In the past few years, there has been an alarming decline in the number of English footballers in the Premiership, and it has only recently started to recover. This trend is troubling for both the FA and the English national team, and as such, they have recently commissioned the FA Chairman’s Commission report on how to stimulate English talent development. Today I’ll look at and analyze some of the bigger points in the report, and what it could possibly mean for the league.
What’s in the report?
According to the report, in the 2012 – 2013 premier league season, only 32% of the players in the Premier League were English (here defined as qualified to play for the English national team). This number is the lowest in any top tier league, compared to 53% in the Bundesliga and 65% in the Liga BBVA. With this decline of the number of English players playing against top competition (Only a single English international plays outside of England), the English national team has a very small talent pool to choose from, and in order to compete against their international rivals, the English FA has to increase their efforts in developing local talent.
The FA has identified 4 major problems with the development of home-grown talent:
- Most importantly inadequate competitive playing opportunities for 18-21 year old elite players at top clubs
- The ineffectiveness of the regulation of the player market in preserving the desired balance between English, EU and non-EU players
- The quality and impact of coaching and coach education especially in grassroots football
- The quantity and quality of grassroots facilities, especially all weather pitches
This solution is highly controversial. Actual competitive teams in the lower leagues would have to play with farm teams whose sole objective is to train players. B teams would probably have no real fan base, and the introduction of B teams would probably damage the credibility of the lower leagues. B teams are not allowed to get promoted higher than League one, and there is a concern that B teams would end up crowding the top tier of League one.
However, looking at it from a purely player development standpoint, the introduction of B teams would increase the level of play young players are exposed to. It would also allow older prospects above 21 to be able to play regularly, unlike the current under 21 teams, who effectively act as reserve teams.
A second big change to the player development process, is the introduction of the Strategic Loan Partnership (SLP). Unlike a traditional loan, a Strategic Loan Partnership would involve a higher level of cooperation between the two clubs- the lending club would be able to more closely guide the development of the players who are loaned. Coaches can also be loaned together with the players to guide their development. SLPs are reserved for homegrown players.
Overall, the FA’s new ideas should be good for player development in England. However, there is potential for the gap between the Premiership and the lower leagues to widen, and the introduction of B teams might devalue the value of lower league competition. It remains to be seen how much of an effect these new measures might have on the league, and what the FA would do to help the lower leagues.
When it comes to regulating the player market, the FA is releasing a new set of guidelines and regulations that might prove to be quite controversial. The maximum number of non-homegrown (not trained in England) players on a Premier League team has been reduced from 17 to 12. Which means that out of the 25 players on a Premier League squad, over half would have to be home grown.
New “trained at club requirements” similar to continental European competition will be introduced to English domestic competition. There will be a requirement of a minimum of four club trained players on all Premier League teams. These new regulations will come in effect by 2020.
The FA is also currently looking at the work permit issue with non-EU players. The role of the work permit is to limit the influx of non-EU footballers to players who are deemed talented enough. The current criteria is considered to be too lax, and will be tightened up. Only true elite non-EU talent would be allowed into England, and they can only play for Premier League sides.
As for coaching and facilities at the grassroots level, all it would need is funding and development. The FA is willing to invest in the grassroots level, and we should see drastic improvement in this area in the next few years.
Thoughts and analysis
Undoubtedly, the biggest question here must be if this plan will actually help stimulate domestic player development? English players would get more playing time for sure, and overall, higher homegrown player requirements would probably force English clubs to invest more into scouting and player development.
However, both the creation of the Premier League B teams and the SLPs have potential disastrous consequences for lower league teams. The FA is effectively introducing 20 new teams with no real fans to play competitively against actual teams in league games. B teams in the Bundesliga routinely draw crowds that are significantly smaller than the league average, and the introduction of B teams into the English system means that lower league teams would see a hit in their attendance. SLPs also have potential to turn lower league teams into feeder teams, like how it works in Minor League Baseball in the United States. Unlike the English lower leagues, the lower levels of Minor League Baseball have little fans, and attendance is mainly fueled by cheap hot dogs and ballpark entertainment. Fans do not care about the on field product in Minor League Baseball, after all, the Minor Leagues’ main goal is to train players for the Major Leagues. If SLPs become too widespread, there is a chance that the English lower leagues would end up like Minor League Baseball, more focused on training players than the competition and on field product. The FA needs to insure that the lower leagues are still competitive, and not just as a training tool for premier league sides.
Finally, the restrictions on non-homegrown players will inevitably lower the quality of play in the short term. The Premier League is known as the top league in the world because the top players from around the world come to England to play. By reducing the number of allowed non-homegrown players, second tier non-English players would lose their spot. Elite foreign players would probably not be affected much, but it would take a few years for English homegrown talent to step up and replace the departing foreigners.
By limiting foreign players, the FA is effectively constricting the market, and driving up demand for English players. By restricting the number of non-homegrown players from 17 to 12, the FA is creating market demand for 100 players. We can expect to see transfer fees for English players soar in the next few years, as teams rush to comply with the FA regulations. I’m afraid that less wealthy teams would have difficulty competing financially with the wealthier teams, and that less wealthy teams will have to resort to playing championship caliber players to fulfil homegrown requirements, watering down the level of competition in the Premier League.
Overall, these steps are in the right direction for developing English talent. The English national team would no doubt benefit from these measures, but it still remains to be seen if they can regularly defeat European powerhouses Spain and Germany. The FA still needs to work on ensuring that the lower leagues do not lose their competitiveness and fan base, and that the gap between the Premier League and the Football League does not widen even further.