Latest news with #PlayerDevelopmentReward
Daily Record
12-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Celtic and Rangers could bank millions for SPFL clubs as new Champions League payout rule set to be gamechanger
Clubs could take an even greater vested interest in how Celtic and Rangers get on in next season's Champions League based on the new rules SPFL clubs could be in line for major UEFA payouts thanks to a new proposed rule designed to reward clubs for developing Champions League talent. And Hibs and St Mirren would have been among the top beneficiaries last season based on John McGinn 's surge into the elite level with Aston Villa. Pressure is being put on European football's governing body to revamp the solidarity payment system with clubs lower down the food chain calling for a fairer distribution of wealth. The current system sees seven per cent of the overall prize money dished out evenly between clubs not in European competition. There's a feeling that doesn't go far enough with TV money soaring and the clubs competing, particularly in the Champions League, taking home a greater and greater share of the wealth. One solution proposed by the Union of European Clubs would see a further five per cent of the prize money split between non-competing clubs – but this would be based directly on their role in developing players who compete in the Champions League. Known as the Player Development Reward, the complicated calculations would be based on minutes played by players currently in the Champions League, while they were under the age of 23, and at clubs currently not competing. A report from The Independent singles out St Mirren as one example who would profit. Based on the 98 games John McGinn played for them while under 23, and the 720 minutes he played for Aston Villa in last season's Champions League, Saints would have banked £220,000 were the rules in place last season. Hibs, who also didn't play in Europe this season, would be in line for a similar payout due to their role in McGinn's rise. From next season, however, should Hibs finish third, they won't be eligible for any payout, since it is reserved for clubs not competing in European competition. The exact payouts are complicated to calculate but it essentially means that any team who doesn't qualify for Europe will be eligible for cash if any player who played for them under the age of 23 features in the Champions League – on a sliding scale based on how many minutes they play. That could spell good news for Queen's Park, or Dundee United should they miss out on Europe, if Andy Robertson racks up the minutes for Liverpool in next season's competition. It could also mean a vested interest in how Celtic fair for several clubs within the SPFL. Luke McCowan (Dundee and Ayr United) and Greg Taylor (Kilmarnock) are among the players SPFL clubs would be hoping to see feature regularly if the Hoops come through qualifying under the proposed new rule. Liam Scales would also be one Shamrock Rovers would hold a vested interest in – having played 370 minutes in last season's competition. Rangers also have ambitions of being in the Champions League next season and, should they qualify, new signing Lyall Cameron could earn Dundee cash or the likes of John Souttar for Hearts and Dundee United, if they miss out.
Reuters
12-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
UEFA urged to increase payments to non-elite clubs to reward player development
May 12 (Reuters) - The Union of European Clubs on Monday proposed the creation of a financial system that would see continental governing body UEFA share 5% of its revenue from club competitions with low-ranked football clubs that develop elite players. Last year, UEFA said the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and Super Cup would generate a gross revenue of 4.4 billion euros, opens new tab in the 2024-25 season, 5% of which would be 220 million euros ($244.79 million). Under the proposed system, titled 'Player Development Reward' (PDR), only clubs who did not reach the league phase of the Champions League would be eligible for payouts, which would be based on minutes played in UEFA competitions and prize money earned by players. In a statement, the UEC, which represents non-elite professional clubs, said the PDR is "a pragmatic, merit-based approach to restoring fairness and balance in the football ecosystem... "The concept has already been presented to the European Commission and to key stakeholders across football, receiving encouraging initial feedback," it added. "The core principle is clear: clubs that invest in player development should be fairly rewarded when those players contribute to the success of European competitions." The UEC added that nearly 1,500 clubs across Europe would have received PDR payments if the system had been in place last season, with over 400 clubs earning more than 100,000 euros. UEFA has already committed 7% of its revenue for the 2024-27 cycle to clubs not taking part in men's continental competitions, but the UEC said UEFA's system was "outdated and misaligned with the goals of sustainable football." Reuters has asked UEFA for comment. The UEC was formed in 2022 and is separate to the European Club Association, which is headed by Nasser Al-Khelaifi and says it is the sole representative body of clubs in Europe. The ECA, which has a Memorandum of Understanding with UEFA that runs until 2033, represents more than 440 clubs across the continent, although it is dominated by the big teams. ($1 = 0.8987 euros)
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
How smaller football clubs could receive huge money boost thanks to UEFA
UEFA is considering a proposal to allocate 5 per cent of Champions League and other competition prize money to non-competing clubs that develop players. This "Player Development Reward" aims to address financial disparity in football and encourage talent investment. The reward would be calculated based on minutes played by players under 23 developed at these smaller clubs, with examples like Blackburn Rovers potentially receiving over £750,000 and St Mirren £220,000. This proposal comes as a response to the current system's limitations, where transfer compensation is tied to transfer activity rather than developmental success. The policy has been presented to the European Commission and stakeholders, receiving positive feedback, amidst a complex political landscape in European club football.
