A professional player is, in accordance with FIFA's regulations, a player who receives remuniration for his football activities.
In Norwegian football a player is entitled to a a minimum salary. The Norwegian Football Association (NFF) accepts a part time position as low as 20 per cent, and the minimum salary for football players in Norway is in practice just over NOK 4,000 per month (EUR 400).
Such a minimum salary is often offered to young players who have good prospects for development. If the club has a policy of offering young players a minimum wage, there is often little to gain for a player by using a football agent, although it can be smart for the player to receive some advice to ensure that he understands the consequences of signing the contract.
When entering into agreements where the salary is higher than the minimum wage, it will often be an advantage to use a football agent. There will often be an imbalance with regards to how professional and experienced the parties are when signing a professional contract. While the club has experienced managers who sign many players to professional contracts each year, the player will often have little or no experience signing a professional contract. A football agent will help to balance this situation, so that the parties are on an equal footing.
In such a contract negotiation, a football agent's role will be to negotiate an agreement that is the best possible for the footballer. The football agent must ensure the best possible financial conditions. Furthermore, it is important that the football agent and the football player have discussed the player's long-term goals in advance, and ensure that the player gets good enough training and match experienes, and that the player is given the opportunity to change clubs if it is in the player's interests.
In connection with contract signing, it is common to agree that the club agrees to cover the footballer's expenses for a football agent, which means that in the vast majority of cases it will be free for players to use a football agent.
Unfortunately, there are a number of unscrupulous football agents who put their own profit ahead of the footballers' interests. In addition to a large network within football, which is necessary to find the right club for the individual player, Northern Stars offers top legal advice both when the contract between player and club is to be signed, and if disagreements arise between club and player.
Please feel free to contact Northern Stars if you are considering hiring a football agent.
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