Developing Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 talent: The DFL’s training reward
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From the 2017-18 season, the DFL reformed its training reward system with an increased financial incentive, which has since been of great benefit to the amateur clubs throughout Germany. Find out more about the topic below:
Who receives a training reward from the DFL?
Explanation on the basis of the current training reward for 2022: In 2022, if a Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2 club signed a player (for the first time) in the 2021-22 season, or at the earliest during the 2020-21 season; if the player was no older than 23 years of age during the course of the 2021-22 season; and if the player debuted as a professional player in a Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2 league match in the 2021-22 season, then the clubs that trained the player from the season of a player’s 6th birthday to the season of his 21st birthday will receive a training reward from the DFL, in the form of financial support.
What amount does a club receive as a training reward?
The clubs receive €4,200 for each full season of training from the season of the player’s 6th birthday to the season of his 11th birthday. For training from the season of the player’s 12th birthday to the season of his 21st birthday, the clubs receive €5,400 per season. The higher sum takes into account the increased expenses for training and coaching from the season of a player’s 12th birthday.
What is the maximum training reward that can be granted?
The system described above means that a club can receive up to €79,200 for training a single player who has made his debut in the Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2.
What changed in the 2017-18 season?
Since the 2017-18 season, the reward has been granted to all of the clubs at which the player has played since the season of the player’s 6th birthday. Prior to this date, only the five previous seasons before each player’s debut were considered. The restructuring of the reward system has a greater benefit for amateur clubs, as they are often responsible for training and nurturing talent in children of primary school age. Up to and including the 2021-22 season, a total of nearly €8 million has since been paid to clubs below 3. Liga.
The reward also depends on a player’s status – what does this mean exactly?
In order for the reward to be granted, a player must already have signed a written employment contract with the club as a professional player, as well as a licensing contract with the DFL. The licensing contract affords the player professional status in the first place. The contract also outlines the player’s rights and obligations in the Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2, especially the validity of DFL and DFB statutes and regulations for the player. Additional rules regarding the status of (professional/contract/amateur) players are set out in the Player Licensing Rules and in the DFB regulations.
No training reward is granted for players who have not (yet) obtained professional status at the time of their Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2 debut. However, this can occur at a later date when the player makes his first appearance as a professional player in the Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2.
Player status has an influence on a team’s match operations because, for example, the DFL’s regulations stipulate that a Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2 team is not permitted to play more than three amateur or contract players at any one time. In addition, every club is obliged to have at least twelve professional players with German citizenship under contract. According to the Player Licensing Rules, at least eight locally trained professional players must be eligible to play for a club, at least four of whom must have been trained by the club.
For the 2021-22 season, the DFL rewarded 106 amateur clubs below 3. Liga for the development of 60 professional players in total.