Niclas Ott – from player to player consultant

„Athlete United was actually born out of a coincidence. I was active myself as a player in the 4th league in Germany and thus always very connected to the sport. I also have a stake in a smaller table tennis brand and therefore know the players behind the scenes.

Three years ago, we started to sponsor a team in the German Table Tennis League and have thus cultivated even more intensive contact with the professionals. Especially with record Olympic medalist Dimitrij Ovtcharov, who also lives in my home town Düsseldorf, the contact was very close very early on. I told him at the time that he actually needed a professional website and that he should intensify the sponsorship issue. At the time, he said to me, „Can you do that?“

No sooner said than done. From the website, the social media presence, a pitch deck for sponsors, everything was professionalized. That’s how it started back then. But we quickly realized back then how unprofessionally many things were handled in table tennis compared to soccer or basketball. That’s why we said to ourselves: we have to change that.

Today we advise & accompany the players in all topics that arise in the everyday life of a table tennis professional. From the club question, the choice of equipment, contract and salary negotiations, etc..
But also away from the table tennis table we use our network to find the right sponsors for the players or to push the topic of personal branding – so that the player becomes a brand. Our goal is for the players to be able to concentrate fully on the sport.“