Sports agent Erin Kane has joined Excel Sports Management as the agency looks to bolster its women’s sports representation business. Kane, whose clients include WNBA All-Stars Elena Delle Donne and Arike Ogunbowale, softball icon Jennie Finch and World Champion surfer Maya Gabeira, will serve as vice president of women’s sports for Excel.
Excel senior VP of marketing Colleen Garrity will move into an expanded role to direct the growth of the women’s representation business alongside Kane. Garrity will still continue her other work with Excel’s NBA clients.
“We really wanted to ramp up [our representation of] female athletes across the board, in a lot of sports, and we thought bringing Erin on would be the best way to do that,” Garrity said in a video interview. “She’s one of the best agents in the game. Her experience and knowledge in this space is unparalleled. She really is the person to help build out this division.”
Excel has expanded its representation of women in sports since the announcement of its women’s golf division in 2020. Golf clients, including Michelle Wie West and Albane Valenzuela, were eventually joined by broadcasters Holly Rowe and Lisa Byington, Peloton instructor Jess Sims and UConn women’s basketball players Chrystin Williams and Caroline Ducharme. Kane’s client list gives the division an immediate boost.
Kane comes to Excel from her own shop, The Clarion Agency, which she launched in 2021 to represent women in sports after working for clients in the NBA, WNBA, PGA, NASCAR and softball. Prior to launching The Clarion Agency, Kane spent eight years leading Octagon’s WNBA practice. The veteran agent continued to jointly manage certain clients with Octagon after departing, and said she and Excel are still working out some of those remaining details with the relevant parties. Kane said the reach and scale of Excel led her to make the move.
“The bigger picture is, really since I started in this business, about resources for female athletes,” Kane said in an interview. “Excel really has this client-first approach where they’re very interested in dedicating the same resources [their male athletes get] to a growing client base that includes more female athletes. So for me, that made it the right place.”
Kane’s other clients, now also joining Excel, include two-time WNBA champion and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Kristi Toliver, LPGA player Annie Park, 2019 WNBA rookie of the year Napheesa Collier and South Carolina women’s basketball standout Zia Cooke, who is pursuing NIL deals.
