Aiming to score high

James Worrall, 29, wants to be the first football agent in Britain with an MBA.

"I wanted to become a football agent because I enjoy negotiating contracts, selling ideas and persuading people. My strategy was to phone all the licensed football agents in Britain. A lot of them put the phone down. One guy took my call and said why don't you come and meet me tomorrow. So I went round to his house the next day. It was a big mansion in Hampstead and he was on the phone to Terry Venables when I walked in and I thought `This is what I want to do'.

About three months later he asked me if I would like to become involved in the business. At the time Liverpool University announced its footballing industries MBA, I was on the point of joining him full-time. He agreed to sponsor my MBA.

The course has been great because it has given me a thorough understanding of the footballing industry and some very good, high-profile footballing contacts. I also continue to manage three players - a Spurs player, a Bournemouth player and the under-21 captain for Wales - for the agency.

I will be the only agent in Britain with an MBA. Nobody else will have that business background and grounding behind them.

My ambition is to be an ethical football agent. A lot of agents these days are intent on taking as much money from the game as possible. Whereas from every fee I earn from a player, 50 per cent will go back into grass roots football. So I am going to sell my image based on that."