[ You got involved in football relatively late, can you touch a little on your background in sports? ]

When I was growing up, I used to play badminton recreationally with my friends. That was my first introduction to sports. At university in Pune for law school, that’s where I got the opportunity and the access to try out different sports. I started with volleyball and then athletics. I got a medal in a 200 meter event and our boy’s football team captain saw me and thought I could be a good player because I have pace and acceleration.

So that’s how I started in football, with the boy’s team captain coming up to me, inviting me to training and saying ‘let’s build a women’s team’. I was very excited and this was the start of my footballing journey - I was 21.

Since then I've not looked back. Sadly, the other sports have taken a back seat since I started playing football! I never thought I would actually play with a professional club. But 7 or 8 years later, in Bangalore, I went for trials with a club in the top state level (3rd national tier) and got in.

[ Is this a common story? - e.g. did many of your teammates also get started so late as a player? ]

I think it's our generation because when I see younger players they've been playing since they were in school. There are lots of people taking up the sport in their late-twenties of even mid-thirties - I think our generation now is a little more financially independent and can make these choices (how to spend their time). But the change is visible with younger generations picking up the sport early.

[ After university you worked as a trial lawyer, why did you leave this career to focus on sports law? ]

I was working as a trial lawyer in New Delhi - I had access to all tiers of court from the Supreme Court, High Court and Lower District Courts - it was a great experience to be honest. It also helped me learn a lot about people, how people behave and react in difficult situations. And knowing how to solve a dispute is a great skill to have!

It was very hectic, sometimes working 20 hours/day, or working 7 days/week and of course the work involved is all very critical. There’s no chance to have a balance where we can take care of our health and if I’m not healthy, how can I be productive and efficient? But I honestly enjoyed the work and it gave me a lot to my foundation as a professional for sure.

After 4 years, I switched to sports law. There’s a big lack of lawyers in the sporting industry in India, especially women. That was part of the reason I wanted to enter this space.

[ Did you need to do any additional training or certifications to make this switch? ]

I could have gone for a master's course, but I also spoke to a lot of mentors in the industry and their feedback was, ‘If you are good at your job, if you have a knack for it, you don't need an extra degree’.

Of course, (later) to become an agent, I had to sit for an examination to get qualified because there are a lot of regulations you need to be aware of.

[ You mentioned mentors, how important is networking in this field? ]

I am where I am because of networking! I'm a first generation lawyer, I come from a decent background but no one in my family works in law or sport. I’ve had to be, I won’t say shameless, but non-hesitant to meet new people to start conversations, to just be curious really. This has helped me get to know people across India and the world and build my network in an authentic way.

[ You worked for a couple years as a sports lawyer, what made you then decide to become an agent and sign up for the FIFA exam? ]

I've always wanted to be my own boss and start my own thing. I was thinking about how to go about this if I want to be a successful sports lawyer, right?

My preference is to work with athletes (vs institutions) and help them with their rights. I’ve basically been doing research for a good two years, where I’ve met a lot of athletes, learned about their problems and understood their issues and concerns. Can I solve them as a lawyer?

Most athletes, especially in India, unless you’re playing cricket, aren’t really making much money. In addition, athletes have a very short ‘shelf life’, they reach a peak and retire and then what? Or what if they get injured in the middle of their career? How can they focus on their game while also making sure these other things are taken care of? I realized that representation (being an agent) is one place to make an impact.

[ What is the FIFA Agent Exam like? What kind of questions are there? ]

It includes all the regulations around the transfer and registration of players, governance of agents, safeguarding minors and how disputes are solved under FIFA and the different tribunals.

It’s a one hour, 20 multiple choice question exam, it’s also an open book exam, you can use certain resources. The tricky part is a question might have more than one correct option - so if there are 3 correct answers and you only select 2, you’ll get a 0 for the whole question, so it’s not as easy as it sounds!

You’re not really expected to memorize each and every regulation. It’s best to thoroughly go through the documents so that you know where every section is and what regulations are there so that when you get a question on the exam that is not very specific about which code it’s referring to, you know where to look to find the answer.

[ Were there any barriers to signing up for the exam or can anyone just sign up and give it a try? ]

There are some eligibility criteria - you can’t be an employee of a club or an official of a club or league - basically you can’t have a ‘conflict of interest risk’. There are other restrictions that need to be followed, not just when you apply but after getting the qualification, getting the license.

Being a lawyer helps a lot because it’s a lot of reading but it’s not mandatory. Outside India, probably 70 or 80% of agents are lawyers but that’s not the case in India.

[ When and how did you find out you were the first and (so far) only woman in India to pass the FIFA Agent Exam? ]

It's actually very funny - in 2019, the founder of an agency I was doing some legal consulting with told me that there were no female agents in India. I thought by 2024 things would have changed but they didn’t. And in 2019, there was no exam/license so anybody could have become an agent!

So when I decided to sit for the exam, I didn’t know I was the first and only one but when I went for the exam at the AIFF (India FA) headquarters, the exam head came and spoke to me and told me I was the first woman to even appear for the exam (!).

I can’t remember clearly what my reaction was but I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or not. I have very mixed feelings about it, I really want to change this number.

