Newly appointed FIFPro General Secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann will headline the 2019 Professional Footballers Australia (the PFA) Agents Conference in Sydney this Friday.

Hosted in partnership with the Australian Football Agents’ Association (AFAA), the conference presents the opportunity for agents, players, professional clubs and governing bodies to collaborate on issues impacting the global football industry.

Baer-Hoffman (above, left), announced as the new head of FIFPro at this week’s 2019 Annual General Assembly in Sydney, will present to the attendees on the reform of FIFA Intermediary Regulations, as part of the day’s agenda, which includes:

  • PFA research on the career paths of Australian footballers;
  • information on Collective Bargaining Agreements, A-League and W-League regulations;
  • an athlete branding workshop delivered by Agency X;
  • a panel discussion on the National Second Division, featuring PFA Chief Executive John Didulica, FFA Chief Operating Officer Mark Falvo and Fox Sports Football’s Simon Hill;
  • the PFA’s recently published ‘Golden Generation report’; and 
  • a presentation on health and wellbeing trends of professional footballers.

The PFA’s Agents Conference has encouraged the cultivation of more holistic management of talent within the sport, better assisting players to build their careers, foster beneficial relationships and improve evidence-based decision-making.

PFA Chief Executive John Didulica said the conference represented an opportunity to share world-leading insights and analysis with Australia’s agents, who are ultimately charged with the responsibility of nurturing the current and next generations of Australian football talent.

“As a global sport, the environment of professional football is constantly changing and evolving at a rapid pace so it is vital that those people who are directly involved in influencing decisions related to our professional players are aligned with football’s objectives,” Didulica said.

“We’re delighted to have Jonas here in Australia to present on an important topic at a time when the international transfer market is becoming more complex and will involve more regular compliance from intermediaries.

“In addition, our agents provide a great perspective on a number of topics around the professional player employment framework, so we expect to engage in positive discussions on topics ranging from player wellbeing to the potential structure of a future second division in Australia.”

Baer-Hoffman, charged with leading the global union of professional football players, will replace outgoing General Secretary Theo van Seggelen on 1 January, 2020.