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New Uefa rules on homegrown players are likely to have an increasing impact with the European governing body hoping that national associations will implement similar rules despite protests from top clubs. As it is, sides that qualify for European competition as soon as the next season in 2006/7 will be forced to include four players that have come through the ranks in a 25-man squad. Homegrown players are defined in two different ways. The first definition is players who have registered for a minimum of three seasons with the club between the ages of 15 and 21. Of the four players, half of them must meet this criterion, and the other two players must have come through the ranks during an identical period at another club. While most clubs would currently qualify under these rules, the restrictions will be extended to eight homegrown players (four from the club and four from the association) by the 2008/9 campaign. Given that Arsenal fielded an entirely foreign squad of sixteen players in a Premiership clash with Crystal Palace in February, one can see the scale of the potential problems for top clubs. Charlton chief executive Peter Varney has argued that something had to be done for two reasons. 'Firstly, Premiership clubs are collectively spending millions on youth academies yet the opportunities for players to progress are now very limited. It will also become increasingly uneconomic to continue with the current youth academy system and I predict you will see more and more clubs taking the decision to close their youth academies and use the savings made on player transfers. Secondly, if we restrict the development of young talent in this country, there will be damaging long-term implications for the England team. Maybe UEFA got the numbers wrong, but I personally support their rationale.'
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