LONDON
Wasserman’s Industry-Leading Football Talent Representation Business Enhances its Presence in Belgium
LONDON and ROTSELAAR (Wednesday 14 May, 2025)– Global sports, music, and entertainment company Wasserman has acquired football talent representation business SportPlus, in a deal announced today by Wasserman Vice President, International Operations, Global Football, Lee Charnley. As part of the acquisition, Co-founders of SportPlus, Nico Vaesen and Evert Maeschalck will both join Wasserman as Senior Vice President, International Football.
Founded in 2019 by Vaesen and Maeschalck, SportPlus is one of the leading football management agencies in Belgium. They have been successfully working with footballers, coaches, clubs and associations for over 15 years. The team will continue to operate from offices in Rotselaar, Belgium, where the company was founded.
This acquisition builds on Wasserman’s existing presence in Belgium, following the acquisition of cycling representation business, Squadra Sports Management in 2023 which rebranded as Wasserman Cycling. In addition, Wasserman’s Brands and Properties division has been operating across the Benelux region since 2018 following the acquisition of experiential marketing agency, Boris. This combination provides a solid foundation for Wasserman’s expansion and growth within the market.
Charnley said of the acquisition, “We are delighted to further strengthen our footprint in Belgium through the addition of SportPlus. This acquisition complements our existing presence in the Benelux region, as we continue to explore ways to maximise opportunities for our clients.”
Vaesen said, “Globalisation was a key priority for us and this acquisition epitomises that. We’re excited to be expanding Wasserman’s presence in Belgium, and we’re confident that this move will open up a whole raft of new opportunities for our client base.”
Maeschalck said: “Personal service based on trust and knowledge has always been at the heart of our business. Joining forces with Wasserman, who share these core values, will make this approach both futureproof and global. We don’t want to miss this opportunity for our clients. It’s as simple as that.”
SportPlus’ list of clients includes UEFA Champions League winner, Simon Mignolet (Club Brugge), six-time Belgian champions, Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge) and Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), as well as Maarten Vandevoordt (RB Leipzig), the youngest goalkeeper to ever play in the UEFA Champions League. Their list of coaches includes Philippe Clement (Glasgow Rangers, AS Monaco, Club Brugge, Krc Genk), Thorsten Fink (Krc Genk, Sint-Truiden, Al Nasr, Vissel Kobe), Timmy Simons (Kvc Westerlo, Zulte-Waregem) and Wouter Vrancken (Sint-Truiden, KAA Gent, Krc Genk).
They will join Wasserman’s impressive existing roster of footballing talent, which includes includes Fede Valverde (Real Madrid and Uruguay), Teun Koopmeiners (Juventus and Netherlands) and John Stones (Manchester City and England), alongside other huge names in global football such as Nathan Ake (Manchester City and Netherlands), Malo Gusto (Chelsea and France), Manuel Akanji (Manchester City and Switzerland), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan and Netherlands), Alessia Russo (England and Arsenal), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars and USA), Ronald Koeman (Netherlands) and Mikel Arteta (Arsenal).
The addition of SportPlus bolsters Wasserman’s ambitious growth strategy, demonstrated this year by the acquisition of branding and signage business, bluemedia, and joining forces with hockey talent representation business, KO Sports and last year in Europe, with the acquisitions of representation businesses, International Football Management, Line Up Sports and Volante Sports. Wasserman has become a leading marketing, management, representation and sales business with the ability to provide tailored services and an unrivalled network of relationships, skills and specialisms.
About Wasserman
Wasserman operates at the epicenter of sports, music, entertainment and culture, serving talent, brands and properties on a global scale. Wasserman works with iconic sports and media figures across the world in every major sport, utilizing our extensive influence to maximize negotiations and create meaningful opportunities for our clients across teams, leagues, brands, content and live events.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, Wasserman’s presence spans 28 countries and more than 70 cities, including New York, London, Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Madrid, Mexico City, Toronto, Paris and Sydney. For more information, please visit www.teamwass.com.
