish to play.
