March 24 – England FA chairman Greg Dyke has called for top-flight clubs to increase the number of home-grown players in their squads in order to boost the fortunes of the national team and the effectiveness of club academy systems..
Premier League clubs currently have to name eight home-grown players in their 25-man squads, a number that will increase from eight to 12, phased over four years from 2016-17 if approved by the Premier League.
Dyke would like to see the qualification rule changed so young players have to be on the books of an English club for three years before their 18th birthday in order to qualify as homegrown rather than before they reach 21, as is the case now.
English players currently make up only around 35% of the Premier League and Dyke said: “Unless we can stop this trend and turn it I think future England managers will have a problem. I think they will have fewer and fewer players to choose from.”
Dyke also wants to get tough on players coming into the Premier League from abroad. From next season, those coming from outside the European Union will find it harder to get work permits.
“We’ve now got a situation where there are no English clubs in the last eight of the Champions League for the second time in three years. So that tells us, although the Premier League is without doubt the most competitive and successful league in the world, it’s not necessarily the best sides.”
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