Emma is someone who I have seen around at events over the last five years. She's the one who lurks in the background when the likes of Lizzie Deignan, Elinor Barker, Rebecca Charlton, and other athletes attend a race or make their media appearances.
In fact Emma is a very important person in the grand scheme of things. She keeps the machine going, doing all the tinkering that makes things come together. Emma is to these athletes what George Martin was to the Beatles, or Simon Cowell to One Direction (for younger readers among you!).
She has the great job of being a sports agent. I have always been fascinated by the folks who do these behind-the-scenes roles that are of pivotal importance.
Yet Emma doesn't come across at all as one of those types you read about in football biographies that managers perceive as self-serving leeches. Her work is not dissimilar to a football agent's but she's a much nicer person to deal with. In fact Emma took time out to tell me about her role, how she got into it and a little bit about her cycling too.
Emma Wade, aged 40-ish
From: Amersham
Lives: Princes Risborough
Occupation: Agent
I’m not sure I knew what an agent was when I was a child, and if I did, I thought they sounded very shady!!
But I
did always want to work in sport or in law and I think being an agent has
combined both the interest in working with sports people and the behind scenes
of sport, as well as my interest in contracts and negotiation. I wanted to
either do that or even win the Olympics, myself (with absolutely no ability at
all)!
I’ve
always worked in sport, starting from when I was at school and sold scorecards
at Lord’s Cricket Ground as a summer job.
After
University I worked was as a sports researcher, looking in to the value of
sports rights (broadcast and sponsorship), which was a great background for
when I got my next job in a talent management agency, and working as an agent’s
assistant in 2003. Things basically went on from there, and I’ve worked with
athletes ever since. Then at the end of 2016 I starting my own agency,
Bespoke M.
My job
is to manage everything for a client, apart from their on-bike / team
commitments. I do not get involved with coaching etc, but I support clients
with logistics; overseeing their sponsorship and PR
activity; managing media and commercial
partnerships; maintaining relationships with key brands, agencies,
event organisers, television production companies, publishers, governing
bodies, and developing clients' corporate speaking opportunities.
My
first clients for Bespoke M were Lizzie Deignan (née Armitstead), Elinor Barker
and Rebecca Charlton – all of whom I still work with now. I also am delighted
to now represent others such as Katie Archibald, Lizzy Banks, Amanda Spratt, Tiffany
Cromwell and more! They
are all in cycling or cycling presenting and hosting such as Rebecca and also
Orla Chennaoui.
 |
| With Elinor Barker |
There's no such thing as a typical day for me! When I can and it’s allowed, I travel to a lot of races to see organisers, brands and clients but don’t attend all of them by any means and certainly wasn't able to do much during the pandemic.
The pandemic affected my work as every event, including the Olympics were cancelled and the future looked bleak. But thankfully two things happened which were invaluable. Firstly, there was a boom in cycling as people started dusting off bikes and getting out there to keep active, or for transport at this strange time.
It’s been fantastic to see. So cycling brands and agencies have kept me
and my clients busy. Secondly, the UCI [Union Cyclist Internationale –
cycling’s World governing body] miraculously managed to put a racing season on
and we had road racing for a few months as well as the European Track cycling
and some cyclocross racing. That has kept me busy and has also meant that
everyone was able to plan positively.
My days
involve talking to clients, then maybe responding to and organising media
requests, responding to sponsorship briefs, or approaching brands and agencies
about working with particular clients. I also speak to team directors, sports directors
and riders about their plans. I negotiate rider contracts or separate personal
sponsorship deals and then make sure the corresponding contract is fair and
correct, and delivered correctly.
What I
enjoy most is working with my clients. Seeing the hard work and sacrifice they
put in is incredibly motivating.
It is
hugely satisfying to see clients do well and hopefully be a tiny part of that
success through the support I can offer. Lizzie winning her silver medal at
London 2012 was a definite highlight for example. In fact, London 2012 overall
was a highlight as I was working with a number of Team GB athletes, and the
whole experience was amazing; the crowds and support and the success we had was
incredible.
On a
day-to-day basis the best moments are when you see a successful partnership come
to fruition whether that be a rider flourishing in the right team, or a
campaign come together between a client and a brand; that’s really rewarding.
 |
| With Lizzie Deignan at London 2012 Olympics |
The frustrating aspect is the unfairness of working in a sport that is still not balanced between men and women. The women’s sport is younger than the men’s, which has a long and glorious history.
So, women’s professional cycling has a way to go to equal it in terms of coverage, races, and financially. But I’m working to try and help turn this around by working with the women’s peloton and fantastic organisations such as The Cyclists’ Alliance, to make things fairer.
When
working with my clients undoubtedly their health, racing and training always
comes first, and everything else has to work around that. If they’re not able
to do their day job then I’m not doing my job very well!
