Special Agent Hodgson
20th Aug 2008
David Hodgson of BHP Sport reflects on a successful first 18 months
With the shadowy role of agents under intense scrutiny in the big business world of modern sport, STUART MACKINTOSH marks the start of the football season by talking to former Darlington FC boss David Hodgson about how his role with a top law firm is helping to change perceptions
FOOTBALL agents. The very mention of the occupation can be enough to turn the stomach of managers, chairmen and followers of the beautiful game the world over.
In England, where football is not so much a sport as a religion, the often murky world of agents’ dealings on behalf of multi-millionaire stars has come increasingly to the fore in recent times.
Earlier this year, a Football League report revealed that agents received £7.9m from transfers in just six months from July to December 2007. It represented a rise of £1.7m on the previous year and meant 19 per cent of clubs’ spending was lost to agents.
To the ordinary fan on the terrace, the figures are mind-boggling and it was no surprise that agents gained little sympathy when outspoken Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan recently branded them “evil and divisive”.
Equally baffling is the very thought that boys as young as six, seven or eight-years-old are being snapped by academies and centres of excellence, all with the aim of honing their skills to the point where they can become the next Ronaldo or Rooney.
For the families of those talented youngsters, dipping their toes into the complex world of contracts of employment, sponsorship deals and image rights can be a daunting prospect - and that is usually where agents are only too happy to step in and fill their own pockets.
In the North-East, however, something of a revolution is stirring and changing the face of those representing our sporting icons.
Driven by the arrival of David Hodgson - the ex-Liverpool player, best known in this region as a three-time manager of Darlington FC - regional law firm BHP Law (formerly Blackett Hart & Pratt) launched its in-house sports management and representation division 18 months ago.
BHP Sport is believed to be the only full-service agency of its kind within a law firm in the North-East, and has recently been expanding its services into cricket and other sports besides football.
Mr Hodgson, revered among the Quakers’ faithful for taking the unfashionable outfit all the way to a Wembley play-off final in 2000, knows only too well the pressures that can be placed on emerging talents.
He has previously worked as a licensed FIFA agent within the football representation and marketing industry, bringing dozens of players into the British game.
Now, as director of BHP Sport, he supports young players and is backed up by BHP’s team of solicitors and professional advisers to provide associated career management and personal advice to young players either directly or via their parents.
At BHP’s Westgate House base, in Faverdale, Darlington, Mr Hodgson’s office is somewhat different to those of his colleagues.
While their walls may be adorned with certificates confirming their legal credentials, his is bedecked with shirts from Liverpool’s 1984 European Cup win over AS Roma, Sunderland’s appearance in the 1985 Milk Cup Final and a top from his England under-21 days.
This experience, understanding and in-depth knowledge of the game is proving vital in his new role.
“When I first came here I had that,” says Mr Hodgson, placing a blank sheet of paper on the desk. “I had that and a telephone. But in this business, it’s about what you know and who you know, so we got up and running pretty quickly.
“The wonderful thing about being here at BHP is the image that a law firm portrays in terms of credibility and honesty. In the years to come, I believe we will see more and more sports divisions opening up in law firms, but we were the very first.”
The issue of credibility is an important one for Mr Hodgson. “When we enter into agreements with clubs we present them with masses of documentation because we know things have to be done properly,” he says.
“We’ve been involved in ten or 15 transfers where the clubs have probably thought ‘what on earth’s going on here?’ because it’s not what they’re used to from agents, but we are thorough and detailed to ensure our clients are looked after.
“There are so many unscrupulous people involved in the industry now that it’s frightening - people who will make enormous sums of money for making a single phone call. We’re not like that.
“We find the clubs the specific players they want and when those players arrive, we do absolutely everything for every single one of them. We take care of them. We search for and arrange their accommodation, their transport, their mobile phones - everything.
“This week, for instance, I’ve personally driven some young lads down to Derby for England trials; I’ve arranged medical care for a new player and his wife who is due to give birth shortly; I’ve been finding a Volkswagen Polo for another player. That shows you the level of care we offer and the detail we go into.”
Mr Hodgson is unequivocal about his and BHP’s position when it comes to the rising talents so quickly dubbed “wonder-kids” and “starlets” in the tabloids’ transfer talk.
“If they’re aged under 16 they can’t have agents, but they can be advised by a law firm,” he says.
“I refuse to go knocking on parents’ doors and asking if I can represent their son. It’s wrong, but you’ll still find a lot of agents hanging around the training grounds and the academies doing just that.
“They’ll take young lads under their wing at 14, 15 or 16 years of age, but then what happens if they don’t make it in the game? The money’s dried up and the agent is gone.
“Again, we’re not like that - we’re still here for them. If they leave football and go into other employment, they’ll eventually want a mortgage, they’ll eventually want to move house. We can also assist with these things.
“If I could turn back the clock - and I’m not just saying this because I work for them - I’d want to be represented by someone like BHP. Where else would you find somebody who’s played the game at every level; understands the game and the issues affecting players; has been a manager; has been a FIFA-licensed agent; and has all of that with the support of a reputable law firm?”
