THERE ARE few roles within the sporting industry that are as sought after as the role of player manager. It is a role that is demanding and requires immense dedication and passion.
Alex Saundry, founder of More Than Management, is one of the leading figures in women’s sport. Alex has unique perspective as both a former player and manager, having played for two years with the GWS Giants in the inaugural AFL Women’s season.
Having completed a Sport Management degree from Deakin University, Alex began an internship with Paul Connors at Connors Sports Management which led to a full-time role position for four and a half years.
After building her reputation as a player manager and establishing her professional network during her time at Connors Sports, Alex branched out to establish More Than Management to focus on making an impact in the female sporting landscape.
Students at the Carlton College of Sport had the opportunity to hear from Alex and ask questions about what it takes to be a player manager.
What do you do as a player manager?
It encompasses so much. The basics are the player contract and negotiation side of it, involving their sporting profession contracts and their commercial and endorsement contracts as well. It’s about negotiating and finding different opportunities for the individual to expand their brand and portfolio outside of the respective club they are at.
Other services that we offer to clients include career planning, financial management, brand management, media training, social media management and networking opportunities.
At More Than Management we have clients in every state which is unique for a talent agency. It’s important to understand the value of being across the country for different sports and brands.
How do you go about managing your players who live across the country?
The most important thing is making the clients feel valued and action the things that they want in a timely manner. I’m able to build and maintain the trust of the clients by prioritising what’s important and managing expectations. I’d rather set the expectations early and then over-deliver for the client.
What does your management process look like?
When we look for prospective clients, we look at them from a Talent ID perspective. We want to understand what they’re doing and where they’re going to get a good idea of the quality of the player. We ask people in the sport what they’re like as a player and as a person and make sure that they will be a good fit with us.
Once our client has signed on, we go through a process of goal setting and really getting to understand what their goals and aspirations are. When a client signs on, we identify what we can do straight away when they come on and ensure that we action what we promise them.
How do you feel about the expansion of the AFLW competition from 2022?
The quicker the competition expands the better. It will really help to speed up the quality of the competition and get to that elite level. There is plenty of talent to go around. People who say that there isn’t enough talent aren’t working in the trenches, they’re not seeing the young talent that’s out there. The expansion will allow the players to stay at clubs for longer and to sign longer contracts.
What can you do to become a player manager?
The industry is very niche, so you need to find where you fit within the industry. There really isn’t one tangible pathway of getting into player management, it’s more about being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right people. Go down to your local footy club, get to know the football managers. Have coffees with people in the industry and show them why you’re better than people they’ve worked with before.
Find what you’re good at in the space, whether that be talent ID, marketing and PR or contracts. Make sure that you have something valuable to contribute to a potential employer.
Find out more about More Than Management here. Keen to start your career in sport management? Check out our Diploma of Elite Sport Business.