The Home Grown Player rule was implemented ahead of the 2010-11 season as part of an initiative to have the Premier League nurture talent from its own shores rather than buy its way to success with foreign talents, implying that the league would produce a higher quality of English and other British players. The rule states that any player who has played for England at any level cannot be signed by another club until they have been given a chance in an English first team.
The rule is aimed at protecting young players by not allowing them to be forced out of football too soon and is typically applied to those who are still developing their games. For example, a 17-year-old may not yet be old enough to sign a professional contract but if he plays regularly for a lower league team he can remain with them until his 18th birthday while continuing to learn his trade. To avoid being forced into early retirement, many younger players take this route instead of trying to force their way into the first team of a more established club.
There have been some cases where younger players have been prevented from moving clubs under the current rules. For example, Joe Hart, then aged 19 years and 299 days, became the youngest ever goalkeeper when he debuted for Manchester City in 2011. This record was later beaten by Gianluigi Buffon at the age of 20 years and 58 days.
For the purposes of the regulation, players are separated into three categories: (1) players under 21, who do not count towards the 25-player roster cap; (2) over-21 homegrown players; and (3) over-21 non-homegrown players. As I understand the regulations, the following is the current Arsenal first-team lineup:
There are several players in each squad who are not considered "homegrown" or "non-homegrown" players because they were born in another country. These players are known as "EU nationals" and can be recruited by Premier League clubs without restriction. The only condition is that they must be under the age of 23 when their contract expires. Currently, there are seven EU nationals playing for Premier League clubs: Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Matthew Pennington, Giannelli Imbula, Kieran Gibbs, Hector Bellerin and Andreas Christensen.
Arsene Wenger has said that he will not use any of his 25 spots on domestic players. This means that out of the 22 players available to him, he must have at least five overseas professionals. However, if two of those five players get injured then Wenger could bring in some domestic talent. For example, if David Ospina or Petr Cech got hurt then Wenger would be able to use one of his homegrown spots.
UEFA defines locally-trained or "homegrown" players as those who, regardless of nationality, have been taught for at least three years by their club or another club in the same national association between the ages of 15 and 21. Homegrown players are expected to join the senior team, either directly or through the youth system.
Homegrown status is important because it gives these players greater rights within the contract system. For example, clubs are required to give them a contract if they want to be able to play during commercial breaks (this can't be done with non-local players).
Additionally, if a club sells its own player before his contract expires, the new club must keep him under certain conditions (usually one year) unless he has signed a professional contract with another club. If the original club wants to get its player back, then there is a transfer window during which they can do so.
Finally, if a club goes out of business, its players are not listed as having left the club - instead, they go into a holding company called a "phantom squad". The players will still be considered home-grown since they weren't transferred nor did they move on loan.
There have been several cases where players have come up through the youth system only to sign a professional contract shortly after turning 18.
At the shareholder meeting, clubs have the chance to propose new regulations or revisions. Each member club has one vote, and all rule changes and large commercial contracts must be approved by at least a two-thirds vote, or 14 clubs. The Premier League Rule Book, on the other hand, can be altered by unanimous agreement of its members.
In 2002, for example, they voted unanimously to change the offside rule so that players were no longer required to be behind the ball when it is kicked. Previously this had been called the "last man back" rule. The idea was to make the game more open by reducing the advantage that teams with strong defenses had over those with weaker ones. It was also believed that this would make games more attractive to television viewers.
The most recent change was made in May 2008 when they voted unanimously to introduce 3 additional substitutions per game. Before this change, there were only 2 subs allowed per team during a match. The reason for the increase is because many games seemed to be going into extra time and penalties after the end of normal playing time, so adding more opportunities for your team to change their lineup will help them stay competitive even if some of their players get injured.
Substitutions are important because they give both teams a way out of matches they might not want to lose.
The evolution of football rules Association football (soccer) regulations have been established throughout time. This was a game that lacked regular regulations early on, instead employing a variety of rules depending on where it was played. It wasn't until the late 19th century that most countries adopted association football as their official sport.
In England, the first set of rules were drawn up by Charles Alcock and Thomas Hoddell in 1848. They were based on what is now known as "Rugby Football". The main difference between the two games is that each player is allowed only one touch outside the field of play (Rooney rule). In addition, there are no offsides in English football.
Other differences include more free kicks for fouls outside the penalty box (England and Wales), fewer than five players per side (Scotland), and direct free kicks after handling the ball inside the penalty area (Ireland).
Association football as we know it today was developed further by Herbert Chapman from 1898 to 1920. He is considered the father of modern-day football management because of its emphasis on organization and team work. During his tenure as manager of Huddersfield Town, he introduced several concepts still used in football today such as substitutions, rotations, and defensive and offensive tactics.