How will Brexit affect Cymru Premier League football?
From work permits, transfer fees through to the UEFA Solidarity Payments, we have completely transformed the way we operate as a club and used the English Premier League model in order to ensure that we fell in line with UEFA as well as the UK government and minimise the impact of Brexit on the club. Failure to get this done would have seen the club slide into the lower Tiers and or out of existence.
In my opinion, Brexit is bad for welsh football and the powers that be will need to either reverse some of their recent decisions or remove them. The Cymru Premier League (CPL) will no longer be a financially viable option for most clubs with the proposed rule changes including the one player one club policy or the home grown player quota rule. If these are implemented, the CPL will need to police it rigidly so that is saves clubs in the lower Tiers from the vultures circling at the top of the pyramid, picking off the best talent locally and starving the game at grassroots level.
Are we a vulture?
No. We are the grizzly bear standing in the stream catching the players that are jumping out of the stream looking to progress their game and get high quality coaching. If we find local coaches and clubs that want to work with us, we will remain in the stream.
Transfers and recruitment
Our plan to recruit from EU nations is now scuppered but we always had a Plan B, therefore we are unaffected by the new non-EU rule and the GBE requirements. Brexit also means that clubs in the UK will find it difficult to recruit European players under the age of 18 for their academies. So local schools with students from the EU looking to play will not be able to play in the Academy or CPL unless they meet the GBE requirements.
Brexit also means the door closing on coaches from the EU looking to ply their trade by joining the League. If that extends to grassroots level football, it’ll be a disaster.
Financial implications
UEFA Solidarity payments and academy transfers will have a major impact on players and the parents. This, in turn, will impact the relationship clubs have with each other and the way parents and players move around the pyramid. The UEFA Solidarity transfer fees will cripple any club that doesn’t follow the rules or players that constantly move around looking for a game.
Players who cannot secure a waiver from their former academy will then be left in the wilderness for years and may end up playing grassroots football rather than fulfilling their potential in the higher Tiers. If the developing club releases the player, the new club has nothing to pay.
Parents will have to now look at the bigger picture and work with clubs if they want to progress the development of their child. Clubs will have to offer a higher standard of coaching and games programme to keep the better players. It will be an interesting few months as things settle down and the full impact hits both clubs and parents.
How do work permits work in the CPL?
Governing Body Endorsements (GBE) and work permits are already required for certain footballers who wish to play in the CPL.
In the UK, when it comes to football, a points-based system is applied to determine whether an individual is worthy of a governing body’s endorsement. A player will automatically qualify for a work permit if they have played in at least a certain percentage of their national team’s games in the two years prior to the application.
Our head coach is now considered a non-EU resident and so we are going through the process and we will do the same for the other players we currently have that need residency and or a work permit.
The club is Brexit ready and COVID compliant and that’s down to the hard work and outstanding efforts from the Directors, staff, players, parents and volunteers at the club.
