New agency will manage collective marketing and licensing rights of retired players.
IMG has revealed the launch of the Football Greats Alliance – a first of its kind agency which has been created to manage the collective marketing and licensing rights of retired players.
Operated by IMG, the FGA will look after the rights for more than 22,000 retired NFL players.
It will offer a one-stop shop for marketing rights, approvals, contracting and financing for a group that includes 160+ Hall of Famers, 50+ Heisman winners, 225+ broadcasters and 35 NFL MVPs.
“The FGA will provide opportunities for retired players to band together for a wide variety of partnerships,” said Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns legend, Pro Football Hall of Famer, and chairman of the Board, FGA.
“These deals will have direct financial benefits to the players involved, and more importantly, will provide revenue for the Greater Good Fund which will benefit the health and welfare of retired players.”
The NFL will play a key role in supporting the FGA, providing access to NFL sponsors, club marketing personnel and hospitality space for events including the 2017 Super Bowl and Pro Bowl.
There are also plans to sell retired players’ jerseys online in tandem with nflshop.com licensees, as well as cross-promoting the FGA on NFL digital platforms.
IMG conducted an in-depth study with over 3,000 NFL fans, exploring the reasons why they connect with retired players and why they remain relevant to today’s fans.
The study found that 65% of fans agree that their favourite NFL player of all time is retired and 79% agree that retired players are an importance part of American pop culture.
“We are so proud to be working with the NFL on an offering that will fundamentally change the opportunities available to retired players,” said Drew Sheinman, svp of brand development at IMG.
“We’ve already seen an incredible amount of interest across licensing, sponsorship and endorsements, content, fan experiences, premium hospitality, media rights, education and employment for this incredible group of individuals, and we’re just getting started.”
