SBI: Youth Players May Receive GenAd deals

[USvsIRELAND]

KAREN- If a youth academy player is signed, does the full amount of his contract count against the team cap or only part of it similar to the way a Generation Adidas contract is treated; if the latter, do you know the specific terms of how the YA contracts will be treated for purposes of the cap (e.g., based on players age up to age X)?

IVES- It may depend on the player but I do believe there are circumstances where a youth academy graduate can receive a Generation adidas deal and therefore not count against the cap. I'll get a better answer on this one next week.

As far as I know this would be a pretty big deal. Really makes an incentive to sign Youth players and develop Youth Academies.

[Count]

This is indeed a very big deal.

[trip76]

awesome news if true.

[PVancouver]

No developmental roster players count against the cap.

[USvsIRELAND]

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/03/kassel-and-mls.html#more

The fact he would likely sign as a Generation adidas player, and therefore not count toward one of the team's 18 senior roster spots, makes his acquisition all the more likely.


More news on this.

This is pretty huge news. Clubs can effectively sign their own GenAd players now.

[John_Harkes_6]

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/03/kassel-and-mls.html#more


Clubs can effectively sign their own GenAd players now.

No - clubs can sign their academy players to GenAd deals - HUGE difference. You make it sound like any team can go out and sign any kid they want to a GenAd deal and circumvent the draft.

[Stan Collins]

But it is still quite significant that a GenAd contract can be offered to home grown players. I wonder what the limits are? Because it occurs to me the league doesn't really want teams calling up players solely because they wouldn't count against the cap and the team hasn't filled the quota that year.

[Pegasus]

How long must a player be in the Academy to count as being "from" the Academy.

[PhillyMLS]

How long must a player be in the Academy to count as being "from" the Academy.

2 years. Though there will be special exemptions for now if the player is in your academy and then goes to the u-17 residency.

[PhillyMLS]

No - clubs can sign their academy players to GenAd deals - HUGE difference. You make it sound like any team can go out and sign any kid they want to a GenAd deal and circumvent the draft.

Actually there has been a huge swing in youth policy this year. Prior to this year you could only sign a young player if they were GenAd and put in the draft or in a lottery. This year you already have the Revs getting a young player as a discovery (though they let him go and MLS hasn't worked out a deal for him), Dallas looking like they are bringing in a 16 year old as a discovery player after filing a discovery on him, and the recent revelation that a youth academy player as a GenAd player.

I hope the policy on youth academy players stays consistent. If a current GenAd player is picked because they are in college (or going to college) they get money on the side for college. Same should apply for a player you think is too good for college but may never pan out. They should have that college money to fall back on in case things don't work out.

[USvsIRELAND]

No - clubs can sign their academy players to GenAd deals - HUGE difference. You make it sound like any team can go out and sign any kid they want to a GenAd deal and circumvent the draft.

I apologize for not being clear.

This is a pretty revolutionary move for MLS though and I am really surprised there are not more people paying attention to it.

Like PhillyMLS said, apparently (if the DouDou Toure signing goes through with FCD) clubs can sign any young player they want and any 2-year Academy player to GenAd contract.

[USvsIRELAND]

So we find out (unless people knew before) that MLS sides are allowed to sign one youth player to a GenAd deal every 3 years.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/04/post-19.html

I think that's pretty interesting and cool.

[Sandon Mibut]

So we find out (unless people knew before) that MLS sides are allowed to sign one youth player to a GenAd deal every 3 years.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/04/post-19.html

I think that's pretty interesting and cool.I think it sucks. One every three years is way too limiting. A good academy program should be able to produce more one GenAd caliber player every three years and the ones that do shouldn't be punished for it by having to either offer a crappy developmental deal that likely isn't enough to get a prospect to give up a college scholarship, or forces a team to burn a senior roster spot if they want to keep him from going the college or European/Latin American route.

It's too restricting and doesn't reward teams for doing things the right way.

[USvsIRELAND]

I think it sucks.

I guess I should clarify: I didn't realize they were allowed to GenAd anyone.

IMO:

Clubs should be allowed One GenAd every other year to use.

[trip76]

what exactly does a GenAd contract entail? are there a consistent terms?

[Stan Collins]

Not terribly. There can be a variety of different wages. I think I've seen guys on GenAd contracts making fairly ordinary high-five-figure contracts, and then on the other side Freddy signed on and got $550k.

Seems 100-175k is the most common range I've seen.

It does seem the length of contract, four years with an additional two-year league option, is the most common length.