The football player agencies arena11 sports group GmbH (“arena11”) and Spielerrat GmbH (“Spielerrat”) have agreed to enter a long-term partnership with Invision under the new brand ROOF (Representatives of Outstanding Footballers). For this purpose, Invision, a leading financial investor focused on mid-sized companies in the DACH region, acquired a stake in ROOF Group GmbH. ROOF is based in Grünwald (Munich) and has over 40 employees.
ROOF has become one of the preeminent European professional football player advisory agencies and intermediaries. The company supports over one hundred professional football players and coaches across all European leagues, advising on career development, contract negotiations as well as support in transfer situations. The company strives to make athletes better, both on and off the pitch. The objective is to be a “Game Changer”, beyond the ninety minutes of a match. In this context, the core values are human respect and sportsmanship.
The founding shareholders of ROOF decided, based on the slogan #bettertogether, to find a partner to expand the range of services offered to players and coaches as well as to secure their leading position in an increasingly international and demanding market. In addition, the agency determined social responsibility as a key value pilar and therefore joined the charity movement Common Goal.
Invision is focused on supporting rapidly growing mid-sized companies headquartered in German speaking regions. As a first step to implementing the agreed strategy, Invision invested in arena11 and shortly thereafter finalised a partnership with Coaches & More, another leading German player agency. The merger with Spielerrat and relaunch under the new combined ROOF brand was the next important development.
All operational responsibility will continue to remain with the founding shareholders of ROOF.
The group’s long-term objective is to continue the targeted internationalisation as well as further development and dedicated support of players and coaches, both domestically and internationally. Invision will actively assist with know-how and additional capital in relation to further strategic partnerships and strategically relevant add-on opportunities.
Peter Kroha from Invision: „The entire ROOF team is characterised by a passion for the development of professional footballers’ careers, a commitment which convinced us to partner with ROOF. We are delighted to become part of the ROOF family and are very excited about the opportunity of joining this success story.”
Steffen Asal, Managing Director of ROOF: „To enter into a long-term partnership requires above all trust. At ROOF we understand this aspect of a successful relationship particularly well, because of the trust that our players and coaches place in us every day. We are convinced that we have found the right, trustworthy and committed partner in Invision to continue our successful long-term development. “
Thorsten Wirth, Managing Director of ROOF: „Combining arena11 and Spielerrat, backed by Invision, was the natural next step for our firm. We are convinced that the combination of our two businesses under der ROOF brand will provide our clients the best possible service and support.”
Details of the partnership are confidential and were not disclosed.
The managing shareholders were advised by Alantra Deutschland GmbH and P+P Pöllath + Partners Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater mbB as well as PKF (Financial & Tax) and PWC (Legal and Tax).
Invision was advised by Hogan Lovells International LLP (Legal), Rödl & Partner GmbH (Finance & Tax), PWC (Legal and Tax) and Rautenberg Moritz & Co GmbH (Commercial).
About ROOF Group GmbH
ROOF (Representatives of Outstanding Footballers) is a leading agency focused on professional football players, coaches and clubs. Founded in 2021 by the combination of three leading German football agencies, ROOF is one of the world’s largest and most valuable professional football advisory businesses.
Further information can be found on: www.roof.football
About Invision
Since its foundation in 1997, Invision has developed into a leading investor focused on mid-sized companies headquartered in German speaking regions. During this time, Invision invested over EUR 800 million in over 60 companies, supporting these businesses in developing new growth strategies.
Further information can be found on: www.invision.ch
