Born in South Africa but having cut his teeth as an agent in England, Braden Proctor’s rise in the world of player representation has taken him all over Europe. His journey now sees him as a FIFA-licensed agent who is a key member of Netherlands-based agency Grand Stand. With the lack of South African exports to top European leagues in recent times, Proctor is embarking on a crusade to buck that trend. Speaking to Soccer Laduma’s Kamogelo Motecwane, he sheds light on what it takes to be a top-level agent in Europe, speaks on a profound conversation he had with Cristiano Ronaldo’s former agent Jorge Mendes, and names young players in the PSL who could have futures in Europe!
Kamogelo Motecwane: How did you get into being a football agent and your new adventure of being more active in South Africa?
Braden Proctor: Born and raised in South Africa, I had a different perspective and appreciation of football. I always wanted to be involved in the game; once you realise there are more facets to the game than just playing, I think that it’s nice as well to marry two passions and industries together. I was always into football as well as the business and legal side of it, so I studied sports law at university in the United Kingdom. I wanted to go down the legal route, I felt a greater desire to be involved in football. I wanted to be involved in football on a day-to-day basis and the way to do it was on the player management side. While I was in university and working for a London-based agency, I did my dissertation on African football labour migration to Europe, so I was interviewing players, agents, clubs to understand how recruitment globally works because football is such a global game now, so that brought me to the conclusion that it’s all about financial investment into potential growth.