[ Have women reached out to you about becoming an agent/taking the exam? ]

Yeah but sadly it’s still been more men than women. I had a woman from Ghana reach out and that was very interesting. I don’t have too many female agent role models or people to get mentorship from so I thought I could help her with her exams. But yeah, it’s been pretty rare (for women to get in touch).

[ Can you describe what a football agent actually does? What falls under your responsibility? ]

An agent helps talent - an athlete or a coach - find better opportunities. If you’re an agent with a club, then you help the club find the right talent.

When we talk about representing an athlete, it means helping them get trials, negotiate a good deal that takes care of their needs and their rights and ensuring the clubs follow their obligations too. I also want to help them build a brand - athletes are very inspirational and people look up to them, I believe in making athletes leaders and use their platform to speak up about things (e.g. a cause they relate to).

[ How do you find people (players or coaches) to represent? ]

I have a few contacts I had here and there through my playing career, through friends and word of mouth. For the rest, I’m just reaching out to people. I’m speaking with scouts, academy directors and even college students playing abroad.

I also go to trial matches - a lot of networking happens there too. So it’s lots of conversations, getting to know people and getting my name out there so when someone has a requirement, they can think, ‘oh, let’s speak to Pragati about this’.

[ What is the next step if, for example, you like one of these players you see? How do you approach them and come to an agreement? ]

It depends on the age of the player. If they are under 18, I only approach the parents first. I speak to the parents (or the player if they are over 18), explain what I do and what I can do, the contacts I have with coaches, scouts, clubs, etc. I also make sure to emphasize that I'm a lawyer and an agent because that's a big gap in India. Usually, unless the contract value is huge, agents don't necessarily engage a lawyer, so contracts are often not vetted by a legal expert at all. That’s definitely something that helps make me unique.

I also explain to them my vision of what I'm trying to do, why I want to associate with them. But most importantly, before I talk too much about myself, I try to understand what they are looking for, their preferences, their vision, where they see themselves in 5 or 10 years.

[ Do you sign a contract or what is the ‘official’ way to show that you represent this player? ]

Yeah, we sign a ‘mandate’ - it's a representation agreement where we agree on terms for commission and things like that. As per FIFA regulations, this agreement can only be for a maximum of 2 years at a time.

[ What if the player has an agent already? Can you/would you try to get them to switch? ]

Honestly, it's a very cutthroat industry. Everyone's poaching talent here and there!

It’s very common actually for agents to approach athletes throughout. Also due to the 2 year limitation on agent ‘contracts’, we can see if a contract is running out and try to negotiate with the player. If an athlete sees that an agent might be able to get them a better trial, or a better club or sponsorship deals, they will usually go there.

Some women, for example, might prefer working with a woman because there’s a different kind of trust or biological needs are easier to explain, etc so they might switch agents for this reason too.

I believe that if I showcase my work and skills, people will come. Of course I can pitch myself and negotiate but they should make the choice they want, they should want to work with me as well.

[ Do you know roughly how many players in the top division in India are represented by an agent? ]

It’s very low, even on the men's side, I would say less than 10% of players have agents because agents are only signing the very top players, players who’ve already made it to the national team.

I’ve spoken to a lot of kids who do not have agents and have tried approaching a few but usually get no response or guidance. That’s where I realized that you can’t just focus on the top crop, if you want the sport to develop, if you want players to develop, you have to take a broader approach.

[ Why would an agent join a sports agency vs working for themselves? ]

Working for yourself, you still need to survive - so you need your ‘survival expenses’ covered. If you go independent, I think you also need resources - financial and people because you can’t do everything on your own. You need to have a team, someone to complement your skills. For example, there might be someone who helps with scouting or with video analysis.

I need to be a little patient, I’m taking my time to get to know the space and what kind of resources I might need if I want to hire a team - there are people willing to work together! - and also find out how I could pay them.

[ How do you get paid? Is it a percentage of wages or transfer fees or? ]

The general practice in India is not to take a cut from their wages as generally very low (it can be different in other countries, or with players on significant wages). Normally, it’s only from the transfer fees where you can take a commission. Apart from that, you can negotiate a commission for the sponsorship deals that you bring in. That’s about it.

[ I think it’s fair to say agents have a generally negative reputation among football fans - what do you think about this? ]

Yeah, that is true. When I tell someone I'm an agent, someone who might have had a bad experience or knows someone who had a bad experience might be a little dismissive. But I try to portray that I’m here to help you (the player) make more money, not to take away your money!

The only way I can earn money is by helping the player bring in money, so we can have a mutually beneficial relationship.

[ What are you hoping to achieve in the coming years? ]

My goal is to bridge the gender gap in football, even if it's 1% or 2%, that gap has to be closed down. And not just including women as a token for inclusivity but where if you see a qualified female coach managing a men’s team, it’s not a big deal and is normalized.

[ What are the biggest reasons to feel optimistic about the future of Indian football? ]

There’s so much that can be done. This makes me very optimistic. Instead of being sad about it and complaining about all the things that need to be fixed, there are so many things that can be improved - and it’s not impossible.

Also, the Indian women’s football team’s rank is in the 60s (68 vs the men’s 126) and there’s a chance that in the next 2 to 3 cycles we have some real success. That’s my hope.