The fourth Football Transfer Forum (FTF) recently took place in England. The bi-annual event was held indoors at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield.
The forum is a networking opportunity for those involved in scouting and recruiting players, with football agents and other companies offering products and services in the field also in attendance.
The most recent event saw record numbers show up, with over 25 professional clubs from the UK, Europe and around the world attending the forum. Overall, more than 125 people were at the function.
Football Finance expert Kieran Maguire opened the event with details on how some EFL clubs are struggling financially, whilst also explaining how important Premier League survival is for at least a dozen clubs in the top flight in England.
Other speakers included European Football Agents’ Association (EFAA) chief, Roberto Branco Martins and Leicester City’s head of loans, Guy Branston.
Branston explained the role of a loan manager and why a successful loan strategy was vital in developing players for senior teams.
Former chief scout at Cardiff City, Glyn Chamberlain, rounded off the event with a focus on senior recruitment.
FTF owner, Tony Sharkey, said: “Football is a people business. The Football Transfer Forum is a vehicle for learning first-hand from industry experts, for expanding your network and for building personal relationships. On the day, I also heard about several transfer deals that have been completed as a direct result of contacts made. This shows the forum is achieving tangible results for the people who attend.
“In my view, you never stop learning and as a football agent myself, my business depends on having a large network of people I know in football clubs at all levels of the game.”
Key industry figures in attendance included: Victor Orta, Dave Jones, Gus MacPherson, Marcelino, Danny Webber and Julian Dowe.
FTF host and moderator, Ryan McKnight, added: “When Tony and I started the Football Transfer Forum we wanted to learn from all the events we had been to in the past, take the good bits, leave out the bad bits, but most importantly, make sure the people who attend feel a value of their participation.
“The Football Transfer Forum is now an event where you will meet twenty, thirty, forty relevant new people as well as receiving the right amount of uncensored, unrestricted content that’s related specifically to your job. “I like to think we have made each event better and now I can’t wait for the next one prior to the summer 2020 transfer window.”
