We need to be professional all the way around

More young women are daring to pursue a professional career

Sanne Troelsgaard has, if anyone, experienced the enormous transformation Danish women's football has undergone since the European Championship final in terms of TV coverage, media interest and major contracts in the professional football world. Today, she is playing professionally for Swedish club FC Rosengård in DamAllsvenskan in her 4th year, and she was the first female footballer People In Sport chose to offer an agent agreement. In 2008, she made her debut for the Danish national team, and in her eyes, there has been a huge upheaval in professional women's football since then. A development that also requires players to surround themselves with professional advice.

"I smile broadly at the positive development that women's football is undergoing - both for the big stars such as Pernille Harder, but also for all the young people who are on their way.

"It's really going in the right direction. At the start of my football career, I dreamed of becoming a professional, even though it wasn't always welcomed by those around me. Fortunately, today it's perfectly acceptable to say that you are or want to be a professional footballer. Today, I also see that many more young women dare to pursue a professional career, and they now also know that it is necessary to have professional agents to take care of everything off the pitch," says Sanne Troelsgaard and continues:

"I smile broadly at the positive development that women's football is undergoing - both for the big stars such as Pernille Harder, but also for all the young people who are on their way. In general, we are still lagging behind financially compared to men's football, and we can't quite secure the future financially yet like the big players/stars can. But we can now better ensure that we can make a living from football and put a little aside. I've been playing in Sweden for more than four years now, and over here they've really come a long way in the right direction with both spectators, sponsors and general attention, while the development in Denmark probably only really took off after the European Championship success in 2017. But it's on its way, and it's so nice to see that more and more young people are daring to believe in a career and therefore go out and try themselves. I would advise them to get good advice, because there are big sporting demands and it's important to focus your energy on the pitch and not on all the things a good agent should take care of," she says.

"I got involved with People In Sport in 2020 when their agent Vickie Kjær reached out to me. From the first meeting, I was impressed with how much they knew about me as a player, from statistics to who I was as a person. And that they didn't just want to secure me the first and best contract, but looked at a planned career path that also took into account me as a person. I felt seen and heard from the first meeting, which is why I had no doubt that I would switch to them after that meeting."

Good agent help is a win-win

"Many who play professionally today still have to study and some even have to work on the side. This is not conducive to a professional sports career. But I can see that more and more of my fellow players are getting professional advice, and this is clearly helping to lift us all up, so it's going in the right direction. We have a value as players, and the good agents can clearly help us value that value, so we don't have to do it ourselves and, for example, use social media to brand ourselves - the good agent can take care of a lot of that. When it comes to negotiations, I'm still a "slightly cautious girl" from Jutland, so professional help has clearly been a huge advantage," says Sanne Troelsgaard, who also sees very positive signs, not least in football's home country, England, where the big clubs are investing in women's football and the federation is demanding a professional set-up at all levels.

Do you talk about who represents you when you meet at national team and club level?

"Yes, very much so. For a number of years, it was exclusive if you were represented by an agency. Today, young players know it's necessary. Just because you can play football doesn't mean you're necessarily good at negotiating contracts and spending time assessing all the inquiries that come in as your career takes off. This ensures good agents that you don't have to spend time on," she says.

How do you use People In Sport?

"I talk to People In Sport often and at least every other week. And it's about everything from contract offers, career plans and ideas to more private conversations about what the future holds. The advantage for me is that they know me very well and don't just see me as a money-making machine, but as a whole person. Therefore, they know when to present me with a potential offer, and they help me stay fully focused on the goals we have set for my career together."

Why did you choose People In Sport?

"Vickie contacted me because after the European Championships they wanted to bring women's footballers into the fold. I was to be the first, and at our first meeting I could tell that their interest in me wasn't just because they wanted to get into women's football. They had almost more control over me and my performance than I did. I could immediately see the potential for a collaboration, especially because they presented me with a clear plan of how they saw the direction of my future career both as a professional player, but also how they could help me prepare for the time after.

After taking three degrees alongside my football career, I now feel that I am well prepared when my active career as a player one day comes to an end. Another thing I appreciate about the collaboration is that they help to create greater clarity about what I should say yes and no to. They always provide qualified advice. And I love their commitment, which shows that I'm not just a pawn in a financial game, but that I retain my own influence through a constant, good dialog," says Sanne Troelsgaard.