There is something special when a joint plan succeeds

"After my active career, I have worked a lot with talent development and sparring in several sports for clubs, coaches, parents and elite athletes. When I worked in Team Denmark with talent development and at the same time advised the Japanese Handball Federation, it was a requirement from Japan that I got an agent license. That education opened my eyes to a career as an agent," Nikolaj says and continues:

"At the time, I had a perhaps slightly wrong view of the work of agents, because I had experienced that many were really just looking for financial gain by moving a player from contract to contract. But when I was presented with the way People In Sport works for players and clubs, I was not difficult to convince that I should try myself as an agent with a focus on a set of values that I could really see myself in."

"At People In Sport, the focus is on a joint, long-term career plan with room for more than just performance on the field and the next contract. For me, it's about both me and the individual player building a relationship of trust with a concrete plan that I can hold the player up to, but that the player can also hold me up to. And it's something very special when a joint plan succeeds," says Nikolaj Broström.

I work to always be realistic and honest about a player's talent, potential and performance. a player's talent, potential and performance. Players should also always have the feeling that I will always go to great lengths to realize their dreams and that I am as passionate about their success as they are.

"I personally very much appreciate doing a long-term career counseling together with the individual player, with clear goals in mind, where the player has his dreams, and where I then have to work ambitiously to realize them. I work to always be realistic and honest in relation to a player's talent, potential and performance. a player's talent, potential and performance. The players should also always have the feeling that I will always go to great lengths to realize their dreams and that I am just as passionate about their success as they are.

The way to get there is dialogue, set parameters and goals, where we continuously dare to challenge each other and have the courage to articulate it if either I or the player does not perform what is required to realize the individual's dream. Both parties must always dare to be realistic and make demands - and it goes both ways. Over the years, we have proven that we can move players to the best clubs in the world, and we have both the experience and network to do so, says Nikolaj Brostrōm.

What makes a good career plan?

"It's always an individual plan that looks at the whole person and also looks beyond the sport itself. There must be room for, for example, education on the side, motivation and the fact that the individual player with a talent must dare to have ambitions and not set limitations. Then it is my job to develop a realistic plan for how to achieve the goal the player dreams of, while keeping in mind that not everything should be training and sport, but linked to plans for the time after the career. The plan should contain points that provide motivation so that players can continuously see that they are on the right path."

"A good plan also includes ongoing coaching in the short, medium and long term, so that you can constantly navigate towards the desired goal. If a young talent dreams of playing for Barcelona, for example, the plan should work towards that goal and put steps in place so that the player can see that they are on the right path. Of course, not everyone will end up at one of the biggest clubs in the world, but if a player works towards their ambition, the opportunity is there. You have to navigate towards the agreed milestones and then you might be lucky enough to achieve your dream. The good plan also contains points about how fast you should go, or whether it might be wiser to take detours in your career, make room for education on the side, etc. In short, help create an everyday life that both accommodates the elite career, but also helps create a content that points forward in life," says Nikolaj Brostrōm.

Danish handball has long enjoyed great international success - is there a lot of attention on Danish talents?

"Danish and Nordic players generally attract a lot of attention because we constantly show, both at Danish club level and with the national team, that Danish players have the ability to break through and the talent to perform for the best clubs. The Danish clubs and the Danish national team are constantly producing great results. This means that clubs in the world's strongest leagues are more willing to invest in young Danish talents because they constantly show that they can perform at the absolute highest level. The great interest in Danish talents means that we can create more opportunities for our clients."

What is the reason for the success of Danish handball?

The reason for the Danish success is both the Danish Handball Federation's solid talent work with broad national team squads of all ages and not least the work that takes place in the elite centers that Danish handball clubs have created. The Danish league is at the top in the world.

Many agents talk a lot about what they can do - we have shown year after year that we can actually make players' dreams come true through a hugely strong international network, so that today we have players in the best leagues and clubs in the world."

Danish clubs don't always have the finances to bring in established players, but instead they focus on developing the talents themselves, and that reality has created plenty of Danish talents with potential. Germany and France are clearly the best leagues in the world today, but the Danish league also has a very high standard, and therefore Danish talents have great attention from the biggest clubs in the world," says Nikolaj Brostrōm.

If I ask one of your clients how you work - what do you hope they will say?

"I hope and am convinced that they will tell that I and the other competencies in People In Sport are dedicated to our plans, are ambitious on their behalf and credible in relation to the agreed plans for the individual. And that our ongoing contact is both constructive and important when we hold each other up to the agreements that have been made.

Many agents talk a lot about what they can do - we have shown year after year that we can actually make players' dreams come true through a hugely strong international network, so that today we have players in the best leagues and clubs in the world."