A Practical Guide for Parents, Young Players and Families on Football Agents
23rd March 2026
This guide has been written for players, their parents, guardians and families navigating what can be one of the most significant and confusing phases of a young footballer’s journey …… the world of football agents and representation.
It is free, unconditional and genuinely independent. It carries no commercial agenda and is not affiliated with FIFA, any national football association, any agent organisation or any other football body.
What it covers
The guide covers the following in plain, accessible language:
What a football agent is and what they actually do. How to think through whether and when representation is right. What a representation agreement should contain and what to look out for. How to recognise the warning signs. What to do when things go wrong. The current state of football agent regulations, including the significant provisions that are currently suspended worldwide and which other published guidance has failed to adequately reflect.
Why it was written
In March 2026 FIFA published its own guidance document for parents on football agents. It has merit in places, but at 85 pages it is too long and too technical for its intended audience, and it contains material omissions, including a failure to acknowledge the current suspended and fragmented state of its own agent regulations. Families reading it would not have the full picture.
This guide exists because that gap matters. Plain, honest and genuinely independent information in this area is harder to find than it should be.
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About the author
Jonathan Booker is a FIFA and FA licensed football agent (now non-practising), former General Secretary of 2 agent associations, accredited mediator, Sport Resolutions panel mediator, and consultant to football bodies on agent regulations (including FIFA and The FA). He operates through Sentinel Sport and Sport Mediations.
CoNTACT
If you have questions, feedback or would like to discuss anything covered in the guide, please get in touch.
[Contact link or email]