What does a Business Manager do for a professional athlete?

A business manager plays an integral role in overseeing an athlete's financial, lifestyle and media management. Whether that's handling lifestyle administration or overseeing an athlete's long-term financial strategy, the Business Manager provides dedicated support and guidance in securing financial security off the pitch and in handling the emotional pressures that come with sport.

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Unlike a Sports Agent, who must be licensed to represent the athlete when negotiating contracts or deals, a Business Manager is not required to be licensed. As a result, selecting a Business Manager is crucial to ensure the professional has the necessary experience in finance, accounting, or business administration.

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The Business Manager plays a central role in managing an athlete's affairs, serving as the point of contact with other parties, including agents, lawyers, financial advisers, and corporate partners. They have a direct influence on the management of an athlete's financial portfolio and public image, playing a key role in shaping the athlete's career.

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Here, we cover the essential role a Business Manager plays for a professional athlete and the growing need for a personalised, integrated approach across an athlete's media, finances, and lifestyle requirements.

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What does a Business Manager’s role involve?

Financial management

Overseeing the athlete's finances requires the Business Manager to balance short-term operations and long-term goals. From budgeting and tax planning to estate planning, the Business Manager will ensure the athlete is satisfied with the financial oversight and strategy provided by trusted partners.

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Lifestyle and administration

It's also a Business Manager's duty to provide comprehensive support in managing the athlete's daily life, covering everything from travel logistics and family requests to scheduling coordination. With their oversight, they relieve pressure on the pitch, enabling the athlete to fully focus on the sport.

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Brand management

Endorsement deals, sponsorships and social media opportunities often generate more revenue for top-earning players than their monthly salary. And for rising stars, they are actively trying to acquire these deals to grow their personal brand and revenue streams. The Business Manager is responsible for overseeing these opportunities to protect the athlete's public image, managing financial operations, and implementing necessary financial planning.

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What makes a good Business Manager?

The Business Manager must possess strong financial literacy, with a background in finance, to understand how to maximise the athletes' earning potential and protect their wealth. The nature of the role will require the Business Manager to be across everything, which is why strong knowledge of the sports industry is essential.

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From representing their clients in negotiations to securing sponsorship and endorsement deals, business acumen, strong communication, and strategic foresight are fundamental to helping athletes navigate the complex business of professional sports.

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Why do Athlete’s Hire a Business Manager?

An athlete's wealth cycle is highly unique, involving a short earnings window that typically lasts no more than a decade. This requires the athlete to be strategic, ensuring they maximise their earnings to secure financial security in retirement.

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The Business Manager plays a key role in ensuring the athlete incorporates the necessary planning to protect and preserve their wealth. From budgeting and investing to estate planning, an athlete requires tailored advice and services, including tax planning, corporate and trust structuring, and investment advice, to meet long- and short-term goals.

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The Business Manager essentially acts as a 'gatekeeper', ensuring that all parties engaged with the athlete are working in the athlete's best interest. They tend to be at the centre of everything, working with the athlete's agent, lawyer and financial advisor to coordinate the strategy and management of the athlete's financial affairs and personal brand.

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What’s different between a Business Manager compared to another advisor?

What sets a Business Manager apart is their vested interest in the athlete's success, driven by their hands-on involvement in managing the athlete's personal life. It transcends a standard professional relationship, as their support directly helps take the emotional pressure off the pitch, which requires significant trust and can heavily influence an athlete's performance.

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Whether the athlete wishes to purchase a new house or car or take on a new philanthropic endeavour, the Business Manager will have an input, indicating just how critical the relationship is in the athlete's life.

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How the role differs in the U.S compared to other countries

In the U.S., the "business manager" is a clearly defined, standalone role. Around the world, it is usually distributed across multiple specialists unless the athlete is elite.

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In the UK, the business manager role is often fragmented. Instead, responsibilities are split among a sports agent, a financial advisor, an accountant, and a family office.

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In European countries, like Spain, France and Germany, the agent plays a larger role in the ecosystem. There is an increasing trend of personal managers — such as trusted individuals, sometimes ex-players or friends — and boutique advisory firms offering a more comprehensive service.

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Globally, things are moving toward the U.S. model as there is a greater need for centralised coordination, with more athletes building personal brands and managing complex income streams covering media, equity and sponsorships.

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A more personalised approach

There is a growing shift towards greater personalisation in how professional athletes manage their careers, driven by the increasing complexity of their income streams, public profiles, and long-term ambitions.

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No longer relying on one-size-fits-all support, athletes now require tailored strategies that reflect their individual goals, whether that's building a personal brand, investing in business ventures, or planning for life after sport.

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This trend is pushing the industry toward more bespoke, integrated services that align financial management, commercial opportunities, and lifestyle support around the unique needs of each athlete.

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About Affinity Sports

At Affinity, we have worked with High-Net-Worth clients since 2004 and provide bespoke private wealth services. Whether it's establishing trusts, holding structures for luxury assets or estate planning, we deploy a tailored strategy to protect and preserve the client's wealth in alignment with their goals.

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In the sports industry, our 20 years of experience in wealth management have given us an in-depth understanding of the bespoke requirements of professional athletes. With our expertise and network of trusted partners, we provide comprehensive services to manage an athlete's lifestyle and financial portfolio.

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Our services

From agency representation, personal brand management and financial services encompassing the full wealth cycle, our multi-family office solution means we act as a corporate partner and see it as our duty to manage the athletes' emotional pressures off the pitch and to maximise their earning potential.

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With a global footprint, including the Isle of Man, Malta, the Cayman Islands, the UK, and the USA, our onshore and offshore offices offer High-Net-Worth clients stable and efficient jurisdictions in which to structure wealth and assets.

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Contact us

If you are interested in our services at Affinity Sports or would like to discuss your requirements, feel free to contact our sports leaders Debbie Gooding (debbie@affinityco.com) or Marcus Roberts (marcus@affinityco.com).

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