History

2005 – TRAINING GROUND

Early 2005 sees the birth of “Stars & Friends GmbH”. The pioneer agency “Star Factory” founded in 1997 by former Austrian international Jürgen Werner and business economist Andreas Sadlo acquires 50% of Lars Wilhelm Baumgarten’s and former Bayern pro Thomas Strunz’s “Strunz & Friends GmbH”. In September 2005, the two companies fuse into Stars & Friends GmbH – a future milestone in the European transfer business. Later in the year, S & F sees its first expansion and opens a unit in Bratislava, Slovakia under CEO Karol Csonto.

2006 – LINEUP

The fascinating 2006 Soccer World Cup hosted by Germany is guided by the international slogan “Friends invite the world” and becomes a dazzling summer’s tale pushing Germany’s image to new heights. Right in the middle of it all: young and dynamic agency Stars & Friends, who is responsible for Mike Hanke being the first German international on Jürgen Klinsmann’s highly acclaimed squad. With some great offensive action and Germany ending up in third place, the World Cup turns into a thrilling event that has the whole country going crazy.

At the same time, Stars & Friends unites its agencies in Austria, Germany and Slovakia under a holding company and thus paves the way for a bright future as one of the big players of the soccer world. New “offices” in Hungary and in the prospering training centers in Scandinavia solidify Stars & Friends’ reputation as a forward-looking company.

2007 – FORECHECKING

Although the Stars & Friends group mainly seizes 2007 for self-reflection on their rapid rise, consolidation of their market position and innovative reorganization, their respectability, competence and trailblazing ideas still manage to set new standards all across Europe. In addition, the idea of full-service consulting guided by the principle to Push, Guide and Support convinces many new stars and friends.

With about 120 transfers in the whole of Europe, S & F quickly approaches pole position among the European pro biz and turns into a role model of the high-level consulting segment. This successful development was also thanks to the fact that the exclusive cooperation with lawyer and tax expert Nils Baumgarten helped optimize the offered services for players and clubs.

2008 – OFFENSIVE PLAY WITHOUT LIMITS

The hugely successful EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, which was guided by the slogan “Expect Emotions”, managed to underline Stars & Friends’ leading role in the market. Players such as Simon Rolfes, Sebastian Prödl, Petr Cech and Servet Cetin to name but a few wowed the crowd with their soccer skills. In preparation for the upcoming European Soccer Championship in the Ukraine, S & F also opened a new office in Moscow, with Oleg Yarovinski and Maxim Anokhin serving as our new wingmen for the Easter European market. 

2009 – PRESSING

Next up on the Stars & Friends group’s course of expansion is Northern Europe. Together with Lars Petter Fosdahl, lawyer Andreas Ekker (Trondheim) and über-scout Stig Torbjornsen, S & F is making its way across Scandinavia, aiming for market leadership in the north of Europe. Working together with internationals like Per-Ciljan Skjelbred and Rune Jaarstein and thanks to a close cooperation with Scandinavia’s FC Barcelona, Rosenborg Trondheim, S & F continues to live life in the fast lane. In addition to their office in Oslo, Stars & Friends is also based in the popular Champions League venue of Trondheim, where the friends’ focus is also on the local youth. For instance, Norway’s prodigy Mushaga Bakenga (16) will start his hopefully successful international career together with S & F’s Scandinavian team.

2010 – POWERPLAY

In order to meet the increasing demands of the European soccer market, Stars & Friends opens an international sales office at Munich Airport, where friends from all over Europe meet to foster ongoing exchange and help Stars & Friends become a pioneer in the field of new developments, trends and creative problem solutions. This is where Stars & Friends’ biggest assets – the unmatched know-how and human resources of all international team members – are bundled and multiplied to ensure optimum interconnectedness for our players and clubs.

2011 – SUBSTITUTE

In early 2010, Stars & Friends sees the first major changes in their team structure. Lars Wilhelm Baumgarten, CEO of the German branch, has increasing problems in identifying with the company’s philosophy, which results in a separation of the German unit.