Reference is made to a Press Release issued by the Malta Football Players Association earlier today on the subject in caption.
On the matter of registration of young players, significant steps have been made since the days when the registration of a young footballer at 14 years old would keep him tied to the same club until he turned 21 unless the club was willing to release him.
Since 2020 the payment of so-called Nursery compensation is no longer payable when a player moves club at the end of any of the registration periods, at 15 and 19 years old. Furthermore, training compensation for amateur players is only payable if and once they are registered as professionals in line with FIFA rules.
This is thanks to constant dialogue within a forum that exists precisely for this purpose, namely the Social Dialogue Committee, which brings together representatives of clubs and players, and therefore MFPA itself.
Individual cases where young players are not allowed to move between clubs within their obligatory period of registration are not necessarily reflective of the entire system.
Sport is a specific context where the individual and collective rights at play are to be balanced with a view of maintaining high participation levels while safeguarding development and investment therein.
While the Association acknowledges there is always room for improvement, it needs to ensure that any proposed changes to its regulatory framework take place following a discussion that reflects the interests of all stakeholders involved. In this sense, the Association is nowadays much more open to receiving the views of its stakeholders, as proven by recent developments achieved, thanks to the contribution of players and club representatives.
Proposals are currently being discussed on how the regulatory framework could be improved and the parties concerned, including the MFPA, agreed to reconvene in the next couple of weeks to discuss the matter further.
