Golfer Lu Kwan-chih has been training hard recently in yogalates. Lu, who played baseball as a kid, is stocky for a female athlete. This gives her the explosive force she needs for long drives, but it also makes her less flexible. The advice for her new training program came from experts at the agency that now represents her.

In early April, Lu, 22, and Yu Pei-lin signed new contracts with Erics Sports Marketing Inc., stating that Erics will raise NT$1-3 million for each of them every year over the next three years to sponsor them in competitions abroad.

She just went pro, so financial assistance is obviously important, but Lu, who will soon graduate from Taipei Physical Education College, explains that Erics is helping match her up with competitions best suited to her. To make sure that her career gets on the right track is just as important as money.

Partners on the outside

Erics Sports president Eric Shih, 33, has been a sports marketer and agent for five years. He used to work at International Management Group (IMG), Taiwan, but eventually obtained generous support from his father Stan Shih, founder of the Acer Group, to go out on his own. In addition to providing him with NT$1.5 million in seed money for the business, his father's connections have also been critical.

At first, "We took all kinds of jobs, such as organizing sporting events and assisting businesses to plan sports marketing strategies," Eric Shih confides. "The list goes on, but our main event remained the 'Golf Hope Project.'"

From Tu A-yu and Lu Liang-huan, both of whom played in Japan in the early days, to Lin Yu-ping who made her way into professional golf in America more recently, golfers from Taiwan have proven themselves over and over again. If Taiwanese players are to improve quickly and become known internationally, they have to play in major tournaments.

With vocal support from Stan Shih the project has attracted sponsorship from sports and business notables like Fubon Group chairman Daniel Tsai, UMC honorary vice-chairman John Hsuan, and renowned Taiwanese golfer Hsieh Min-nan. Athletes like Lu Kwan-chih and Yu Pei-lin, who have received sponsorship to compete, have been increasing in number. These two turned pro early this year, after receiving a bronze medal for team golf in the 2006 Doha Games.

Erics organizes marketing activities to win sponsorship for its athletes. It does this through its huge network of corporate contacts. What makes Eric Shih an expert consultant, however, is his many years of sports marketing experience.

"The three major arenas for professional golf competition are Japan, Europe, and the United States," Eric Shih explains. Golfers from Taiwan tend to play in Japan and America. As an amateur, Lu competed in the US a number of times and she speaks English, so Erics plans to have her play there for the most part. In contrast, Yu Pei-lin competed mainly in Japan before turning pro, and as such is more familiar with that country and will focus on playing there.

Furthermore, the US is better suited to hard-hitting drivers like Lu. "First of all, US courses are bigger, so if you don't have the drive, you'll be at a disadvantage. Second, power has been the name of the game since Tiger Woods arrived on the golf scene. You must have power if you want to win the hearts of American fans. These are the reasons we suggested she aim for the US circuit."

The right choice is crucial

Agents rely on their expert judgment to choose the venues best suited to their clients, but because Taiwan's sports agent market is only just beginning to take shape, athletes are not generally aware that this is part of what an agent does. "Many players believe that if you've got what it takes athletically, then all you really need is a friend or a family member to handle your career. There's no reason to get an agent who is going to take a cut of your hard-earned money or lead you around by the nose," explains Chang Che-wei of Bros Sports.

To show what agents can do and just how effective matching up with the right one can be, Chang Che-wei says, "Bros Sports signed on five Taiwanese athletes in the past few years to play baseball in the US major leagues. Before making their decisions, each of the players interviewed with at least five ball clubs."

In February of 2006, pitcher Chiu Tzu-kai, then a first-year student at Taipei Physical Education College, signed an agent agreement with Bros Sports. Soon afterward, representatives from six MLB teams came all the way from the US to see Chiu.

"The result--the Red Sox, Braves, and Blue Jays all expressed interest. All that was left after that was discussing with his parents and classmates which club would be best for him," Chang Che-wei continues. Bros recommends the Braves, who are currently short on southpaws and who have never had a player from Taiwan (which would be good for marketing), even though the US$200,000 signing bonus that they are offering isn't the sweetest.

"Erics Sports was influential in having Lu Kwan-chih select the PGA Tour, and we encouraged Chiu Tzu-kai to go with the Braves," Chang Che-wei confides. "You need to shop around to find what's best for you. That's what agents do. They help players make the best choices."