BHP Sport may only have kicked off 18 months, but it is gaining a first-rate reputation and has the success stories to back it up.
Surrounded by piles of DVDs of players from across Europe, as well as Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Argentina, Mr Hodgson reveals the positive impact BHP Sport has had on some fledgling careers.
The firm has been advising the parents of 15-year-old protégé Aaron Speare, who recently made a six-figure transfer from Plymouth Argyle to Newcastle United and has been spoken of in the same breath as England talisman Wayne Rooney.
“Aaron has moved up to Newcastle now, but his family is still down in Plymouth so that’s difficult,” says Mr Hodgson.
“I’ve been up there to sort out his digs for him, I take him out for lunch, meet him after school and take him down for England trials. Once or twice a week, I’ll go up to Newcastle to see him and make sure he’s getting on okay.”
With Mr Hodgson on board, BHP Sport is now at the heart of a global operation.
In June this year, it helped place Hugo Colace - the former captain of an Argentina under-20 side that included Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano and Manchester United’s Carlos Tevez - with Championship side Barnsley.
In the same month, Peruvian international goalkeeper Diego Penny was helped in his move to Burnley and there have been talks aimed at bringing the £20m-rated Brazilian striker Vagner Love to the English Premier League from CSKA Moscow.
In addition to the links with English clubs, BHP Sport is represented in Europe by former Nantes, Norwich City and Darlington forward Gaetano Giallanza.
“Tano’s fantastic,” says Hodgson. “He’s a consultant for us, he’s multi-lingual and is a real asset.”
In a whole different ball game on the other side of the world, BHP Sport is also set for a key role in the formation of the new Indian Cricket League.
“We’re working with people who are heavily involved in setting up the new league and will be providing cricketers to go out there and take part,” says Mr Hodgson.
“I believe cricket will eventually become as big as football for us, in terms of players moving from club to club and all the different leagues being established.”
For BHP as a company, this unique foray into the glitz and glamour of nurturing sporting heroes is the latest development proving that it is now much more than just a law firm ahead of impending change.
Government reforms are set to change the face of the legal sector as we know it from 2012, with non-legal organisations able to provide some of the services once exclusive to law firms. Multi-disciplinary firms like BHP Law are also being encouraged to be innovative and offer a wider range of services, a radical development where BHP has been at the forefront in recent years.
The firm’s roots can actually be traced back to 19th Century Darlington, but it was only 15 years ago that Blackett Hart & Pratt as we know it was formed and its excellent reputation in the region began to grow.
It was in 1993 that BHP launched its first non-legal area of expertise - a move that was to be repeated several times in the years to come - as it began to provide in-house independent financial advice to clients across the region.
This area of the business was rebranded earlier this year to become known simply as BHP Financial.
BHP cemented its standing as a renowned multi-disciplinary organisation further in late 2001, offering planning and design expertise to developers, property and land owners, now under the banner of BHP Develop.
BHP Home was also launched this year with a merger between Blackett Hart & Pratt’s existing estate agency and Adamsons Property Centre of North Shields.
Drawing on the expertise of professionals within both the law firm and BHP Home, clients are provided with a one-stop all-inclusive service for moving home, from marketing and advertising, providing sellers with the new Home Information Packs, legal and conveyancing work and independent mortgage advice.
The BHP Home brand is now well-established across the North-East, with a branch recently opening at the company’s offices in Beveridge Way, Newton Aycliffe.
In recent years, the firm’s expansion and growth has occurred at a rapid pace. Mergers in the last decade have included Walton Hardy & Clough, of Darlington, in 1998, and Deas Mallen and Winskell & Winskell, of Newcastle, in 2001 and 2003 respectively.
During 2006 it merged with Anderson Haggie and Harvey & Marron, of Newcastle, and in 2007 joined with James & Baker, of Thornaby, on Teesside.
For BHP, this period of growth has not merely been confined to the North-East. Earlier this year, the firm merged with Clarksons of Halifax, West Yorkshire, creating its first legal office outside the region.
The launch of BHP Clarksons in Halifax coincided with the rebrand of Blackett Hart & Pratt LLP in April to create a number of new trading names and divisions to represent the ever-evolving nature of the business.
Bryan Hoare explains: “Blackett Hart & Pratt is well known across the North-East and we felt it was important to retain elements of our name in the new brand. Over the last few years there has been a conscious move towards being referred to as ‘BHP’ and this paved the way for our change in name to BHP Law.
“Rebranding the firm at this time was seen as a relatively crucial stage of its future growth and development. We are committed to growing all aspects of our business still further over the next few years and our new brand will allow us the flexibility to adapt and change in light of future government proposed changes within the legal sector.”
These are exciting times indeed and, for David Hodgson, it’s a new sporting challenge to relish.
“I drive my wife mad,” he admits. “I work seven days a week, 15 hours a day, but we’re off the ground, we’re up and running and it’ll be fascinating to see where we go from here.”
* David Hodgson can be contacted at BHP Sport on 01325 466794.
Author: Bryan Hoare (info@bhplaw.co.uk)
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