POELLATH advises ROOF – “Representatives Of Outstanding Footballers” on takeover by United Talent Agency/Klutch Sports Group
United Talent Agency (UTA) acquires ROOF, the leading German soccer player agency.
Under the leadership of Dr. Frank Thiäner, a multidisciplinary POELLATH team and PwC Legal, led by Lars Benger with Rebecca Klenke, provided comprehensive legal and tax advice to the managing partners of ROOF and the financial investor INVISION on the sale of their stake in ROOF Group GmbH to United Talent Agency, LLC, together with its sports consulting firm, Klutch Sports Group (Klutch). The managing partners of ROOF acquired a significant stake in UTA as part of the transaction.
ROOF – “Representatives Of Outstanding Footballers” - is one of the largest soccer player agencies in European professional soccer and Europe’s leading professional soccer consulting agency with offices in Germany, the UK and Spain.
In 2019, POELLATH previously advised the founders and shareholders of ROOF, formerly arena11 sports group GmbH, on the accession of the financial investor INVISION. By taking on the institutional investor, the ROOF Group took the first step towards the successful consolidation and professionalization of the European player consultancy market. Following the successful merger with Coaches & More GmbH, Spielerrat GmbH subsequently joined the joint venture. This was followed in 2022 by the merger with the British player consultants Neil Fewings and Nabile Hakimi and the establishment of a joint venture in the UK. ROOF now represents over 150 of the best soccer players and coaches in the world’s top soccer leagues, including the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1 and the German Bundesliga.
Through its partnership with UTA/Klutch, ROOF has joined the ranks of the world’s top sports recruitment agencies. The players managed by ROOF will gain direct access to the American market as a result of the merger and will be able to benefit from UTA/Klutch’s experience in player consulting in the future. UTA, which with its subsidiary Klutch has so far mainly advised athletes from U.S. sports, including the NBA, NFL, WNBA and NCAA, will now gain access to the European continent.
Björn Bezemer, partner and managing director of ROOF, commented on the transaction: “We in the team felt very well advised by POELLATH and PwC on this major step for us. Frank and Lars were part of the small negotiating team that made the transaction possible, not only legally but also strategically.”
Founded in 1991, UTA is a leading talent, sports, entertainment and consulting company representing artists, athletes, storytellers, entertainers and brands worldwide. Among the personalities under contract with UTA are U.S. celebrities such as LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, actors Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford, as well as singer Christina Aguilera.
ROOF is one of the leading agencies in the soccer landscape and represents around 150 football players and coaches in the five major European leagues - the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga, the Italian Serie A, the French Ligue 1 and the German Bundesliga. ROOF advises German national players such as Kai Havertz, Niclas Füllkrug and Marc-André ter Stegen, as well as Virgil van Dijk and Harvey Elliott from the English Premier League. ROOF currently operates out of offices in Munich, London and Madrid and intends to expand further internationally.
Founded in 2012, sports consultancy Klutch represents some of the world’s greatest athletes in professional sports. Klutch launched its partnership with UTA in 2019, providing strategic support in areas that include branding, communications, content, social responsibility and other opportunities that sit at the intersection of sports, entertainment and culture.
POELLATH provided comprehensive legal and tax advice to the managing partners of ROOF with the following team:
- Dr. Frank Thiäner (partner, lead, M&A/PE, Munich)
- Gerald Herrmann (partner, tax, Munich)
- Daniel Wiedmann (associated partner, distribution and antitrust law, Frankfurt)
- Dr. Dominik Gerlicher (counsel, M&A/PE, Munich)
- Dr. Erik Muscheites (counsel, tax, Frankfurt)
- Dr. Dominik Sorber (senior associate, employment law, Munich)
- Torben Busch (associate, M&A/PE, Munich)
- Jannis Lührs (associate, tax, Munich)
