I watch new agents make the same mistake every single time.

They pass the FIFA exam. They feel accomplished. They think the hard part is over.

Then they start recruiting anyone who shows interest. They post player profiles on LinkedIn with Transfermarkt links and three-minute highlight reels. They act like glorified scouts with no direction when they’re supposed to be agents.

Sadly, the  football agent licence becomes worthless in their hands.

The Certification Illusion

The FIFA agent exam is brutal. In 2025, the worldwide  pass rate was around 18%. Even when the new system launched in April 2023 and 52% passed, nearly half still failed despite significant preparation.

Passing feels like an achievement. And yes, it is an achievement. But it is only the start.

But here’s what nobody tells you: the exam tests exactly zero of the skills you actually need to succeed.

You get 60 minutes. 20 multiple-choice questions. You need 75% to pass. The entire exam focuses on FIFA regulations, statutes, disciplinary codes, and child safeguarding.

Important stuff. Essential stuff.

But nothing about recrutiment. Nothing about Promotion. Nothing about Negotiation. Nothing about Relationship Building. Nothing about Client Management. Nothing about Building your Brand and Agency.

You walk out with a licence that says you know the rules. It doesn’t say you know how to Be Part of the Game.

The Agent vs. Scout Confusion

As I mentioned earlier, new agents become glorified scouts. They do the job of scouts, but that’s not their role.

They don’t understand what the role actually is.

A scout evaluates talent on behalf of clubs. They assess whether a player fits the team roster. They identify ability.

An agent thinks like a business developer. They identify the best clients to work with. They negotiate deals. They build careers.

The end game is completely different.

But the FIFA licensing process never clarifies this distinction. You study regulations and walk out thinking you’re ready to find talent and make deals happen.

You’re not.

What Actually Happens After You Get Licensed

The licence is hard to get. When you finally pass, you feel a sense of accomplishment. You think it’s a way of printing money.

Then reality hits.

You don’t understand the business. You think like a scout. You don’t know how to get from recruiting the right player to actually negotiating a deal.

You try to do business everywhere. You don’t understand that your local market is the most important place when you’re starting out.

You recruit the wrong players. You think you can take someone from the park to the Champions League. You sign anyone who’s interested.

The market is saturated. Since FIFA’s 2015 deregulation, there are now roughly 10 times the number of registered intermediaries compared to licensed agents just eight years ago.

You’re competing with thousands of other credential-holders who are making the same mistakes.

The LinkedIn Problem

When I see agents posting player profiles on LinkedIn, I know they’re struggling.

They share a Transfermarkt link and a three-minute video that doesn’t tell you much. No club is going to be inspired to sign a player from a Transfermarkt link, especially when it’s lacking essential information like number of appearances.

I speak to players all the time. They share their Transfermarkt link with me. I ask questions. They tell me it’s not accurate, it’s missing information.

If I have questions, how many questions will clubs have?

Players and agents need to take ownership. If the stats online aren’t doing you any favors, if they’re not accurate, you need to provide the correct information yourself.

Without detailed, accurate, inspiring information, you don’t even get to the door. You need to get to the door before you can knock it down.

What Clubs Actually Need

Agents fail to provide even the simplest information.

When a club shows interest in a player, they want more. Usually it’s full game video. Usually it’s references. Athletic information like top speed, high intensity running.

If you can provide references, if you can provide real insight, you’ve got a better chance.

Without this information, clubs have too many questions. The market is competitive. A player needs to stand out, rise above other players in his talent pool.

But agents don’t provide this information. Why?

Because they don’t have the experience to understand what clubs need.

They don’t actually understand the information they need to share. Players definitely don’t understand either. Players only care about building their careers when they hit a stumbling block, when they’re unemployed, when they’re a free agent.

If you work with an agent who doesn’t understand what clubs need to even consider you, you’re going to struggle to get that next opportunity.

The Skill Nobody Teaches

There are many ways to work in this business. There are many ways not to work in this business.

There are so many opportunities. So many clubs. So many players looking for a chance.

But there are also players who actually want to build a career. Players who have a genuine pathway.

That’s where you should be looking.

The skill that separates successful agents from struggling ones isn’t about finding talent. It’s about understanding pathways. It’s about knowing what information matters. It’s about building relationships with clubs based on trust and detailed knowledge.