After
that, how I work with each client varies as everyone works differently. Some
riders will send a Whatsapp message while at the velodrome, or on the finish
line of a race, and others might need their space 24 hours before a competition
for example. You get to know what works best for each person and manage
everything around it. Handily I work with road, track and cyclocross riders so
they all have slightly different competition schedules, which helps in managing
the time I schedule with them.
The
quietest time of year (she says hopefully) is usually Christmas as that’s the
one time that clients tend to disappear and spend time with their own families,
as well as training. The last thing they want to do is speak to me or do a
sponsor appearance!
The
busiest time is the rest of the year! Media is busy around competition time,
then sponsor commitments and appearances are often higher outside of
competition time. Contract negotiations and discussions can happen pretty much
all year round now.
Despite
my busy schedule I aim to keep active when away from work – whether that be
cycling, running, yoga, swimming. I do something most days, and set a time for
that which I will try and stick to no matter what. Generally, I manage it even
if I have to be flexible on timings. Finding the time is key for me, because
the job can be seven days a week, 24 hours a day since you are looking after
people’s lives which aren’t 9-5.
 |
| Emma gets in a bike ride |
I allow myself to do a midday yoga class, knowing I can be chatting to a client at 9pm that night. I also have a very active Springer Spaniel who reminds me regularly when it’s time to go for walkies, and my other half loves cycling thankfully so he’s always up for trips to bike races!
I got
my first bike at a young age and it’s always been a part of my life for fun and
for leisure – I’ve never raced or had the desire to. I remember getting a pink
racing bike with dropped handlebars for my 7 or 8th birthday. I
loved it and have never looked back! I like a bit of mountain biking as well as
road cycling. I cycle locally, and am lucky to have the Chiltern Hills and the
Oxfordshire countryside on my doorstep. There’s also Swinley Forest, which I
ride around on my mountain bike. With my Pendleton bike I use that to visit
friends or go shopping locally.
I also
love Zwift and just graduated from my first Zwift Academy which was a lot of
fun, and really challenged me in a good way. Between cycling for leisure, and
for transport I ride most days.
If I
could choose one person to go on a bike ride with, I would say my Mum. She used
to be a ballerina and loved her cycling, but suffered from Multiple Sclerosis
for many years and has lost the ability to do anything physically; she died in
January this year. So, I would have given anything to have done a bike ride
with her. [Emma's mother died in January 2021.]
The
changes I have seen in women's cycling since I first started working with
Lizzie in 2009 have been huge. I feel like we’ve come a long way, even if we
have so far to go. There is so much more professionalism creeping in now.
There
is more coverage (we can actually watch races live now!), media pick up,
sponsors, better quality of racing (as more riders can be professional now, without
needing other jobs at the same time), and basic salaries and maternity clauses
now exist in the top tier.
This
definitely needs to filter down to all riders though, and it’s still pretty
unheard of for most female professional cyclists to have an agent to be honest.
I think the recent Cyclists’ Alliance survey showed 77% of riders didn’t get
any help with their contracts last year. But we’re trying to change that.
I don’t
know of any other female agents in professional cycling, though I think there
may be one other listed by the UCI (internationally). In sport overall I know a
few others but there are not many of us.
I’ve
always been one of those people who sees what I can do or want to do rather
than thinking ‘I can’t do that because…[I’m a woman]’. I was one of the first
female members of the Marylebone Cricket Club, and I’m proud to be a part of
the change at Lord’s. I suppose it’s similar in cycling. I didn’t really think
about how male dominated being an agent or cycling was until I got into it and
saw it. I just assumed I could do the job as I learnt my trade.
 |
| Emma is currently the only female UCI-approved agent |
When I went to take the agent’s exam at the UCI, in a room full of 20 I was the only woman. So I’m proud to be a woman and whatever that may bring to what I do day-to-day, but I’m also an agent.
My
background is working with Olympians who don’t get paid professionally, but
make their money from sponsorship. I genuinely felt like I was helping these
top professionals to do what they do, rather than the historic bad reputation
that agents have! So, I guess I’m a woman doing the job of an agent but I also
think my gender is irrelevant to how good I am at my job.
I have
definitely come across sexism in my career sadly, but show me a woman who
hasn’t and sadly there will always be people who still need to be educated in
gender equality. Having said that, I didn't see my gender as a
barrier to me doing this kind of work. Being an agent is an incredibly
competitive environment to work in and that goes for both sexes!
For
anyone wanting to become an agent, I would warn them that it’s very competitive
and very niche. It’s also frustratingly non regulated. Anyone can decide to
become / call themselves an agent (although thankfully you do have to be
registered by the UCI to negotiate professional cycling contracts at least). I
would advise people to gather as much experience as possible within the
industry first. I worked in sports administration, communication, on the agency
side, in events and more, before I became an agent and all of those experiences
were invaluable. Don’t give up if you can’t immediately become an agent,
and look at opportunities around being an agent.
Instagram: @bespoke_m
Twitter: @bespoke_M
Other Cycling Voices
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