Wasserman Acquires Esportif

Global sports, music, and entertainment agency Wasserman has acquired rugby talent agency Esportif and launched its first-ever rugby division, which will be re-branded and operate as ‘Wasserman Rugby’.

Esportif, one of rugby’s biggest talent agencies, will become Wasserman Rugby, effective immediately.

This means that key members of the Esporif founding and management team including Ryan Constable, Craig Innes, Rhys Parsons, Duncan Sandlant, Bruce Sharrock, and Mark Spoors will join Wasserman immediately, along with a team of over forty executives and agents.

Wasserman Rugby will continue to operate globally, stretching worldwide from the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Australia, Argentina, Italy, and Japan, to other regions where rugby is growing substantially. The current talent roster, includes active players and coaches alike, such as Tadhg Furlong, Ellis Genge, Alun Wyn Jones, Richie Mo’unga, Gregor Townsend, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Taniela Tupou.

Wasserman Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Fahri Ecvet said, “The launch of Wasserman Rugby is another milestone in Wasserman’s strategic global growth. Wasserman Rugby offers the most comprehensive service to clients in the sport, and that’s a credit to what Ryan, Craig, Rhys, Duncan, Bruce, Mark, and their entire team have built over the last decade-plus. Their work is renowned and respected, and their approach to the sports and entertainment world matches the culture of Wasserman and will complement our other industry-leading talent representation practices.”

Executive Vice Presidents and Managing Directors Constable, Innes, Parsons, Sandlant, Sharrock, and Spoors said, “We are delighted to be expanding our rugby division by joining the team at Wasserman. The acquisition is huge for us and offers an exciting opening for growth in the rugby industry. It enables us to accelerate our ability to offer our clients much more of a holistic service and will strengthen our existing practices and expand our expertise to current and future clients. We are excited about the platform this will provide for rugby players to take their place alongside other Wasserman global superstar athletes & artists on the world stage.”

This footprint expands Wasserman’s presence in over 30 locations globally. Throughout its 20-year history, Wasserman has strategically grown its worldwide presence through targeted acquisitions many times before. The deal is Wasserman’s third major acquisition this year. In January, the Los Angeles-based agency acquired The Montag Group, a media agency with clients including CBS’ Jim Nantz, NBC’s Mike Tirico, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and TNT’s Kenny Smith. In April, it completed a deal for Paradigm Music UK’s live music representation business, deepening its endeavors in music and entertainment. The most recent move means it now has a significant presence in international rugby.  

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