Intermediaries

Intermediary means any person or legal persons (e.g. company, business) who, for a fee or free of charge, is engaged by a Club (being any club that is registered or affiliated with Football Australia, one of its member federations or an association affiliated to one of its member federations) and/or Player in a “Transaction”.

Transaction means the conclusion of either:

· an employment contract between a player and club, including, without limitation, a renegotiation, variation, extension or renewal of an existing employment contract; or

· a transfer agreement between two clubs.

You and the Club or Player must enter into a Representation Contract, which sets out the nature of the relationship (for example, whether a service, consultancy, job placement) and its terms.

The onus is then on the Player or Club to ensure a copy of this Representation Contract is lodged with Football Australia within 7 days of completion of the Transaction.

Football Australia will publish at the end of March each year:

· the name of each Intermediary Football Australia has registered in the Football Australia Registration System;

· a list of every Transaction in which an Intermediary was involved; and

· the total amount of all remunerations or payments actually made to Intermediaries by Players and Clubs.

This is in addition to Football Australia maintaining a list on Football Australia’s website of Intermediaries who have pre-lodged an Intermediary Declaration.

Yes, there are restrictions. An Intermediary must not be remunerated by a club or a player where the Transaction involves a player aged under 18.

Payments to Intermediaries must only be made by the Player or Club who engaged them.

There are a number of other important payment terms and conditions contained in the Regulations which all Intermediaries should familiarise themselves with.

No.

No. Pre-lodgement of an Intermediary Declaration with Football Australia only allows an Intermediary to benefit where the Transaction is in relation to an Australian Club. Specifically, where an Intermediary has pre-lodged with Football Australia, the relevant Australian Club (or their Player) will not have to provide to Football Australia an Intermediary Declaration along with the relevant Representation Contract.

If you intend to contract players to clubs outside Australia, please contact the governing body of football in that overseas country.

1 April 2015. Any subsequent amendments to the Regulations on Working With Intermediaries come into effect immediately.

The Regulations on Working With Intermediaries also supersede Football Australia’s Players’ Agents Regulations