Lawyer and ex-footballers set up sports management firm

A NEW sports management company has been launched by four industry experts offering a ‘complete package’ to emerging sports talent.

Rochdale-based Prosperity International Sports Management has been formed by solicitor Edward Smethurst as well as former football players Steve Blatherwick – who was signed by Brian Clough at Notts Forest and is now a coach and nutrition expert – and David Reeves, who played for Sheffield Wednesday and later signed for Bolton, Preston, Burnley and Oldham.

Financial advice is provided by David Hartley who has over 20 years in the financial services industry dealing with high profile sports and business people.

Mr Smethurst said: ““We are offering something very different – a service with integrity and trust which looks after their legal interests, tax affairs, contracts, pensions and even gives mentoring advice on their personal issues.

““We take the long term view with young players. 

“This involves investing in young players by not charging them in the early stages of their careers. 

“It is more a matter of building up trust with them and their parents, to show that we act with integrity and in their interests, which is not always the case in the world of football agents.”

Prosperity also advise on complex issues such as image rights, which if properly structured, can be very tax efficient for both players and the clubs.

Providing players with expert, impartial advice on their contracts is also a major part of what Prosperity do.

Mr Smethurst said: “Many players are not properly advised and some contracts are an outrage.  We saw one recently with a Premiership player who had a five year contract with no salary escalation clause at all.  Players can end up losing a lot of money because they don’t receive the right advice.

“If there are 30 players in a football academy, maybe two or three will make it big with a high earning career of possibly eight to ten years.  In that time they may have just one or two contracts, so they have to be right.

“As a business team we have all been successful in our own specialist areas. That’s why we can provide quality advice which is cost effective.  

“Some agents do one deal but don’t have the player’s long term interests at heart. We take a long term view and are confident that we can succeed by acting in the player’s best long term interests.”