About Us
Athlete First. Always.
We Are Privateers is built on a simple idea: the athlete comes first. Not the club. Not the federation. Not the sponsor. Not the performance on paper. Just the person—the one doing the work, making the sacrifices, and showing up, even when everything around them starts to crack.
Since 2017, we’ve supported athletes competing on some of the world’s biggest stages. But more importantly, we’ve stood beside them through the quiet moments—the parts of sport no one really prepares you for. The burnout. The bureaucracy. The politics. The mental wear and tear. The transitions, the injuries, the recoveries, the questions about what comes next.
This isn’t traditional management. We’re not here to push percentages or polish public profiles. We’re here to support the whole person—through seasons of growth, through hard decisions, through uncertainty, and into life beyond the field of play.
We don’t take on a large roster because that’s not what this is about. This work is personal. It has to be. When we say we’re here for our athletes, we mean all of it—not just the part when things are going well. We show up when it’s complicated. When the system gets quiet. When an athlete feels like they’ve run out of options or support.
That’s where we step in—and where we stay.
Now, as we begin to expand into professional football (we are officially FIFA licensed), our approach remains grounded in the same philosophy. We believe sport can be better. More human. More honest. We believe every athlete deserves support that reflects their full story—not just their stats.
We’re not building a brand. We’re building something that lasts. A model that listens before it speaks. That guides instead of dictates. That backs the athlete first and always.
This is long-term support. Real advocacy. Strategic thinking. And above all, trust.
This is We Are Privateers. And we’re just getting started.
My Story
I came up through sport the way a lot of athletes do—by figuring it out myself.
Track and field was my first love. I was a competitive athlete from Grade 3 through my final year of university, running sprints, mid-distance, jumps—whatever kept me moving and pushing. But I wasn’t just showing up for practice. I was obsessively learning—studying training methods, breaking down coaching philosophies, reading everything I could get my hands on. I didn’t have a roadmap, so I started building my own.
That same mindset followed me through everything I’ve done since.
After university, I started a construction and resource development company and later moved into immigration law, where I now work alongside my wife. But it wasn’t until 2017—when I formally stepped into athlete management—that all those pieces came together.
I saw, up close, how broken the system could be. Athletes pushed past their limits, discarded when results dipped, treated more like investments than human beings. I saw a cycle that rewarded short-term performance, not long-term well-being. And I knew I couldn’t work that way.
So I started building something different. That became the foundation of what I now call the Athlete-Centric Model—a system rooted in trust, care, and the idea that an athlete’s value isn’t just in their medals, but in who they are as people. It’s not just about helping them succeed in sport. It’s about helping them live full, sustainable lives through and beyond it.
Over the years, I’ve lived and worked in countries across Europe, Africa, and Asia—places that challenged me, taught me, and gave me a deeper understanding of people, culture, and the power of sport to connect us. I also studied at The DO School in Hamburg, Germany, where I worked on projects that used sport as a tool for social change.
All of that shaped what We Are Privateers has become. It’s not just a firm. It’s a philosophy. A belief that athletes deserve more—more care, more honesty, more support.
This isn’t just work for me.
It’s personal.
Athlete-Centric Model
They Manage. We Support
Most systems are built around what athletes can do for sport.
Ours is built around what sport should be doing for athletes.
The athlete-centric model flips the script. It means we start with the person—not the rankings, the medals, or the sponsorship potential. We look at the full picture: physical, mental, emotional, educational, financial. How you train. How you recover. How you build a life that still matters long after the last whistle.
Every athlete is different. That’s the point. We don’t push one path—we help build the right one, together.
Support. Guidance. Strategy. Long-term planning.
Not just for what happens on the field, but for everything that comes after.
Because your career isn’t just a season. It’s a story.
And we’re here to help you write it on your terms.
Athlete-Centric Model
They Manage. We Support
Most systems in sport are still built on the same outdated idea: that athletes exist to serve the machine. That your value is based on your wins, your times, your rankings, your media metrics. That you should push through anything, stay quiet, and be grateful you made it this far.
We think that’s backwards.
The athlete-centric model flips the script. It starts with one belief: sport should serve the athlete—not the other way around.
At We Are Privateers, we start with the person. Who you are. What you need. What you want your life in sport—and after it—to look like. Because performance doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s built on everything else: physical preparation, mental health, emotional resilience, financial stability, access to good coaching, and trust in the people around you.
If one part’s off, it all suffers. And too often, athletes are left to figure that out on their own.
So we do it differently. We don’t take on dozens of clients. We don’t treat you like a product. We build real relationships—where we understand your goals, your fears, your timeline, and your values. And then we walk that path with you, through the wins and the injuries, the burnout and the comebacks, the big moments and the quiet transitions no one talks about.
This isn’t traditional management. We’re not just here for the deal—we’re here for the in-between. The months of travel. The late-night doubts. The career moves. The questions no one else seems to have time for.
We build a plan with you. Not for you. One that helps you perform better and live better. One that helps you not only succeed in sport—but grow into the next chapter, whenever it comes.
That’s what athlete-first actually means.
Not slogans. Not sales pitches. Just real support from someone who’s in it with you for the long haul.
Because your career isn’t just a season. It’s a story.
And we’re here to help you write it—on your terms.
That’s the Privateer way.
Services
This isn’t traditional agency work. It’s not about chasing deals, stacking endorsements, or clipping percentages off your earnings. This is long-term, athlete-first support—designed to meet you exactly where you are and help you build something sustainable from the ground up.
