JOHANNESBURG - Kagiso Rabada will step into the world of talent management, setting up his own agency to assist artists and athletes.
Rabada, 26, has collaborated with sports management firm, Forwardzone, to create the KGR Sports and Entertainment. The likes of Roger Federer, and his company Team8 and Lebron James with KlutchSports, have been involved in similar ventures.
“Being a direct collaborator in my own commercial opportunities, partnerships and branding is incredibly important to me - something which has now become real in KGR Sports & Entertainment,” Rabada said in a statement on Thursday. “This will also be true for every athlete and artist represented by KGR - enhanced and empowered by a team of commercial and creative experts.”
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The agency will assist clients in sourcing marketing opportunities and growing their own personal brands.
For Rabada, it is a move that is targeting life beyond the cricket field and after his playing days are over. He has played 158 matches for South Africa across the three formats, in an international career that is closing in on seven years. Off the field, Rabada has shown a keen interest in the music business, and it is likely that his new agency may provide assistance to musicians and producers.
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Alongside Ashley Kotzin, the CEO of ForwardZone, Rabada has set up a team of assistants and advisors to help manage KGR, which allow him to focus on matters on the field for as long as he keeps playing.
“We have put together a team of experts in their respective fields, and they are focused on the daily operations of growing this exciting new agency,” said Kotzin. “My role in the business will be to advise and offer guidance to the board and team as they go.”
Rabada has partnered with some top brands - including, Red Bull, adidas and Tag Heuer watches - and said through his advisors at KGR, his agency will be attempting to do similar for their new clients.
Rabada will be heading to Sri Lanka next week, where the Proteas are playing in a three match One-Day series followed by a T20 series. After that he will resume duties for his Indian Premier League team, the Delhi Capitals, before the T20 World Cup in the UAE starting in October.
South Africa’s premier fast bowler hopes his new company will be a ‘game changer’ in the occasionally murky world sports agency.
“It’s also an important evolution in the way in which athlete’s and artists are guided and represented in our industries,” Rabada added.
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