13 September 2021 – The final day of the #BetwayCares Skills Hub took a different turn in its closing edition for this year as Betway, in partnership with the Free State Rugby Union, invited renowned attorney and sports agent, Modise Sefume to take the aspiring coaches and players through the intricacies of professional sport and entertainment contracts.
Modise was speaking as an invited guest on the final day of the #BetwayCares Skills Hub at the Free State Stadium where coaches and captains gathered for a World Rugby Level 2 coaching course as well as captain’s workshop held over three days.
Modise, who represents several athletes and entertainment artists across various sport and entertainment sectors said it was important for athletes to understand the finer details of such contracts as failure to do so results in frustration and disgruntlements from athletes.
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“First and foremost, an athlete’s contract is recognised as fixed term employment contract and must be treated as such by both parties. Just like any employment contract, it must clearly stipulate the duration, remuneration, expected role, as well as the terms and conditions of employment”.
“A common frustration that players encounter is the usage of their image rights outside of their clubs or unions, which may or may not be stipulated in their contracts. For example, athletes are well within their right to endorse brands outside of their professional contract for additional revenue streams, provided that these are not competitor brands against their clubs and do not bring their employers into disrepute by association” said Sefume, making reference to athletes who endorsed brands that brought their clubs into disrepute.
In addition to the salary on offer, Sefume also encouraged players to consider other factors before putting pen to paper in order to have a prolonged career.
“Sport is a very short career and can be even shorter due to injuries. Be that as it may, athletes must consider other factors in addition to the salary on offer in order to sustain their playing careers. This includes the environment of the club, technical composition and of course the values that the club stands for. Such factors may seem insignificant compared to a lucrative offer, however if not taken into careful consideration, can frustrate a player’s performance in the long run” said Sefume
The highly experienced attorney, heaped praise on Betway for spearheading such a programme, saying that it is an applaudable initiative that that sets them apart in sports sponsorship.
“I must applaud Betway for such a programme. Such conversations are left too late in players’ careers and for Betway to recognise the importance of this topic for players and coaches, truly demonstrates that they are a caring brand and a pioneer in in the sports sponsorship sector” he concluded.