Super League Quota System

[Timbo]

How does this work?

I know it's three (four for Harlequins, 5 for Catalans) non-European players per side, but, is it per run on side or in the squad as a whole?

I ask because having a look at some of the sides have more players in their squad. (Harlequins as an example have 8).

This is a new rule I believe, will it come into effect as existing players contracts expire or is it being introduced incrimentally or what?

 

[bartman]

It's complicated, and some players you'd assume were "overseas" players actually do not come under the quota system.

For example, there is a European employment law court ruling known as the Kolpak Rule, which makes it unfair to discriminate against people from countries that are signatory to a certain EU labour exchange treaty (or something like that). Basically for superleague it means that the majority of NZ/Pacific Islander citizen players do not count as overseas under the quota.

Secondly, some Australian citizen players who have grandparents born in the UK (or Europe) can claim an ancestry visa for right to enter and work in the UK, and hence will also not count on the quota.

And thirdly, any Australian citizen who has been living and working in the UK for 4-5-6 years has been able to claim indefinite leave to remain/residency, and they will also not count on the quota after some years.

So you'll find most clubs have stuck to this quota rule (and the Harlequins/Catalans exemptions), but that the quota doesn't achieve what it sets out to do. (It is meant to be per squad by the way, not run on side.)

I wouldn't worry too much about it, as Superleague announced they are changing that system to something that should work more as intended (in terms of helping young british/european players go through the ranks to get squad spots instead of missing out to low quality imports). I'll see if I can dig up a link to the new rules soon, unless someone beats me to it...

 

[East Coast Tiger]

How does this work?

It doesn't. Just about every club cheats the rule, or at least the spirit of the rule, by signing Aussies with European passports.

 

[Timbo]

Thanks. I do understand the Kolpak rule (for example, James Evans, born and raised down under is listed as a Welshman).

Wow that rule about players living there for x years sucks, seems to negate the whole point of the rule.

 

[bartman]

Yes, the new way they're going to do it in the future puts the emphasis on where a player was trained during their league playing years between 18-21, as I understand it, rather than nationality or citizenship residency.

I suspect it will mean Superleague scouts will look at star Aussie players aged 17-20 and try and attract them over, instead of mid-career guys looking for a change or other options. But apart from that it looks a bit more foolproof.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/6330843.stm

The basic gist of it is here:
http://www.warringtonwolves.org/news/Wolves7124.ink

At a two day summit held in Perpignan, France, the 12 club chief executives agreed to introduce a new "Home Grown Player" rule that will encourage clubs to actively promote the production of talented players.

From next year at least 20% of a team's first team squad of 25 players must contain players who have graduated from a club's Academy system or are aged under 21 years. By 2010 this number will have to increase to 24%.

During same period of time the number of overseas trained players must drop from 40% to 20%, with the remaining players in a 25 man squad to be made up of players who are Federation Trained or Academy Juniors.

A Federation Trained player is defined as someone who for any three full seasons before his 21st birthday has been registered to a club of the same rugby league federation.

 

[bartman]

Wow that rule about players living there for x years sucks, seems to negate the whole point of the rule.

Not much the game can do about national immigration/residency laws. The same type of laws that let Maurie Faasalavu play for GB/England, and was it Nathan Fien to qualify for NZ?

 

[Evil Homer]

The system that Bartman posted is the one currently used, with federation trained players etc. It's complicated and difficult to explain or illustrate but there are a lot less journeymen Aussies coming over now. Maybe that also has something to do with P&R being scrapped.

 

[Timbo]

Ah. Thanks for that Bartman. It's always thrown me.

Seems a bit like a rule for the sake of having a rule, and knowing everybody intends to find ways around it.