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Marcilio Browne is one of the most sought after sailors in the industry. Having sailed for Naish since he turned Pro, he has just changed to Mistral and Gaastra Sails. We wanted to find out what goes on behind the scenes when a deal like this takes place. So we’ve interviewed the main players: Nik Baker from Mistral, Matt Pritchard from Gaastra and the man himself – Marcilio Browne.

Nik Baker on Marcilio

Firstly, is it strange to play the 'other' role in a sponsorship deal and has this influenced your dealings with Marcilio?

Nik: I would find it very hard to negotiate with some of the guys and girls as they are my friends and this could make it a little unpleasant at times. I did however sort out this deal with Marcilio. He is a very nice young lad. He has a lot of respect for all the sailors on Tour and certainly does not have a big head or cocky way about him which is refreshing.

What role did you play in getting Marcilio to sign up with Mistral?

Nik: I think he will most defiantly help the image of Mistral as a brand. With this in mind I am confident we will sell more boards due to having him ride and work on them.

What goals would you like Marcilio to achieve in 2007 for Mistral?

I would like him to make some of his own goals and try as hard as he can to fulfil them. Also I would like him to pick a few things he needs to work on (on and off the water) and try to improve in those areas too. We are not pushing him too much. He is young and still has a lot to learn and I hope to help him in this.

Matt: I have been watching him for a couple of years. He was my first pick of guys I wanted to get on the program. I had been negotiating with him since last year. We were close to making a deal happen but it got too late (in the season) to get it all together.

Can you list the following in order of importance to explain why Gaastra went for Marcilio? Future World Champion, new school sailor, from South America rather than Europe , helpful for R&D, Media savvy, nice guy, cheap?!

Matt: I see him as a future world champion. He also has a good personality and his image fits in nicely with Gaastra. We want a new school sailor and he is the man to have. I wouldn’t say he was cheap, we went back and forth a bit to get a deal that would work for both parties. When I look at talent, I don’t care so much where they are from as long as they have the desire to win – without that, they won’t get too far. When you have the desire, you have the personality and you get the results – I think it all works hand in hand.

Following on from that, will Gaastra sell more sails from having Marcilio on the Team?

Matt: In theory, yes. That is one of the reasons we are sponsoring him. It may not happen overnight but down the road, people will meet him, his image will grow with Gaastra and he will be the man!

Regarding R&D - will you let Marcilio just get on and sail or will he be very much involved in the development of the wave & freestyle sails?

Matt: For now, he will start working with the designs we have in production. He will then be able to put in his feelings and begin to understand how the R&D process works. You have to be sure of your feedback so when he tells Dan (Kessler) to put more luff curve at No.3, he better be sure of that!

I will therefore be working with him as it is probably one of the hardest jobs to communicate with the sail designer what is not working and how it needs to be changed.

What goals would you like Marcilio to achieve in 2007 for Gaastra?

Matt: I think his No.1 goal should be to have fun. When you are having fun, everything else just comes your way. I don’t want to put any pressure on him. He is at the point in his career where everybody is watching him and he needs to just stay cool. If he finishes 8th place this year then that is OK. If he wins, he gets a nice bonus but overall my goal is to see him stoked on the sails and to keep ripping.

The Mistral View on Sponsorship

On a more general note, do certain types of sailors suit certain brands OR do you think every brand simply wants the No.1 ranked sailor if they could get hold of him/her?

Nik: I think certain types of sailors suit certain brands. Ok, if you buy the No. 1 sailor, things like media coverage are easy but to make it work best I think you need to get them young and grow with each other. I think this gives the brand and the rider better credibility. The classic was Robby Naish and Mistral.

Do brands speak to each other about how much you are all paying your riders?

Nik: I have been in this game long enough to have a fair idea of what most people are getting paid. As for the riders, they will get offers as Marcilio did from most brands so they will get a ball park figure of what they are worth. I know some of the deals he was offered and ours was not the highest amount of money, which I was very impressed with on his part. He wants to ride the best boards with the Mistral shaper Mark Nelson. He wants to help develop his boards and Mistral boards and we were very open to this. These were his main needs not money which is a very mature way of looking at things when other people were offering more money. He knows if he has the right tools to do his job he will earn his money over the years by sailing well and getting results.

How is a rider’s value assessed?

Nik: To assess this is difficult. Really it is done on an average to what others are getting paid in their respective positions on the scene. You have to remember it’s not just the money we pay him but the amount of custom and production boards he needs, contest incentive, travel budget and also how much we have to spend on marketing him. It all adds up to a massive number per team rider.

We understand that windsurfing is not the sport it was 10yrs ago, so how much cash is on the table compared to the 'good old days'? Nik: To be honest I am not really sure but sadly it would be very low compared to 10 years ago. There is really only enough money in each team to have one or two well paid team riders and these guys generally have to do more than just compete. They need to test or do travel stories, things like that to make up their worth.

How formal is the contract with Marcilio - a handshake agreement or a detailed written contract?

