May 12 – The Union of European Clubs (UEC) has proposed an overhaul of how UEFA distributes funds from its club competitions to better recognise player development.
At the heart of the proposal is the creation of a ‘Player Development Reward’ (PDR), which would set aside five per cent of UEFA’s club competition revenues each season.
These funds would then be redistributed to clubs based on the number of minutes played in UEFA competitions by footballers they trained as well as prize money earned. Importantly, only clubs from UEFA member associations – not participating in the Champions League league phase – would be eligible.
The UEC argues that the current system is flawed. The organisation describes FIFA’s transfer solidarity and training compensation payments as “outdated, unpredictable, and unfair”. According to the organisation, they tend to reward transfers rather than long-term investment in youth development. UEFA’s existing solidarity mechanisms, meanwhile, fail to specifically incentivise training clubs, despite their central role in nurturing talent.
The UEC believes its PDR proposal is not about solidarity, but a redistribution model focused on player development. It would not simply benefit smaller clubs, but also medium-sized clubs like Ajax, Atalanta and Club Brugge.
To demonstrate the PDR model in action, the UEC cites Francesco Acerbi, who played 680 minutes for Inter Milan en route to the UEFA Champions League final. Under the proposed system, his former club Pavia – where he played until the age of 22 – would have received €321,000 for its part in his development. In a second example, FC Barcelona’s Jules Koundé 1,106 minutes played in the Champions League would generate €768,000 for Bordeaux where he played until the age of 20.
A simulation run by the UEC suggested that more than 400 clubs would have received mre than €100,000 each under the PDR scheme, highlighting its potential to more fairly support the foundation of European football.
With the proposed PDR, the UEC believes it is aligning with the European Sports Model which demands a fair, diverse and sustainable club ecosystem.
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