EFL Homegrown Player Rules: Squad Requirements, Definitions, and Penalties

In the Championship, League One and League Two, clubs must have a minimum of eight homegrown players registered in their squad.

For each league match, a club must name at least seven homegrown players in its matchday squad.

A homegrown player is defined as someone who has been registered with either their current club or any English or Welsh club for three seasons (or 36 months) before either their 21st birthday or the end of the season in which they turn 21.

These regulations apply only to league fixtures; the FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy are exempt from the EFL’s enforcement.

The Premier League operates its own distinct rules concerning squad composition and homegrown players.

The rule can include non‑English or non‑Welsh nationals, as illustrated by Watford’s recent 2‑0 victory over Charlton Athletic.

In that matchday squad, only Mattie Pollock and Marc Bola were listed as English, while players such as Hector Kyprianou, Jordan Zemura, Daniel Bachmann, Stephy Mavididi and Amin Nabizada were classified as homegrown because of their youth‑development spells with English or Welsh clubs.

After the summer transfer window closes, each EFL club must include at least one club‑developed player on its squad list or team sheet for every match.

If a club fails to meet this requirement, it is penalised by losing one bench spot – eight substitutes in the Championship instead of nine, and six in League One and League Two instead of seven.

Players under 21 are excluded from squad counts across all three EFL divisions, and goalkeepers are not counted in League One and League Two squad listings.

Source link