English Premier League - Part 1: F.A’s new rules face a tough test
With the transfer season concluded and the cashes checked and contracts signed, all English clubs in Football Association’s English Premier League released their twenty five man squads for the currently under-way Premier League season, as this is one of the new rules introduced by the F.A.
Several things have added to this new rules implementation and its significance over the period of the past six months. Firstly, English national team’s performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Secondly, England’s performances at international football competitions since 1966 and thirdly, the amount of foreign players in the English league, something that has increased incredibly in the past decade or so.
England are footballing pioneers, a nation which became a breeding ground for football as a sport. Football as we know it today emerged several centuries ago in English highlands. Therefore for such a country to be constantly under performing at the largest stage of football i.e. the FIFA World Cup is not only humiliating but also pitiful.
The above rated reasons along with the increasing role of foreign ownerships with regard to English clubs prompted by F.A to introduce the new squad rules for the 2010-2011 league season in England. The new rules are quite simple but they make managers and their jobs harder. Like all new rules and changes, they are difficult to grasp and understand at first.
There are a few key points that typify the purpose of these new rules. F.A has stated in the new rules that a club which is registered for participation in the English Premier League has to submit a list of 25 players, those 25 players will form that club’s squad for the English league season. This list of 25 players should compulsorily include 8 home grown players.
Now the question of "what are home grown players?" comes to mind. Well, the new rules say that a player regardless of his nationality or current age, who has spent a minimum of 3 years at an English club or a Welsh club before his 21st birthday qualifies as a home grown player. 8 of these players are mandatory in a club’s squad of 25 players. Moreover, F.A has allowed the clubs to use an infinite number of players who are under the age of 21 to support their squad of 25. Another thing to be noted is that any player who is under 21 years of age is not subject to registration in the 25 man squad.
Any changes to the final squad of 25 players can only be made in the mid-season transfer window i.e. the winter/January transfer window. Furthermore, any player who is a part of the club’s 25 man squad but is loaned out by the club to a lower division side is not subject to replacement in the squad but upon his return from the loan period in question, he can regain his spot in the squad of 25.
Football Association have also made it clear that these rules only apply to the English Premier League. They do not as of yet apply to European competitions. They also do not apply to complimentary tournaments in the English football season, such as the Carling Cup i.e. the League Cup as well as the Football Association Cup.
In summary, these rules are aimed at improving the youth setup in different English clubs and also endeavour to bring about a change in the transfer policy of certain clubs in the English Premier League.
After all the jostling and the hassling that took place on 31st of August, 2010. All of the English clubs have successfully submitted their squad lists to F.A, some of the clubs have not used up all of their 25 spots in the squad while others have done so. The deadline for submission of these squads was 1st of September, 5:00PM in the evening British Standard Time.
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