What does a Business Manager do for a professional athlete?

A business manager plays an integral role in overseeing an athletes financial, lifestyle and media management. Whether that’s handling lifestyle administration to overseeing an athlete's long-term financial strategy, the Business Manager provides dedicated support and guidance in securing financial security off the pitch and with 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. Due to this, 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 an integral role in managing athlete’s affairs, acting as the point of contact with other parties, such as the agent, 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 integral role in shaping the atheltes career.

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

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What does a Business Manager’s role involve?

Financial management

Overseeing the management of the athlete’s finances requires the Business Manager to manage short-term operations and long-term goals. From budgeting and tax planning to estate planning with financial advisors, the Business Manager will ensure the athlete is satisfied with the financial oversight and strategy implemented by trusted partners.

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Lifestyle and administration

It’s also a Business Managers duty to provide comprehensive support with the management of the athlete’s daily life, covering everything from travel logistics and family requests to co-ordinating schedules. With their oversight, they relieve the pressure off the pitch to enable 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 earring players over their monthly salary. And for rising star players, they are actively trying to be 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, oversee the financial operations and to implement the 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 negotiation to securing sponsorship and endorsement deals, business acumen, strong communication and strategic foresight are fundamental to supporting the athlete to 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 lasts typically no more than a decade. This requires the athlete to be strategic, ensuring they maximise their earrings to secure financial security into 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, such as 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 all parties engaged in the athlete are working in their best interest. They tend to be at the centre of everything, working with the athlete’s agent, lawyer and financial advisor to co-ordinate 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 due to their hands-on involvement with the management of the athlete’s personal life. It transcends a standard professional relationship as their support plays a direct role in handling the emotional pressures off the pitch which involves a large amount of trust and can heavily influence an athlete’s performance.

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Whether the athletes wish 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 plays 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. Elsewhere, it’s usually distributed across multiple specialists unless the athlete is elite.

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In the UK, the business manager role is often fragmented unless the athlete is very high profile. Instead, responsibilities are split across a sports agent, financial advisor, accountant and family office.

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In more football-heavy countries, such as Spain, France and Germany, the agent dominates more of 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. More athletes building personal brands and have more 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 its 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 the wealth management space has formed our 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, with our multi-family office solution 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, Cayman Islands, UK, and USA, our onshore and offshore offices offer High-Net-Worth clients stable and efficient jurisdictions 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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