Managing to look after sport's elite

Interview/Chubby Chandler: Paul Gallagher talks to a larger-than-life character about some of the famous sports people he manages

Drinking pints of Guinness and playing the spoons in the company of "Christy Junior and The Darce" while being "an average pro" on the European Tour was all well and good, but when Andrew "Chubby" Chandler eventually exercised his entrepreneurial skills the association with the world of professional golf would lead him down a whole new path of sports management.

Chandler (52) is the founder of International Sports Management (ISM), a company which was set up on the back of a £10,000 overdraft in 1989 when the larger-than-life character, in every sense as he once weighed in at 300lbs, packed the clubs away to take a chance on managing some of his fellow professionals.

In 1990 he got the heads-up on a promising Irish amateur who was in need of direction and focus as he embarked on a life in the paid ranks. A flight to Dublin, followed by a one-hour meeting, was the planting of a seed which to this day remains the catalyst for ISM's business.

The all encompassing method by which Chandler managed Darren Clarke would be the template for all his future clients - including the likes of Ernie Els, cricketer Andrew Flintoff plus other Irish notables in Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell.

"I can vividly remember playing the 1975 Portuguese Open at Penina," reminisces Chandler in his broad accent. "After the first round I was in the clubhouse bar with Christy (O'Connor) Junior, Hugh Jackson, Arnold O'Connor and Eamonn Darcy. There was a bunch of us singing, having a few drinks, playing the spoons and it was more like being on holiday than a tour event.

"By 1989 I had played on tour, pretty averagely, for 15 years and knew I wasn't going to get much better. I didn't have the necessary commitment and dedication, maybe I enjoyed myself too much," added Chandler before elaborating on how the professional game has changed in the 30-plus years he has been involved.

"I'm lucky, I've got 32 years experience on this tour. George O'Grady (now executive director of the European Tour) was a rules official when I started playing, that's how far we go back. There was no one to manage you then but nowadays everyone has a management company.

"Back in the 1970s you maybe had IMG (International Management Group) and a guy called Derek Pillage, who had British Caledonian Golf Alliance, and that was pretty much it. Pillage finished by the time I had started so there was a real gap for someone who knew what was going on. IMG was, and still is, a very successful company but was largely made up of accountants and lawyers. I was the first guy that played, then managed a few players," said Chandler, spotting a niche in the sports management market.

"Our first sponsorship deal was with ICI and we put their logo on a couple of players, Carl Mason and Phil Harrison. I also had Derek Cooper and Denis Durnian as clients, they were my first four players. By mid-1990 we had 15 players made up of guys I played on tour with such as Richard Boxall (now of Sky Sports), Mark Roe and Paul Broadhurst. When I say we, it was me and a secretary and the £10,000 overdraft from NatWest!

"When I met Darren in August 1990 he was the first person I went to see that was brand new. Dougie Heather was a Dublin solicitor and former Irish international who a lot of amateurs went to see for advice (he is currently the ISM chairman). Dougie rang me and said 'there's a young guy over here wants to meet someone like you' to get some advice on whether to turn pro or wait until after the Walker Cup at Portmarnock in 1991. I travelled over to meet Darren and to be fair, not a lot has changed because he even wore a long Hugo Boss cashmere coat back then," quips Chandler.

"Anyway, I explained that waiting for the Walker Cup wouldn't bring any better contracts and one thing is for sure he'd be a better player in a year's time if he turned pro as the practice facilities and coaching were so much better.

"That was fine and Clarkey said 'Right, right, I just want to play golf, can you do everything else?' At that point ISM didn't do everything else. I was quite good at getting the deals but I didn't actually manage a person's life because my previous players were already set up. And when Clarkey said everything, he meant everything!

"To look after Darren like that was the template for everyone else who followed. We do everything from the banking, credit cards, bills, travel, tax returns plus their personal investments such as cars and houses. That's where we are strong as we know the ropes, I've been there myself."

With 18 players on the main tour and another six on the Challenge Tour in the ISM stable, Chandler also branched out into cricket, the sport he enjoyed as a child. "We are lucky with the cricket because we have the one guy that matters in Freddie (Andrew Flintoff). He's a local guy and we've looked after him since 1998, a great talent and not unlike Darren in personality."

The ISM cricket crease, headed-up by former England Test player Neil Fairbrother, reads likes a who's who of the game with Michael Vaughan, Steve Harmison and bowling sensation Muttiah Muralitharan among the ISM clients.

Chandler is also convinced other management companies see how ISM run their business - including IMG - "who probably look after their players much better than they used to, they have to because they see we do".