New York Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
UEFA urged to increase payments to non-elite clubs to ‘address competitive balance' issues
Football lobby group the Union of European Clubs (UEC) wants UEFA to set aside five per cent of its £3.7billion ($4.9bn) annual revenue from club competitions to reward all the teams that help to develop the stars of the show. The Player Development Reward (PDR), the UEC's first significant proposal, would be shared between European clubs based on the minutes played in UEFA competitions and prize money earned by players they have trained earlier in their careers. Advertisement The 36 teams that qualify for the league phase of the Champions League would not be eligible for the payments, as they already receive huge sums in prize money. If the idea had been in operation last season, nearly 1,500 clubs across the continent would have received PDR payments, with over 400 clubs getting more than €100,000 (£84,500, $112,400) each. Dutch side Ajax would have topped the payments table with a windfall of more than £4.5m. German duo Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen and Portugal's Sporting would have all earned nearly £3m, while Chelsea would have been England's top PDR beneficiary with a cheque for more than £2.7m. But, at the other end of the spectrum, English non-league side Bury would have earned nearly £13,000, while Serbian amateur team FK Palilulac's budget would have been topped up by £845. This season's payments would have included £650,000 for French side Bordeaux for their part in the development of Barcelona star Jules Kounde, £271,000 to Italy's Pavia, Inter star Francesco Acerbi's first pro club, and a very welcome £220,000 for Scotland's St Mirren, where Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn played until he was 20. The UEC, which was set up as a counterweight to UEFA's preferred club lobby group, the European Club Association (ECA), in 2023, has already presented the concept to the European Commission and believes PDR payments should complement, not replace, the solidarity payments that UEFA makes to clubs that do not participate in its competitions. The solidarity pot has recently grown to £260m, seven per cent of the total that UEFA earns from the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and Super Cup. That money is shared between hundreds of clubs in UEFA's 55 member associations but there is no mechanism to reward those clubs with strong academies or incentivise others to develop talent. Advertisement UEFA's own costs for running the competitions account for nearly nine per cent of the combined revenues, with three per cent allocated to clubs that take part in the qualifying rounds. But by far the biggest slice, 75 per cent, or £2.8bn, is shared between the 108 clubs that reach the league phases of the three main competitions, with the Champions League clubs taking nearly three quarters of that, or just under £2.1bn. Speaking to The Athletic, UEC president Alex Muzio said: 'This policy, amongst others to come in the next few months, has the potential to benefit over 1,400 clubs, encourage and reward player-development, whilst bringing those clubs to the heart of the conversation. Additionally, it seeks to address growing competitive balance and representation issues. 'This is a new, innovative, standalone policy which complements the current solidarity mechanism advocated by the UEFA.' Muzio, the majority owner and president of Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise, believes the PDR concept would appeal to all clubs, including the ECA's 750 members. The UEC is a smaller organisation, and is not officially recognised by UEFA, unlike the ECA, but it has grown to more than 140 clubs in 25 countries in just two years, with Burnley, Luton Town and Norwich City being among its English members. ()