Research shows that stakeholder relationship management skills—building trust, strengthening relationships, finding ways for stakeholders to align—are essential for professional success.

Skilled stakeholder managers effectively engage and collaborate even when parties hold conflicting goals and interests.

This applies directly to agents who need to manage relationships between players, clubs, and other parties.

But it’s entirely absent from FIFA’s licensing curriculum.

The Ownership Gap

I talk about ownership, but it’s ownership of the facts.

Ownership that you can tell a club what a player has done in their career. Ownership that you understand the information clubs need. Ownership that you provide detailed, accurate information instead of relying on incomplete online sources.

Most agents avoid this level of responsibility because they don’t have the experience. They don’t understand what clubs actually need to hear.

They think posting on LinkedIn counts as promotion. They think a highlight reel counts as proof. They think interest from any club counts as progress.

It doesn’t.

Minutes are everything in this game. If a player doesn’t have minutes, they’re going to struggle to develop their career.

Every player wants to play higher. But they need to play in the game first. The opportunity may not be the one they like, but without game time, there’s no career progression.

Why the System Fails You

The FIFA exam was designed as a barrier to entry. Pre-2015, it was less a test of whether you’d make a good agent and more an effective way to limit who could enter the profession.

Now the system has opened up. More people pass. More people enter.

But the exam still doesn’t prepare you for the actual work.

Being a FIFA agent is about much more than knowing the law. It’s about building authentic relationships. It’s about earning trust. It’s about helping athletes achieve their dreams.

The licensing system provides no training or assessment in these critical skills.

You pass the exam. You get the credential. You think you’re ready.

Then you realize the credential is just permission to start learning.

What Actually Determines Success

Stakeholder relationships are dynamic and volatile. What your stakeholders want, how they feel, what their goals are, their interests, their actions, who they’re connected to—all of this can change at any moment.

Managing these volatile relationships requires emotional intelligence. It requires ongoing relationship management.

These skills determine your long-term viability far more than regulatory knowledge.

You need to understand that your local market matters most when you start. You need to know the difference between scouting and agenting. You need to provide clubs with detailed information they can actually use.

You need to work with players who have genuine pathways, not just anyone who shows interest.

You need to take ownership of facts, not rely on incomplete online profiles.

This is what the license doesn’t teach you.

The Real Work Begins After You Pass

I teach this during my mentoring. It’s not a simple answer.

The path from recruiting the right player to negotiating a deal involves understanding information, building relationships, managing expectations, and creating genuine opportunities.

The FIFA license gives you permission to operate. It doesn’t give you the skills to succeed.

Those skills come from experience. From understanding what clubs actually need. From taking ownership of detailed information. From recognizing that your role isn’t to scout talent but to build careers.

The license is just the beginning.

What you do with it determines whether it means something or nothing.

Don’t Waste Years Learning the Hard Way

Most new agents waste 2-3 years figuring out what the FIFA exam should have taught them. They make costly mistakes. They recruit the wrong players. They work in the wrong markets. They operate like scouts instead of agents.

Some never figure it out.

The Sports BE mentorship programme exists because the licensing system leaves you unprepared. It’s one-on-one mentorship designed to teach you how to actually work in this business—how to identify the right clients, how to provide the information clubs need, how to structure deals, how to build a sustainable practice.

For new agents: I’ll teach you the business strategy the exam never covered. You’ll learn what information matters, which markets to focus on, and how to avoid the mistakes that derail most new licensees before they complete their first deal.

For existing agents: If you’re struggling to close deals, if you’re working too hard without results, if you’re unsure whether your approach is viable—we’ll rebuild your strategy so you stop wasting time and start getting deals done.

This isn’t about motivation. It’s about execution. It’s about putting into practice what the license was designed to do but never actually taught you.

The FIFA licence gives you permission to operate. The mentorship teaches you how.

If you’re serious about building a real business—not just holding a certificate—let’s talk.

If you’re serious about becoming a football agent, this is your roadmap.

Join our next Football Agent Exam Training or learn how to work in the business with our Football Agent Essentials course and Football Agent Business Mentorship.

We show you the business, not just the theory.

Let’s help you earn from the game — the right way.

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