Financial Fair Play rules introduced this season

The world’s original league football competition – the npower Football League - returns this weekend for its 114th season and is set to deliver 1,671 matches and ten months of competitive league football in towns and cities throughout the country.

In welcoming the start of the new league season, Football League Chairman, Greg Clarke, said: “Following a truly memorable summer of sport, I’m sure football supporters are now keenly anticipating the start of a new league season.  Once again, it’s going to be a fascinating campaign with no shortage of thrilling matches, great goals and all the usual debate and controversy.

“It is particularly encouraging that the new season begins with our clubs having made a new commitment to fair play both on and off the field.  I believe our new Financial Fair Play regulations will be a significant step towards creating a sustainable financial future for our clubs.  I am also delighted that clubs have made a new commitment to playing matches in a sporting manner.  Professional football should be tough and competitive, but it should also be played with respect for your opponent, the game itself and, most importantly, the fans that have paid to watch.”

The new season will see a number of changes on and off the pitch following a number of recent decisions by clubs:

Financial Fair Play

The Football League has introduced Financial Fair Play regulations in all three of its divisions from the beginning of the 2012/13 season. The new rules are intended to exert greater control over club expenditure and each division has been given the flexibility to determine its own specific approach.

Leagues 1 and 2:

League 1 and League 2, clubs have chosen to implement the Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) that limits spending on total player wages to a proportion of each club’s turnover, with clubs providing budgetary information to The League at the beginning of the season that is updated as the campaign progresses.

Any club that is deemed to have breached the permitted spending threshold will be subject to a transfer embargo.  Wherever possible, The League will seek to tackle the issue ‘at source’ by refusing player registrations that take clubs beyond the threshold.

In League 1 the SCMP threshold will operate at 65% of turnover and in League 2, where it has operated since 2004/05, it will be 55%.