Football Australia continues its domestic transfer system reforms with the approval of its national football agents’ regulations.
These reforms are designed to enhance professional and ethical standards for football agents, better protect players, increase contractual stability, and promote transparency.
The new football agents’ provisions have been incorporated into the Football Australia National Registration, Status and Transfer Regulations (NRSTRs) and will enter into force on 1 October 2023.
The approval of Football Australia’s football agent regulations follows the recently approved FIFA Football Agent Regulations, which include a requirement for agents to be licensed by FIFA as of 1 October, 2023 in order to perform football agent services, as well as outline the responsibility of each Member Association to regulate the activity of football agents at national level.
For Football Australia, this includes administering the FIFA Football Agent exam, conducting due diligence regarding agent compliance with eligibility requirements, registering agents that aim to operate in Australia, and overseeing the disciplinary and sanctions processes via the appropriate bodies for matters without an international dimension.
Football Australia Chief Executive Officer, James Johnson, said these football agents’ regulations will yield regulatory and developmental benefits to multiple stakeholders as part of the overall domestic transfer system transformation.
“Following consultation with intermediaries in 2022, we are pleased to introduce our national football agents’ regulations. As Football Australia continues to evolve our domestic transfer system, updates to the agent’s regulatory framework are crucial for raising standards of conduct, improving the quality of service provided by agents and providing strong protections for players.
“The focus on continued professional development and education for football agents is another significant element of the system which Football Australia embraces,” Johnson said.
The implementation and enforcement of football agents’ regulations is one of many domestic transfer system initiatives recently introduced by Football Australia. Other key reforms to date include the creation of the domestic match calendar, the removal of the transfer fee cap, the introduction of domestic loan provisions, the expansion of and updates to the National Dispute Resolution Chamber (NDRC) and the launch of an electronic domestic transfer matching system.
Each of these reforms are playing an important role in further professionalising football, enhancing the Australian football economy, protecting stakeholders through regulatory systems and procedures, and incentivising and rewarding player development. The updated NRSTRs are available here.
