Twice a year, a “transfer window” allows the world’s top football clubs to compete for the best players for the upcoming seasons. It’s a huge deal as hundreds of millions of talents will change hands for the better performance (it’s expected so at least). Before the football world introduced the idea of professionalism, there was no transfer market until 1885 that allow players to move freely and compete with any team they wanted just like a game of footy in the park with friends.
The Football Association (FA) established the foundations for player registration which means players must register with one club at the begin of the season. This rule help eliminate the amount of movement between clubs and establish stability. Before this, player was able to move between clubs without asking permission, from the FA and the former club he was registered. This also help clubs to control fees and restrict any one team collect all the best players. Although, THIS allow the clubs with big money became the key actor in the transfer market.
Part of the contract with player registration meant, even in case a player’s deal had expired, they were still bonded by that club who was not obliged to pay wages, or allow the player to play, left them in limbo until their club gave permission for them to be released.
In reality, clubs recognized they could earned a large sum of money as compensation for allowing players to move to other clubs. At that stage, the transfer market was born!
The Transfer Market Today
During the 1990s and the idea of a “transfer window” is suggested and discussed by national associations. However, an official and compulsory transfer system issued by FIFA for all clubs to follow, was in placed in 2002. This system help provide stability and prevent football agents against making deals all year round and interfere with players’ focus and disrupt team unity.
