Players need to market themselves - Lowe encourages footballers to self-promote in testing COVID-19 times
Published:Sunday | July 19, 2020 | 12:33 AMDaniel Wheeler - Sunday Gleaner Writer
Football players creating mixtape-type videos of their skills to attract prospective clubs is not a new phenomenon. However, national defender Damion Lowe believes that it will have greater importance, specifically for out-of-contract players looking for opportunities.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused not only a long lay-off of football globally but also financial difficulties for clubs, resulting in pay cuts and other cost-cutting measures.
The 27-year-old Lowe is plotting his next club destination after a three-year stint at Norwegian Club IK Start. He has clips of his performances on his Instagram page but says that the practice has been something he has cultivated throughout his career. He believes that COVID-19 will lead to players needing to reinvent themselves in similar ways to get signed in this climate.
“It will help and they will have to do it. It’s how the world is going now. A lot of players are going to be out of a contract whether their team has folded or gone bankrupt. Making these videos should help and will help,” Lowe told The Sunday Gleaner.
However, regardless of circumstances, he says that it is critical for players to always be proactive in attracting the interest of prospective clubs.
“It’s very important to market yourself as a player and don’t just wait on your team or someone to reach out, or wait on your agent,” he said.
For local players who are yearning for an overseas contract, former national player-turned-agent Damani Ralph says that creating videos is a good way to be seen because of the lack of visibility of local games. However, he acknowledges that the pandemic has resulted in clubs being more restrictive in their transfer business.
‘Challenging Time’
“It is a challenging time for all players at the moment, including out-of-contract players. Due to the financial loss which most clubs have incurred because of the COVID-19 pandemic, you are seeing a reduction in teams spending outside of the top clubs in the world,” Ralph said. “This has slowed the market down quite a bit in regard to signing players. Deals will eventually get done; however, a bit more patience is required.”
With out-of-contract players actively searching for new clubs in this uncertain climate, Lowe says that it is important that they are not taken advantage of by clubs that may be tempted to offer considerably less wages than the market value, under the mask of COVID-19.
“I need to still have my goals and standards and say listen, this is what I’m worth. If you want my service then you have to pay this amount,” Lowe said. “I understand the situation, with the clubs and the whole world going crazy right now, but OK, I can take a two per cent or five per cent cut, but what else can you put in it that I can get that back?”
Despite the difficulties and changes for this particular summer period, Lowe believes that quality players will have little to worry about when it comes to finding new clubs for next season.
“Once you are a good player and once you were doing well prior to the pandemic, teams would have been aware of you and your talents, so you wouldn’t have to stress that much about finding a team or marketing yourself,” added Lowe.