How a Wild FIFA Rule Change Could Shake Up the Premier League

The FIFA Council unanimously approved to consult a major roster change.

Gianni Infantino (center) and soccer’s most significant decision makers are in the World Cup host city of Vancouver this week. | Verity Griffin/FIFA/Getty Images, Rich Lam/FIFA/Getty Images,

Premier League rosters could soon look at a lot different ... and a lot younger, especially for certain clubs.

Late Tuesday, the FIFA Council, convening in Vancouver this week for the 76th FIFA Congress, unanimously approved to consult the possibility that all senior club teams be “obliged to always have at least one homegrown player from the Under-20 or Under-21 category on the field of play.”

A proposal for the radical change—aimed at progressing the development of young players—will be submitted to the FIFA Council sometime within the next year, with the exact definition of “homegrown” still yet to be determined.

This rule could drastically affect club teams all over the globe, influencing not only how and when managers substitute players, but also the activity of transfer windows and how rosters are built in the first place. The change would ultimately deter clubs from buying and importing so much veteran star talent, encouraging them to put more emphasis and resources into developing their own youth.

It would specifically rattle the Premier League, in which several clubs have not had a homegrown youngster start a match all season.

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Premier League’s Current Pool of Young Talent

Nico O’Reilly is a star homegrown Under-21 player for Manchester City. | Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside/Getty Images

At present, England’s top flight requires that each club’s 25-player squad has “no more than 17” who are not homegrown, meaning eight spots are for locally-trained talent.

However, there is no specifying how often those players should be actually on the pitch. A similar rule exists for the UEFA Champions League, and both define a homegrown player as one that has played at least three full seasons between the ages of 15 and 21 within the club’s youth system or at another club’s youth system in the same country.

There are four Premier League teams that have not included a homegrown player under 21-years-old in their starting lineup at all this season: Brentford, Leeds United, Aston Villa and recently-relegated Burnley. These four would be the most affected by the rule change, leaving them with the arduous task of swiftly developing youngsters or scrambling to find new diamonds in the rough.

Conversely, Manchester City would be in the best position of any Premier League club, having had 30 of their 33 league matches so far include an U21 homegrown player in the starting XI, per The Times. Nico O’Reilly, 21, worked his way up City’s youth ranks since the age of eight and is largely responsible for that feat, having started 26 league matches so far this season.

Manchester United would also be in a good position, with 20 league games out of their 34 including an U21 homegrown starter, with a lot down to Kobbie Mainoo. The 21-year-old graduate has made 12 starts in the last 13 league matches, shining under interim manager Michael Carrick’s tutelage.

United also hold an impressive 89-year-old record of naming at least one homegrown player in every single matchday squad, dating back to Oct. 30, 1937. Nevertheless, even this record does not account for or promise playing time, with youngsters not always making it to the pitch.

While the Premier League clubs eagerly await FIFA’s decision, they would all be smart to begin exploring better avenues to get their youth pathways up to speed.

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