It’s go time: January 14 marks the opening of the Isuzu UTE A-League transfer window, beginning an at-times manic month of departures and arrivals at the 12 clubs around the league.
But with every deal announced between January 14 and February 10, there’s an extensive amount to consider. There’s salary cap and roster space, foreign player allotment, guest slots, visa slots, designated and homegrown contracts, and one of the most important points of all: before the ink is dried and the move rubber stamped, can the player pass their medical?
Adelaide United and Macarthur kicked off the January-February window with signings early doors, as Lachlan Brook and Hiroshi Ibusuki joined the Reds and Socceroos striker Apostolos Giannou signed for the Bulls.
Both Brook and Giannou featured on KEEPUP’s list of six potential transfer targets released pre-window. Click here to see the full list.
There are many boxes to tick between the moment a player is first identified by a club to the moment they first step out in said club’s colours.
Ever wondered how it all works? Here’s the breakdown:
Why the January 14 start?
The Australian men’s transfer window has shifted from the start of January to the middle of the month in a move designed to accommodate both the Isuzu UTE A-League and the National Premier League competitions country-wide considered professional by FIFA.
The world footballing governing body says any professional competitions running concurrently within a country must abide by the same registration periods and transfer windows. In FIFA’s eyes, a professional competition has at least one professional player in it. You could be in a competition where 299 of 300 players are amateur – but if there’s one professional in your league, guess what? That’s a professional league.
With NPL seasons set to kick off next month, the Australian men’s transfer window has been pushed back from the start of January to the 14th of the month, running until February 10 to give NPL sides the ability to register players as close to the beginning of their respective seasons as possible.
There’s one 12-week window and a secondary window which can run for a maximum of four weeks each year; the extended window is arranged in the lead-up to the start of an Isuzu UTE A-League campaign, with the smaller window completed prior to NPL seasons kicking off around Australia.
The Australian women’s transfer window comes into play between March 15 and April 12. The reason for the later opening date is because a large proportion of Liberty A-League players also compete in NPLW competitions across the country.
When these players reach the conclusion of the Liberty A-League season, the transfer window opens at a suitable time for them to return to NPLW clubs.
What are the club roster guidelines?
For Isuzu UTE A-League clubs, there are a number of factors to consider when targeting a player for recruitment.
A club’s roster must consist of:
- A minimum 18 players and a maximum 23 players
- Within the 18-23 players that must be signed, clubs must have a minimum of two goalkeepers and a maximum of five foreign players
- This doesn’t include scholarship players of which clubs can sign 16
If your club is competing in the Asian Champions League, additional players can be contracted – but they are only eligible to participate in the ACL.
What’s the salary cap?
The salary cap sets both a minimum and maximum spend for each club on player wages.
In 2021/22, the salary floor (minimum spend) is $2,250,000. The cap ceiling (maximum spend) is $2,500,000.
If a club does not reach the salary cap ceiling, that club can access up to 10% of their underspend the following season as ‘salary cap banking allowance’ in addition to the standard cap.
But some players are exempt from the cap…
Of the 18-23 players registered at each club, some may fall into certain categories making them exempt from the salary cap – meaning clubs do not have to include said player’s salary inside the set floor and ceiling of the cap.
The exemptions apply to:
- MARQUEE PLAYERS: Each club can sign a maximum of two marquee players who are fully exempt from the cap.
- GUEST PLAYER: Each club can sign one guest player who is fully exempt from the salary cap, and is only eligible for circa half the season but who must meet strict eligibility requirements.
- DESIGNATED PLAYER: In the five-year collective bargaining agreement struck between Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) in 2021, Isuzu UTE A-League clubs are now able to sign one ‘designated player’ who must earn a salary between $300,000 and $600,000 who is also exempt from the salary cap.
- HOMEGROWN PLAYERS: Each club can have up to four ‘homegrown players’ fully exempt from the salary cap. However, these players must be Australian and aged under 23 that have come through the club’s youth system.
- LOYALTY PLAYERS: Each club can have an unlimited number of loyalty players, who based on the number of consecutive seasons of service, may have a slice of their salary excluded from the cap up to a maximum of 50%. Players who are eligible for that maximum must have played 10 or more consecutive seasons at the club.
How many foreign player slots does my club have to work with in this window?
If you’re hoping for your club to bring free agent Kylian Mbappe through the doors this window, remember: each club can sign a maximum of five foreign players. If your club has five on the books already, one will need to make way for the PSG speedster to start tearing defences apart in your club’s colours.
Here’s the current allotment of foreign players at each Isuzu UTE A-League club:
- Adelaide United: 3/5
- Brisbane Roar: 4/5
- Central Coast Mariners: 5/5
- Macarthur FC: 5/5
- Melbourne City: 3/5
- Melbourne Victory: 5/5
- Newcastle Jets: 5/5
- Perth Glory: 5/5
- Sydney FC: 4/5
- Wellington Phoenix: 2/5
- Western Sydney Wanderers: 5/5
- Western United: 5/5
Of the 12 clubs, only Adelaide, Brisbane, City and the ‘Nix currently have vacant foreign slots to work with in the window. It’s going to be an entertaining four-horse race for the prized Frenchman’s signature.
My club identifies an overseas player… then what?
In the process of getting a player’s name signed on the dotted line, the club does the majority of the legwork. Then it’s down to the APL and Football Australia (FA) to rubber stamp the move.
Let’s say Virgil van Dijk was unexpectedly released by Liverpool, and reached an agreement with the Central Coast Mariners. If he fits inside the 23-player roster and he signs a contract – that deal is lodged to the APL and FA for approval. As van Dijk is arriving from a professional overseas league, the governing body of that league (in this case England’s Football Association) needs to approve an International Transfer Clearance (ITC).
An ITC is needed by any professional player if they wish to play in another league in another country. If van Dijk wanted to play for a Sunday League Division 3 Reserves side in Australia in 2022, the English FA would still need to approve his ITC before he was allowed to play.
If the transfer is from club to club within the Isuzu UTE A-League, however, no such approval is required. All that is required, then, is a medical to be cleared before the player can lace up for their new side.
Featured image credit: Adelaide United
