Campbell consultant knows:

“Then Eileen will be very difficult to keep”

Eileen Campbell has become the ÖFB top scorer in recent months.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

With his agency Acorado Sports, Michael Hoffmann looks after Bayern star Lea Schüller and former Altach player Eileen Campbell - and half of the Austrian U20 team. The "Krone" asked the somewhat different player consultant for an interview, in which the Bremen native, who has excellent international connections, made people sit up and take notice. 

Krone: Mr. Hoffmann, with your agency Acorado Sports you look after eleven players in the ÖFB U20 team, which caused a sensation at the World Cup in Colombia. How do you get so many Austrians from Bremen?

Michael Hoffmann: I've had a close relationship with Austria since I was a child and spend every vacation there. I also have a long, very personal history with Andreas Herzog. But of course I don't just have these players under contract because I like Austria, but because I'm convinced that training with the academy is a very good model. Another point is the common language. Integration is much easier, especially with smaller German clubs.

Michael Hoffmann surrounded by some of "his" ÖFB U20 players.

(Bild: Acorado Sports)

Was that also a reason why you brought your client Eileen Campbell from SCR Altach to Freiburg?

I think very, very highly of Eileen. I am convinced that I can fulfill her dream and that she will play for a big English club in the future. But all in good time. As a first step, it was important to bring her to a German club that doesn't play for titles or against relegation. A club where she would have enough playing time, but wouldn't be out immediately if she didn't perform well for two games. In my eyes, my job is to say to the players: "I have the feeling that you're ready now." Or not. It will be important for Eileen this season to confirm her positive approach and continue to improve. If she delivers the kind of performance she has already shown several times in the ÖFB team, it will be very difficult for Freiburg to keep her beyond this season. Especially because there has already been a lot of interest from top German clubs and foreign clubs have also been courting her.

Michael has already done a lot for me and I'm looking forward to everything that's to come. He's a super guy and I couldn't wish for a better advisor.

ÖFB-Teamstürmerin Eileen Campbell

80% of your soccer clients are female. Where does your enthusiasm for women's football come from?

At Acorado, we also work with handball players, horse riders and motor sportswomen. But when Lea Schüller came to me as the first female footballer, the focus of the agency began to change, with the aim of being one of the strongest addresses in women's soccer. What makes this sport so unique for me is how down-to-earth and close to the fans the players are. Even when the German national team is playing, the girls are still in the stadium half an hour after the final whistle to sign autographs and take photos. There are lots of families in the stands, you have a high proportion of women and a really positive atmosphere. I was so enthusiastic from day one that I'm now happy to be a very small part of these careers. That touches me and is my motivation and passion, why I travel to the soccer stadiums every weekend to visit the players, that's my positive craziness. I am very grateful that my family shares this - shall we say - professional hobby.

But it doesn't make you rich, does it?

We all know that men's soccer is on a different scale to women's soccer. In men's soccer, many advisors hope to win the big lottery at some point. But this lottery win doesn't currently exist in women's soccer. We're not talking about millions here, but about the fact that many women have to earn a little extra money alongside soccer in order to live their dream of a professional career. You can work out what's left over for the consultant. I've been in the management of large public companies for two decades, was President of the North German aerospace industry for eleven years and a representative of the US city of Savannah for two years. That's why financial matters are not the main focus for me and I can pursue my own philosophy with the agency, in which an important point is also the career after the career. Thanks to my network, I can open up completely different opportunities for my clients.