The Football Forum (the international association of football agents + players)

What The Football Forum (the international association of football agents + players) does

The Football Forum (TFF) is a Swiss non-profit association founded in 2019 and headquartered in Zurich that functions as an international movement for football agents and players. Its core service is a membership program that admits both natural persons (individual agents, freelance agents, and players) and legal entities (agencies), with applications evaluated individually. TFF generates revenue through membership fees on a subscription basis, though specific pricing is not publicly disclosed, and supplements this with paid or member-only educational programming through The Agent's Academy (lectures from lawyers, tax experts, arbitrators, and senior agents) and an events program that includes conferences, symposiums, roundtables, webinars, and forums held across multiple countries. The organization is not a technology company; its platform is a content-driven website with standard social integrations and analytics, and its strategic value lies in its federation of 11 national agent associations across Europe, South America, and Africa, its convening power at events, and its role as the principal international counterparty to FIFA's Football Agents Regulations in ongoing EU regulatory and legal proceedings. Leadership is provided by Co-Presidents Rafaela Pimenta and Roger Wittmann, Vice-President Jorge Mendes, and Executive Vice-President Christian Rapp, with a board including Joshua Barnett, Luis Correia, and Jesse De Preter; the organization has 13 employees.

Name

The Football Forum (the international association of football agents + players)

Legal name

The Football Forum

Website

https://tfforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Football Forum is a Zurich-based non-profit international association founded in 2019 that unites football agents and players worldwide through membership, education, events, and regulatory advocacy against FIFA's Football Agents Regulations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Industry Professional Association

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Compliance, Governance & Integrity Services (Safeguarding, Anti-Doping, Match Integrity) (MPAKAKAM)

Keywords

• Football agent association
• Player representation services
• Professional sports advocacy
• Football industry education
• Sports governance membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: TFF generates revenue through membership fees from football agents and players. The organization accepts both natural persons (individual agents and freelance agents) and legal entities (agencies) as members. Membership requires application and evaluation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Football Forum (TFF) is an international membership-based association established in 2019 that unites football agents and players to develop best professional practices in football agency and employment-related standards for players. It delivers value through a Membership Program, The Agent's Academy (educational program), Events Program (conferences, symposiums, webinars), a Member Associations Network spanning 11 national associations across Europe, South America, and Africa, and Media & Publications focused on regulatory advocacy, particularly challenging FIFA's Football Agents Regulations in European courts.

