Can Conference and Non League teams sign foreign players?I know how difficult it has been for american players to get permits to play in the premiership and first division, can't imagine that non league is even an option.
Yes they can. The division the club is in makes no difference to the work permit regulations, just as a small business has to (and can) get work permits for non-EU employees just the same as a multi-national.
Thanks Richard! Do most non league clubs (ie combied counties or whatever, I am a yank, so i am not familiar with the lower portions of the pyramid) own their own grounds? What would you guess their operational costs are? I imagine that they are small or they would bring in more players from abroad.
A few fisures for Halifax - mid table Conference (taken from the official site (you'd need to register to view it there). http://www.halifaxafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10437~471081,00.html To the end of the season: Expenditure £140k wages £50k tax, national insurance, VAT £16k CVA payments £8k away travel Now supposedly we have one of the lowest playing budgets in the division, and still expect to have a shortfall, although beating Chester last weekend will help, a win over Blackpool would be good too. Currently have one foreign player, a striker from the US. Can only think of two others from abroad over the past decade, a former Irish international and one from St Kitts & Nevis (although I presume that was through ancestry, not birth). As well as small budgets, I can't see that many players wanting to come over and play in the lower leagues anyway.
the term "most non-league clubs" is a bit misleading as there are far far more non-league clubs at the lower end of the non-league structure than at the top of it. Most do own their own grounds though, although beyond about the 6th level there isn't a huge amount to their grounds. Conference crowds are generally from about 1000 to 4000. 6th level is usually 250 to 1000. Crowds at 7th level downwards are only about 150 and get lower the further you go. Players really only play for expenses and bonuses. Below the conference it's incredibly unlikely that anyone would come to england from abroad as the money on offer wouldn't be nearly enough to live on.
Somewhat unrelated, but how much skill/experience does it take to "sign" for a Sunday League club? I'm just wondering in the event the Air Force moves me from the US to England over the summer.
So what would it cost me to buy Halifax? Or a team like Exeter that has $ troubles? Obviously Chester would be more because they have their new stadium.
Criteria for being a Sunday league footballer * Have own boots * Will turn up for game (no matter how drunk) * Will pay for round of beers afterwards * Will smoke cigarettes at half time (optional). There are some Sunday league clubs who take it seriously, but my experience is that the great majority play it for fun.
I agree that it's unlikely that anyone at that level would come to England just to play football, but a lot who are here for other reasons (e.g. students) will turn out for local clubs during their stay. I don't know if you remember the Liberian (Ali Dia ?) who was signed by Graeme Souness at Southampton, under the mistaken impression that he was George Weah's cousin and a Liberian international? I believe he is studying in the north east of England and still turns out at a very minor level.
You might remember that last year, Junior Agogo, formerly of the Colorado Rapids, played for Barnet. He ended up leaving for Petersboro (?) though.
to be honest I couldn't say as it's purely down to what the owner wants to (or can) sell it for. Sometimes clubs go for £1, as long as the new owner meets the debts. The value of the stadium doesn't have any bearing on the value of the club as unlike in the US, where the price of the stadium is always included in the value of a club, we recognise that to a developer, a stadium isn't worth any more than the land it sits on. Saying that though, I think Chester's new stadium was bought from MFI as a flat-pack for £49.99. I'd be surprised to see a conference club being sold for more than a few hundred thousand. It's not as if there are owners queuing up as none will ever see a financial return on their investment.
Chester are currently losing £65k a month at the moment too, although they do have a chairman willing to put money in at the moment. As Richard said, I can't imagine a Conference club being sold for all that much either. You would be able to get on pretty much any board though if you were willing to invest a bit of money. As for Chesters ground, sadly they didn't take the optional extra of decent access.
I can't tell you how much this interests me. Now, I assume that the debt in a conference side is from operations. 56k a week must be from travel and player earnings. I was under the impression that about half the conference teams don't pay their players. Is that wrong? What about if a team was in the Dr. Martins league? I was trying to do a little research on this (company time well spent) and saw where the pyramid is being reorganized. Really, this is so foreign to american sports. I love it. Anyway, I would assume you could buy an entire Dr Marten's team for under a hundred K and not have more that a few thousand in expendature each year?
Hi Ender. The upper part of Nonleague are very professional in England. Currently 12 of the 22 clubs in the Conference league are full time professional. In 6.th level Grays Athletic are also fulltime pro. A team as Shrewsbury have more than 4000 in average in the conference despite the league are 5th level in England. Next years Conference expansion will be interesting with the New Conference 2 being created betweed the conference league and the 3 feeder leagues as Dr. Martens, Ryman and Unibond. The problem has been that Conference league has become very professional the last 5 years but the 3 feeder leagues stand still. Currently the feeder leagues have a odd mixture of very well supported semi-pro teams as Weymouth FC, of old traditional Football League sides and small crappy sides with 100 in average gates. With this new restructure it will be possible for the best supported and most traditional teams to play each other on higher level gaining more publicity and bigger gates and therefore more money and bigger professionalism. Actually The Conference leagues are very viable most conference teams being promoted to division 3 manage very well the first year. But the huge difference is also that in the Conference league you cand adjust the professionalism of your time after the clubs economy while in Division the clubs have to be 100% professional.
The Conference are more Professional than you think. 12 out of the 22 Conference League teams are full professional and a team as Shrewsbury that became relegated last year from Division 3 have more than 4200 in average gates which are more than half of the Division 3 teams gates. Grays Athletic in the 6th. Level are also full time pro's despite they only have 300 in average gates. Many of the Dr. Marten, Unibond and Ryman have around 1000 in average gates and when the best teams of these 3 leagues will compete in the Conference 2 which will be formed next year the professional level of non league teams will rise alot. If you take a team as Hednesford Town in 6th. level (can't remeber the league) thats averaging 600 in gates have a lot more modern and smart stadium than most Conference and Division 3 Stadiums.
True, but there have been a number of instances where people have come over for some other reason (work, study) and turned out for a lower club. About ten years ago, the American (International, no less, but just one game) Mike Masters played for Newbury. Did pretty well, iirc.
That's Peterborough, and no, he didn't: he's at Bristol Rovers. (The Posh move foundered on personal terms.)
How long ago was Rushden and Diamonds playing in the conference? I believe the Jamaican Lowe is still playing for them but they're in the 2nd division. I think they were already promoted to the 3rd division before he joined them.
Actually, the [Ryman] Isthmian League is odd man out--the [UniBond] Northern and [Doc Martens] Southern Leagues will be the only feeder leagues, with Isthmian being relegated to a feeder for the Northern League. This, of course, has caused consternation and even a legal challenge, but I believe it has now been accepted as a fait accompli.
Actually unother Isthmian are not gonna be a feeder for northern league. Check out on www.tonykempster.co.uk there everything up to date about the restructuring. The whole Idea of the new restructuring is 1-2-3-4 system.