Mullingar man passes FIFA Football Agent Exam
A young Mullingar man has become one of a small group of Irish people to pass the difficult FIFA Football Agent Exam.
Conor McKenna recently received confirmation that he had passed the FIFA Football Agent Exam, a 60 minute, multiple choice exam devised by the soccer’s governing body to ascertain applicants' suitability for the role. Over 9,000 people reportedly sat the open book exam in 2023, with less than a third securing the 75 per cent pass rate.
Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Conor revealed that he had spent a number of months studying hard in the run up to the exam, which took place in the Sports Ireland headquarters in Abbotstown in Dublin.
“I was given a 705 page study guide. It had all of the different sections that would be in the exam, such as the rules, different statutes, information about how the transfer market works, and best practices, as well as a section about safeguarding. Some of it was very complex stuff and there was a lot of reading required.
“The main thing was understanding the various concepts and understanding how things work, as opposed to learning hard definitions, that was probably the biggest thing from my perspective. I was also trying to visualise real life examples in my head that I could relate to and that would give me a greater understanding on the topics and enable me to answer the questions in a better manner.”
An avid sports fan, Conor became interested in becoming a football agent after reading a number of books about the topic and doing some research into both the domestic and international landscapes.
“I always thought I'd like the opportunity to work with professional sports people. My thinking was that if I was able to pass the exam and get registered that there might be some openings in Ireland and further afield.”
Conor says that he doesn't know what the future holds, but he is looking forward to seeing how things pan out.
“The next thing for me is to look for opportunities and maybe look for players to sign and to represent them. I would be big into progressing people's careers. Loyalty would also be a big thing and that they'd very much trust in me. I will look for opportunities and am open to anything.”