Product overview

The Football Forum is an international membership association for football agents and players established in 2019. The organization offers a portfolio of services including a Membership Program for agents and players, The Agent's Academy for professional education, an Events Program featuring conferences and webinars, a Member Associations Network connecting national agent associations globally, and Media & Publications for industry advocacy. The organization operates as a unified forum where members contribute to developing professional standards for football agency and employment-related standards for players.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Membership program for football agents and players. Open to natural persons (players and freelance agents) and legal entities (agencies). Applications are evaluated individually and may be rejected. Membership is not transferable.
• The Agent's Academy An educational project designed to provide participants with tools to become top-tier football agents. Features lectures from prominent lawyers, tax experts, arbitrators, agents, and football executives, covering business, personal, ethical, legal, and tax issues related to the agent role.
• Events Program Wide range of professional events including conferences, seminars, roundtables, webinars, and networking opportunities for members and football stakeholders. Includes The Agents' Forum, Players and Agents' Talk, Symposiums, and catch-up meetings in various cities.
• Member Associations Network International network of member associations including ABAF (Brazil), AEAF (Spain), ANAF (Portugal), ANFA (Bosnia), BFFA (Belgium), BOEFA (Austria), CFPAA/ACAF (Cameroon), DFVV (Germany), IAFA (Italy), PSLAP (Poland), and SFAA (Switzerland).
• Media & Publications Media releases, press statements, and publications on football agent regulations, industry developments, and advocacy positions including statements on FIFA Football Agents Regulations.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IAFA - Italian Association of Football AgentscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2021Italian Association of Football Agents. Joined TFF on October 29, 2021. IAFA offered Mino Raiola the position of IAFA Honorary President.
• ABAF - Associação Brasileira de Agentes de FutebolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian Association of Football Agents. TFF member association representing Brazilian football agents. Co-hosted Forum de debates in Rio de Janeiro with TFF in March 2024.
• AEAF - Asociación Española de Agentes de FutbolistascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish Association of Football Players' Agents. TFF member association representing Spanish football agents.
• ANAF - Associação Nacional de Agentes de FutebolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Association of Football Agents (Portugal). TFF member association representing Portuguese football agents.
• ANFA - Asocijacija Nogometnih Fudbalskih AgenatacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFootball Agents Association (Bosnia and Herzegovina). TFF member association representing Bosnian football agents.
• BFFA - Belgian Federation of Football AgentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian Federation of Football Agents. TFF member association representing Belgian football agents.
• BOEFA - Bund der österreichischen FußballagentencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian Association of Football Agents. TFF member association representing Austrian football agents.
• CFPAA/ACAF - Cameroon Football Players Agents AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCameroon Football Players Agents Association. TFF member association representing Cameroonian football agents.
• DFVV - Deutsche Fußballspieler-Vermittler Vereinigung e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Football Players Agents Association. TFF member association representing German football agents.
• PSLAP - Polskie Stowarzyszenie Licencjonowanych Agentów PiłkarskichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolish Licensed Football Agents Association. TFF member association representing Polish football agents. Co-hosted Agents' Symposium in Warsaw in April 2025.
• SFAA - Swiss Football Agents AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Football Agents Association. TFF member association representing Swiss football agents.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EU Athletes: European-level athletes' commission representing player associations in EU policy and regulatory matters. Direct peer to TFF: comparable in scope (EU-level advocacy), structure (member associations), and function (athlete-side regulatory engagement with governing bodies).
• World Players Association: Umbrella body for player associations across professional sports, affiliated with UNI Global Union. Direct peer to TFF: an international membership organization focused on athlete welfare, labor rights, and integrity in sport — operating in adjacent advocacy territory.
• Professional Footballers' Association (PFA England): UK players' union, the most established national footballers' association globally. Direct peer to TFF: both serve professional football players, both are membership-based advocacy organizations, and both engage in collective representation and educational programming.
• Professional Football Agents Association (PROFAA): UK-based professional football agents association. Direct peer to TFF: both represent licensed football agents, and PROFAA pursued parallel legal action against FIFA's FFAR that culminated in the 2023 CAS award. Operates independently in the largest football market, making it both a peer and a potential coalition target.
• FIFPro: Global federation of professional footballers' unions, representing players in labor and regulatory matters vis-à-vis FIFA and clubs. Direct peer to TFF: both are international membership organizations that engage FIFA on behalf of their respective football constituents (players vs. agents) and are co-litigants in the FFAR challenges.

Regional players

• European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL): Umbrella body for European professional football leagues. Comparable as a football governance stakeholder that engages with UEFA and FIFA on regulatory matters; not an agent/player body, but a parallel coalition structure in the same sport.

Others

• Global Association of International Sports Federations (SportAccord / GAISF): Umbrella organization for international sports federations across multiple sports. Comparable to TFF as a multi-jurisdictional coalition structure for sport-governance stakeholders, providing a peer model for how an international member-association body can be organized and sustained.
• National Basketball Players Association (NBPA): US basketball players' union with strong legal and regulatory expertise. Comparable to TFF as a player-side advocacy organization with collective bargaining functions; useful as a structural reference even though the sport and competitive context differ.
• Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA): The US baseball players' union, widely considered the gold standard for player advocacy and collective bargaining in sport. Comparable to TFF as a mature athlete-side advocacy organization with strong legal infrastructure; relevant as a model for what an effectively organized professional-services association can achieve.

Broad incumbents

• UEFA: European football's governing body, the largest continental confederation under FIFA. Comparable as the principal European regulatory and governance institution that TFF must navigate, both indirectly through FIFA and through its own policies affecting agent licensing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-football-forum

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Football Forum (the international association of football agents + players)