Football Player Boot Deals Explained

Here are five tips to understand how football player boot contracts with elite brands like Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance and Under Armour work in practice.

The blog explains how deals are structured, what the players will be required to do and how such deals fit into all the other agreements that a player will enter into.

1. A boot deal isn't usually just a boot deal

   At the very least, the contract will usually require the player to wear and use the brand's products for training and in games.

   For a number of elite players, wearing the particular branded football boot is only one part of an overall brand ambassadorial role that can include personal appearances and photo-shoots, commercial and social media activation (Instagram Live chats, or Twitter takeovers), corporate responsibilities as well recording advertisements.

   It means that for all public activities a player's role will not only be wearing particular footwear and shin guards (plus gloves if a goalkeeper) but most likely also be kitted out, depending on the circumstances, in the brand's clothes when attending photo sessions and promotional appearances. As discussed below, some difficulties can arise depending on whether the player is appearing in a personal, domestic club or international club capacity.

   The specific products/apparel that a player will be required to wear will include athletic footwear, clothing and accessories like bags, gloves and hats. Such a product list may also cover sunglasses, golf clubs, sports equipment, headphones, personal care and hygiene products, watches and electronic accessories like tablet cases, skins/sleeves and mobile/tablet cases.

   The player will as a result be provided with a variety of branded products to use. The flip side is that the boot deal may actually limit the opportunities for a player to sign additional deals with, say, headphones or watch manufacturers. This is because the boot deal may limit the player to only using their branded products.

   It can be important for the agent finalising the deal (along with a lawyer) to ensure that if the player is giving away the opportunity to enter into particular deals (because the boot brand agreement covers so many categories), that the player is being rewarded adequately for the deals that he subsequently cannot enter into. If a player's boot deal is so wide as to cover a large number of products like sunglasses or phone accessories, the player should be aware that the scope to enter into...