Whether you’re pushing toward Olympic qualification, breaking into professional football, or navigating a transition after years at the top, we work with you to map out a plan. We focus on the full picture—balancing performance and mental health, opportunity and protection, ambition and wellbeing.
This support doesn’t end when the lights are off or the season’s done. We help with competition planning and long-term career strategy. We assist with transitions between levels or countries. When federation relationships get complicated, we help you navigate the systems that weren’t built with you in mind. And when it’s time to think about life after sport, we’re already there with you—helping shape what comes next.
We work with a small number of athletes because this work is personal. It requires time, trust, and honesty. You’re not just a result or a reputation. You’re a whole person. And we treat you that way.
If you’re ready for something different—something real—let’s talk.
ATHLETE SUPPORT & CAREER PLANNING
Personalized, strategic support to build a sustainable path—both in and beyond sport. We help set goals, make smart decisions, and stay focused.
ADVOCACY & ATHLETE PROTECTION
When things go sideways—federation issues, unfair treatment, or getting overlooked—we step in to help you navigate and make sure your voice is heard.
PATHWAY DEVELOPMENT
Olympic cycles, pro trials, or new goals—we help athletes map their route, identify opportunities, and build structure around what’s next.
LIFE AFTER SPORT
You’re more than your stats. We help you plan for life beyond the game—whether that’s a new career, education, or just solid ground.
Who We’ve Helped
Sara Mihalik – Sprint Kayak (FIN, HUN)
World Champion. European medalist. Olympic-level athlete. Now shaping the future of her sport from the other side of the boat.
My work with Sara has always gone beyond medals and finish lines. From the beginning, it was about building something sustainable—making sure her identity, purpose, and opportunities didn’t end the day she stepped off the podium.
But getting to that podium wasn’t easy.
Sara’s path was filled with challenges that most people will never see. From navigating a difficult nationality change to represent Finland, to running up against the quiet (and not-so-quiet) politics that can dominate high-performance sport—her journey tested everything: her resolve, her confidence, and sometimes even her belief that the system would ever make room for her. Despite her obvious talent and world-class results, she wasn’t always given the opportunities she had earned. And that’s the kind of injustice that can break a lot of people.
Through all of it, my job was simple: be the one person who didn’t walk away. Be steady. Be real. Be there when the wolves came in and she needed someone in her corner. Sometimes that’s the most powerful thing you can offer an athlete—not management, not deals, but backing. Quiet, consistent backing.
When the time came for what was next, we built a path with intention. She took on an internship with the International Testing Agency, gaining insight into the systems meant to protect clean sport. Now, she’s coaching at WAT Kanuzentrum in Vienna, mentoring the next generation of paddlers and creating space for more youth—especially girls—to find their strength in sprint kayak.
Sara’s story is one of perseverance, evolution, and purpose. She didn’t just survive the system—she carved out something bigger than it. That’s what we’re here to do at We Are Privateers: not just help athletes win, but help them write a future that’s theirs. One that doesn’t end when the cheering fades. One that begins there.
Who We’ve Helped
Anthony Watson – Skeleton (PUR, JAM)
2018 Olympian, now making one last run—this time for Puerto Rico at Cortina 2026.
Anthony’s story is one of quiet resilience and relentless belief. After making history as the first male skeleton athlete to represent Jamaica at the Winter Olympics, he found himself at a crossroads—not of ability, but of opportunity. The environment he was in no longer served his growth, and after careful reflection, he made the decision to transition and represent Puerto Rico.
The road wasn’t simple. Navigating the systems of international sport—eligibility, licensing, politics—can be a maze, especially when you’re not backed by the usual institutions or big-name supporters. But Anthony stuck with it. He kept moving, kept believing, and never lost sight of his goal. My role throughout was to be in his corner. To help him carry the weight of the behind-the-scenes work, and to make sure he had someone walking alongside him through the complexity—not just as a manager, but as a real support.
Now, he’s pushing for one final Olympic chapter, entirely self-funded, driven by the proceeds of a speaking tour where he shares his story—of perseverance, identity, and the long, hard road of building a dream when the system doesn’t hand it to you.
Off the ice, Anthony is every bit the performer—an actor, dancer, musician, and speaker. He brings that same presence and purpose to his athletic career, and our work together is about giving him the freedom and structure to close this chapter with the fullness it deserves.
Because athletes like Anthony don’t just chase the dream. They carry it. They build it from scratch. And they deserve support that meets them with that same heart and commitment.
The Dispatch
Behind every headline, every medal and every contract…there’s a story.
The Dispatch is a podcast dedicated to the stories that rarely get told in professional sport. Not through interviews or commentary, but through audio essays – athletes speaking directly to you, in their own words, sharing their truth.
The long journeys. The quiet sacrifices. The political battles. The mental health struggles. The family dynamics. The transitions nobody prepares you for. The moments that don’t make headlines but shape everything.
This is sport as it really is, told by the people who live it.
Every athlete is more than their sport. Every career is more than results. And every story deserves to be told.
The Dispatch: Athletes. Unfiltered. Uninterrupted.
Get in Touch
Whether you’re an athlete looking for real support, a parent seeking guidance, or someone facing challenges inside a broken system—this is a place where you can reach out.
Use the form below to connect. We review every message personally, and all communication is kept private.
If you’re reaching out about an advocacy issue, including athlete mistreatment, abuse, or unsafe conditions—please know this is taken seriously. We’re not a legal service, but we do offer support, strategy, and help connecting you with the right people or organizations.
If you’re in immediate danger or experiencing a crisis, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional in your area.