Some speak given that IMG are a multi-national operation with over 2,000 employees and pioneers in this business across a multitude of sports.

When the founder, the late Mark McCormack, shook hands with Arnold Palmer in 1960 and Palmer became IMG's first golf client it marked the evolution of a new industry. Today, they manage Tiger Woods and many of the world's top players including Padraig Harrington.

"IMG are very, very good and I think Padraig has a fantastic relationship with them. We were never connected with Padraig and I think it was a shrewd move on his part as he saw the other top Irish guys were with us (Clarke, McGinley and McDowell) and therefore he had a free run with IMG."

Slightly further down the golfing food chain Chandler also saw one of his younger stars, Stephen Browne, move from ISM over to Horizon Sports Management, an Irish venture which was formed last year by Conor Ridge, who previously worked for Drury Sports Management.

The 30-year-old also has Irish professionals such as Colm Moriarty, Michael Hoey and Tim Rice on his books plus interests with a number of GAA players. "Stephen (Browne) was with us but Horizon offered him a good deal. At the end of the day I'm all for the player doing what's best for him," said Chandler.

Chandler, who employs 20 people and has offices in London, America and the main hub in Cheshire, doesn't hold a specific work ethic for his approach to managing clients.

However, what emerges is an undeniable loyalty and camaraderie between those who come on board. He puts much of that down to the way his high profile stars get together and enjoy quality time away from competition.

"We are careful about who we work with because they need to fit in. Take Ernie (Els), for example, he was always going to fit in. These guys have built up a serious rapport together. Ernie will be pulling for Darren or Lee (Westwood) like you wouldn't believe if they are in contention, and vice-versa.

"The Darren and Lee friendship thing came about partly because they played the same schedule in the beginning. Quite often when they were competing in America they were alone because no one really goes out over there. But they were able to lean on each and have become the very best of friends."

And what about the private jet they were buying together? "It was getting to be a distraction for Lee, not so much Darren as he says 'just go and get it'. So, we've canned the idea for now and may look at it again in six months," said Chandler.

ISM always keep a close eye on rising stars and the current crop, including Lloyd Saltman, Oliver Fisher and Rory McIlroy, have grabbed Chandler's attention. "We have a special relationship with Rory and think there is a good chance of him being with us when he turns pro. But it's important for him to finish his amateur career and play Walker Cup next year," said Chandler.

"He rings up from time to time looking for advice and it's almost the reverse of Darren's situation where I say to him 'stay amateur and play Walker Cup, there is plenty of time after that'. The thing is you can't get too involved in an amateur's career because you infringe amateur rule status but I'm always there to call upon if he needs advice."

As a huge sports fan Chandler had the foresight to have ins to major sport events of interest to his clients, and they certainly know how to enjoy themselves. ISM holds corporate boxes both at Manchester United and City - despite Chandler being an avid Bolton fan - and several cricket grounds, not to mentions boxes at some London theatres and reservations at top restaurants.

"It's important to have people together. We often have days when our golfers and cricketers play a round of golf in the afternoon then go see a football match in the evening. It's a proper day out, everyone gets to know each other and that's hugely important," enthuses Chandler. "We went to the first Ashes Test match at Lords against Australia last summer. We sat in the cheap seats, whatever you want to call them, not in corporate area is what I mean, and there you had three Ryder Cup players in a row. Westwood, Clarke and David Howell. They were all texting Vaughan and Freddie during the match and having a laugh."

In Chandler's world there are no typical days. "I was picking the kids up from school before heading for a game of golf when I got a call about the Kenneth Ferrie/Paul McGinley thing at this year's Irish Open. Suddenly your world's upside down for an hour and a half because it's important these things are handled properly. It was lack of experience on his (Ferrie) part," said Chandler, making reference to the spat at Carton House.

After countless air miles to all corners of the globe to pander to a player's every need at the drop of a hat, is there a possibility that golfers, in general, are spoon fed too much and to their detriment? "Most times it's great, they can focus on their game while we look after everything else. But sometimes you do worry if these guys end up in the real world or not. It's crucial to keep a balance and I believe we have that."

Chandler is always looking for new ventures. ISM already run the Quinn Direct British Masters and next year Chandler will launch a racing club called SportingISM. "The racing aspect will be a catalyst for having a network of people that wish to buy into the corporate hospitality we provide. We are also in negotiations to create a golf club called the Champions Club, that will form another strand of our business.

"Basically, when I stopped playing the only thing I knew I didn't want to do was sell tee pegs in a pro shop for the rest of my days. I had this notion I'd end up in PR, even though I didn't know what PR stood for but that's probably what I've ended up doing! I just followed my instincts, and still do," concluded Chandler.