Details on work permits for managers and coaches.
Points Based System
Governing Body Endorsement Requirements For Managers
Background
This document explains the criteria football clubs to obtain Governing Body Endorsements for Tier 2 and 5 of the UK Border Agency points based system for football managers and first team coaches for the 2008/2009 season.
Consultation
The following criteria have been agreed by the UK Border Agency following consultation between The FA, Premier League, Football League, Professional Footballers’ Association, the League Managers’ Association and the other Home Associations of The Scottish FA, The FA of Wales and The Irish FA.
Duration
The criteria will apply for season 2008-09 and will be effective from 27 November 2008 through to 1 May 2009. The criteria will be reviewed in early 2009 in order that revised criteria may be issued by the 1 May 2009 to operate for season 2009-10.
Criteria for Clubs
To be eligible to apply for a Governing Body Endorsement and to become a Sponsor and issue Certificates of Sponsorship a club must be in membership of the Premier League or the Football League.
Length of season
The playing season for this sport is from August to May. This may vary slightly from season to season depending on the arrangement of the first and last matches. Managers and first team coaches are not subject to transfer windows.
Criteria for managers
Governing Body Endorsements will be issued to managers and first team coaches of the highest calibre who are able to make a significant contribution in footballing terms to the development of the United Kingdom game at the highest level (i.e. clubs competing in the Premier Leagues and Football Leagues in England and Scotland the Welsh Premier League and the Irish Premier League in Northern Ireland).
Initial applications
To be eligible for a Governing Body Endorsement:-
Managers and first team coaches must have overall responsibility for first team selection. Joint or partial responsibility for first team selection does not meet the criteria.
The manager or first team coach must also:-
- Hold a UEFA professional licence or equivalent; or
- have managed or coached in a professional league for at least two of the last five years; or
- have managed or coached an international team with a FIFA ranking of 70th or higher within the last five years.
FIFA rankings
There are currently 204 international teams listed in the official FIFA world rankings. Those countries which have regularly achieved a 70th placing or higher over a period of two years are regarded as nations who have competed regularly at a highly competitive international level and have managers or first team coaches of the highest standard who have contributed consistently to the achievement of that world ranking
The FA will produce the aggregated two-year rankings list on a monthly basis when the official FIFA world rankings are published and those countries ranked 70th or above meet the criterion. The aggregated rankings can be found here. If clubs have any queries about the rankings they should contact The FA. Click here to find the latest rankings.
Length of issue
Governing Body Endorsements should be issued for a period appropriate to the period of approval for sponsorship or the tier under which the application is being made, that is:-
As a Sponsor – Tier 2 or Tier 5 – for 4 years.
Migrant Tier 2 Sport
Initial application – length of contract or up to three years maximum, whichever is the shorter period.
Extension application – length of contract or up to two years maximum, whichever is the shorter period.
Migrant Tier 5 sporting – length of contract or up to 12 months, whichever is the shorter period. No in-country extensions are possible.
If stated in their governing body endorsement requirements, governing bodies may endorse an individual for a shorter period than the employment contract e.g. a season. If this is the case, the individual must be made aware that their certificate of sponsorship and consequently entry clearance or leave to remain will be limited to the length of the endorsement and will not be for the length of the contract.
Extension applications
If a club wishes to retain the services of a manager or first team coach, they should submit a new application for a governing body endorsement before the work permit or Certificate of Sponsorship expires. If the Governing Body Endorsement criteria are satisfied, a GBE will be issued for the period of their contract, up to a maximum of two years.
Change of employment
A club wishing to sign a manager or first team coach from another United Kingdom club must submit an application to The FA at the address given at the end of this document. If the criteria are satisfied, a GBE will be issued for the period of their contract, up to a maximum of three years.
Salary
Clubs do not need to include details of a manager's or first team coach's salary in the endorsement application.
Panels
Where an application does not meet the published criteria, a club may request a panel to consider the manager or first team coach's skills and experience. If a club requests a panel, The FA will refer the club's evidence to an independent panel.
The panel will normally consist of representatives from the relevant football governing bodies together with up to three independent experts.
The panel's terms of reference are:-
To consider whether the manager or first team coach is of the highest calibre.
To consider whether the manager or first team coach is able to contribute significantly to the development of the game at the top level in the United Kingdom.
Full terms of reference and roles of the panel members and the club are available to attendees.
The panel will make a recommendation to The Football Association whose decision will then be relayed to the club.
Clubs should note that, in respect of any application, there will only be one panel available (i.e. a panel and recommendation, followed by a decision). A club should therefore ensure that all evidence it wishes to present in support of its application is presented to the panel.
If the club has previously made an application that was unsuccessful at panel, a further panel cannot be requested for the same manager or first team coach during the season. For these purposes a season is deemed to run from 1 June until 31 May.
Further information
This guidance is available on the web sites of The Football Association (authoring.thefa.com), Premier League (www.premierleague.com), Football League (www.football-league.co.uk) and League Managers’ Association (www.leaguemanagers.com). For more information please contact:-
Graham Noakes
Professional Game Manager
The Football Association, 25 Soho Square, London, W1D 4FA
Tel: 0207 745 4618
Fax: 0207 745 5618
Graham.Noakes@TheFA.com
Aggregate FIFA Rankings
