With young footballers being exposed to more business opportunities than ever, NXXT PLAY aims to bring a combat sports angle to brand management.
Ben Shalom, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of boxing promotion company BOXXER, has moved into football with the launch of player agency NXXT PLAY.
Co-founded with FIFA-licensed agent Danny Knowles, NXXT PLAY will initially focus on players under the age of 24. The agency officially launched on 16 February, with the aim of developing young talent both on and off the pitch.
“Young footballers today face unprecedented opportunities and challenges,” Shalom said. “NXXT PLAY is built to combine elite on-field guidance with off-field business expertise. We’re focused on building today’s elite prospects into tomorrow’s stars.”
According to a press release, the agency has already signed teenagers from Premier League academies. NXXT PLAY confirmed these are Cameron Byrne-Hughes at Manchester United and Matteo Dashi at Crystal Palace.
Modern footballers are increasingly operating as brands in their own right and it is no longer uncommon for players to launch businesses, sign ambassador deals and explore commercial ventures outside of the sport.
Manchester United midfielder Casemiro owns esports organisation CASE Esports, Cristiano Ronaldo recently launched his own YouTube channel alongside his existing portfolio and tennis legend Serena Williams is among many athlete investors in Angel City FC.
Shalom and Knowles say NXXT PLAY is designed to target this trend, supporting players across performance, commercial strategy and personal brand development.
From boxing disruptor to football entrepreneur
Shalom is best known for disrupting the UK boxing landscape,becoming the youngest licensed promoter in the sport when he founded BOXXER at the age of 23. This saw him enter a traditional market dominated by Matchroom and Queensberry Promotions.
Since launching BOXXER, Shalom has overseen several broadcast and commercial partnerships, including deals with Sky, Riyadh Season and most recently the BBC.
Speaking to Insider Sport in 2024, Shalom highlighted the importance of athlete self-promotion in combat sport, which is a philosophy he may now use in his football venture.
“At the end of the day, there’s not many sports that for success require self-promotion, require becoming large personalities online,” he said.
“That’s another way where boxing can overtake other sports, because there is this onus on the athletes themselves to become as commercially relevant as possible.”
Football expertise at the core
While Shalom brings experience managing huge names, personalities and commercial negotiations, it is Knowles who provides the football expertise.
The FIFA-licensed agent has nearly a decade of experience in the industry and previously worked at Manchester-based agency OmniSports. Over his career, Knowles has represented well-known players including Antonio Valencia, Joe Hart, Chris Smalling and Adam Wharton.
“Our goal is to provide an exclusive, elite-level service matched with genuine personal focus and touch by committing to only working with a select group of footballers who share our ambition of performing at the very highest level of the global game, so that footballers and their families don’t feel as if they are in a position of having to choose between size and service,” Knowles said.
