Lauren Hemp joined Manchester City from Bristol City in 2018 at the age of 18 without a transfer fee. Credit: Getty Images/Lynne Cameron
Women's Super League and Championship clubs will be rewarded if an academy player is signed by another club may reveal to Telegraph Sport, closing the loophole that young stars like Lauren Hemp and Evie Rabjohn, pounced for free.
This is hailed as a big step forward for women's football. WSL clubs will receive up to £5,000 a year for each year a player spends for their academy if an uncontracted youth player is sold out. another club running the Professional Gaming Academy (PGA) in the top two tiers of the English women's game.
Formerly, since girls could not sign a professional contract until their 18th birthday under WSL and Championship rules, what will remain in strength, several players have moved without a transfer fee when signing for another club after reaching the age of 18, upsetting their former clubs.
A recent example: in 2023, Manchester United grounded England youth team Aston Villa's Evie Rabjohn, who received no compensation. Also, England star Canoplya joined Manchester City from Bristol City in 2018 at the age of 18 without a transfer fee.
In an exclusive interview, Football League head of women's professional gaming operations Heather Cowen told Telegraph Sport it was time to make this change, adding: «We want clubs to continue to invest heavily in developing their talent. this is where the next generation of national team, WSL and champion players often develop — it costs money, so it seems right that these clubs are recognized for their commitment to this process if a player leaves or leaves.» < /p>How much will clubs get and how does it work?
The new fee, called the Recognition Fee, will be fixed under this structure regardless of how «talented» a particular young player may be, and will be calculated based on how many years that player has spent in the PGA. and depending on whether the player is signing with a WSL club or a second tier club.
For 2023-2024 the fees will be as follows:
For a player transferring from a WSL club to another WSL club: £5,000 per year Transfer from WC — WSL: GBP 2500 per year Transfer from WSL — WC: GBP 1000 per year Transfer from WC — WC: GBP 500 per year
This policy only applies to clubs participating in the PGA. In April, the FA granted PGA licenses to 20 clubs in the top two divisions, with the exception of West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Lewis and newly promoted Watford out of 24 clubs next season. Players transferring from minor league clubs or non-PGA teams will not be subject to the new recognition fee. The payment will not be retroactive.
“Politics starts from now on, so we don't go back to the history of the players. It has to do with the launch of the PGA,” Cowen said. “Of course, some people will be disappointed that this is not an afterthought, but we are talking about the future based on current investments and this is really a significant step forward for clubs that have been talking about this topic, probably from the very beginning. WSL has been launched. But this is not a finished article and it will be revised from year to year.”
What have clubs said about this in the past?
For years, WSL clubs that lost young players for free were outraged by the lack of any financial compensation when their players were sold out.
After losing Rabjon to Manchester United at the end of last term, the Aston manager Villas» Carla Ward said at a time when the FA needed to overhaul the system, adding: «This is something clubs have been crying out for for years. Hopefully the FA will do something about this sooner or later.
Aston Villa have received no compensation for Evie Rabjon's move to Manchester United. Photo: Getty Images/Aston Villa
Cowen, who previously worked at Birmingham City and Tottenham Hotspur before her FA position, added: «I know this topic has been discussed for several years with clubs and of course in my previous positions we talked a lot about this. , so I perfectly understand that this topic has been discussed for a very long time, so I'm sure some people will say that this should have been in place a while ago, but with the transition to the pro games academy. , it was timely.”
Which players will be eligible?
A new recognition fee will be required if a PGA-registered player has signed with another PGA club. These players can be of any age up to the under 21 team. This also applies when a player who has been registered with the PGA is offered his first professional contract by another club after turning 18.
However, if the young player already has a professional contract at the time of turning 18, the transfer with their participation will instead be subject to regular transfer negotiations rather than recognition fees.
Players playing in the minor leagues at clubs that do not have PGA academies are not eligible for this policy, which means that a WSL club could sign a player from a tier 3, 4, 5, or 6 club for free. The reverse is also true: if a lower tier club signs a player from the WSL or Championship PGA, there is no recognition fee.
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