Nik: Yes, there is now a detailed contract. It describes clauses for him and for us. We have to provide him with certain things and visa versa. It includes attending the PWA wave and freestyle events, wearing a Mistral logo on his clothing sponsors shirts, how to conduct himself as well as a certain amount of days we can use him for PR and promo like photo shoots, trade shows etc.

What happens if you agree a deal with a sailor and then they injure themselves and have to take a long period of rest?  

Nik: Well, sadly I have tested this out a few times in my career. Luckily I had great sponsors in Mistral and North Sails; they both stood by me. I did as much as I could to help the companies whilst I was injured and did every thing in my power to get back on the water as quick as possible. There are clauses in the contracts that can get us out if the injury lasts for a very long time but if it was done windsurfing, as mine was, how can you fire a guy who was putting his or her neck on the line for you and got hurt in the process? After all they are our team members and we will do what we can to help get them sorted.

You're onto a winner getting one of the most sought after sailors on the World tour - how do you safeguard your signing and stop other brands offering him a better deal in 2008?

The Gaastra View on Sponsorship

On a more general note, do certain types of sailors suit certain brands OR do you think every brand simply wants the No.1 ranked sailor if they could get hold of him/her? Matt: There are people I would want on the Team and there are people I wouldn’t, just because of their general attitudes. When it comes to selling equipment, if you have some jackass pro out there nobody likes it isn’t going to sell more product. If you have a national rider who is the nicest guy on the beach, he is going to sell more product than a top pro that couldn’t give a monkeys about anybody else but himself. Do brands speak to each other about how much you are all paying your riders? Matt: To some degree. Nik Baker and I spent some time talking about Marcilio and how we could put together a deal. Both Nik & I know what it takes to do the Tour so in many ways, we are on the sailors’ side trying to get them the best deal possible.

What happens if you agree a deal with a sailor and then they injure themselves and have to take a long period of rest? 

Matt: We usually do an injury clause so that they still get paid and we can work something out if it is longer than a couple of months.

You're onto a winner getting one of the most sought after sailors on the World tour - how do you safeguard your signing and stop other brands offering Marcilio or any of your other team riders a better deal in 2008?

Matt: Yes, I know and I’m really excited to get him into our program. He will be our top wave star and we will market him accordingly. He will have access to the best equipment available and that in itself is worth a lot!

So here we have Marcilio Browne – in his own words!

How did this all come about then?

I have been talking with Mistral and Gaastra for a few months and both of them were motivated to have me on the team and they also offered me a better deal than I had before. I will be more involved in the R&D and with that I can learn much more about the equipment, which is one of my goals for the long term. Also, I will work closely with Nik Baker and Matt Pritchard. They both have a lot of experience, in terms of competition, as they have done super good for so many years. I hope to learn a lot from them. My contract with Mistral is for the next 2 years, and my contract with Gaastra is just for 2007.

What do YOU look for in a sponsor?

As windsurfing is now my job, money is very important but I also think it is necessary to have a good relationship with all the team riders as we have to work together. It is also very important to have the chance to try different equipment because if you don’t try there is no way to learn about what you like or dislike.

When choosing sponsors, how important is the gear to you, particularly with regard to boards? We know most pro riders have their own custom boards, so does it really matter which brand you sign to?

I think the boards make a huge difference, especially when wave sailing. The production boards come from prototypes or custom boards of team riders, so it is good to have a company that lets the team riders try as much different stuff as possible thereby helping out production kit. You also learn more about the gear and sail better. In the end, the boards that the riders like most are the ones that go into production. With Mistral I will have the chance, together with Nik Baker, to try some new stuff which will be used in the next production boards and I will also be riding production boards.

When we interviewed you in Guincho last year, you said that Naish were quite happy for you to enjoy your sailing and you were not under any pressure to do well in competition. Has this changed now with your new Mistral and Gaastra deal?

Not at all; I would not like to sign with a brand that puts me under pressure to get super good results. For me the most important thing now is to be stoked with my gear and very happy when I am sailing. I think results are better when people sail without pressure so they can do what they really know, and not be thinking about what would happen if they lose. Gaastra and Mistral want me to have fun, but of course I will be doing my best to get good results, not only because of my sponsors, but for myself as well.

Do you have a manager to broker your deals and if not, how do you know that you're getting the best deal possible?!

No, I don’t have a manager. I don’t have a lot of experience with negotiations so I always talk with my family about my contracts and they tell me what to do. For me the best deal is the one that I have! I am stoked with all my gear and I can pay my expenses. The Gaastra/Mistral deal was the best offer I had.

Do you think that companies will try to pay you less because of your age?

I think some younger guys get a bit less, but it’s not really because of the age. There are some older guys that have been on top for a long time and they have a solid image in windsurfing. They are always in movies, magazines and their names are more known then the younger guys. So, in the end, they sell more equipment. But then you have Kauli, Ricardo, Victor Fernandez... these guys are young and on good deals because of their good results & image. It does not depend on the age too much I think.


So finally, in your own words, why did you choose to sign with Mistral and Gaastra?

Two really big companies, on top of the windsurfing market since the beginning of the sport giving me all the support I need to compete and they are also nice to work with!