Gills play their part in reducing agents' payments

Last updated : 13 July 2006 By Simon Head

The Football League: member clubs cutting back on agents' fees

That statement on its own is hardly surprising, as we've only paid transfer fees for one player (£25k for Paul Shields) in the last two seasons - but the overall trend is one that has encouraged Football League Chairman Lord Mawhinney.

Speaking after the release of the Football League's Agents' Fees Report for last season, Lord Mawhinney said the fact that the clubs have reduced their payments to agents is a very encouraging one.

"It is encouraging that clubs spent £150,000 less on payments to agents than was the case last year. I hope the regular, half-yearly publication of these fees has helped," he said.

"Publication certainly has been a catalyst for a wider debate about the role of agents in football. In turn, this has paved the way for The League to introduce new regulations governing how agents' operate.

"I applaud clubs for their willingness to enter into this debate and for making changes that will deliver greater levels of transparency and integrity to transfer negotiations.

"Two of these changes, in particular, are likely to lead to a reduction in what clubs pay to agents. First, there will be no 'dual representation' - an agent will have to represent either the club or the player. Secondly, agents will no longer be able to pass on to clubs the costs of representing a player."

Nowadays players are responsible for paying agents' fees - and deals are usually signed when a player agrees to be represented by an agent. This approach means that agents get their income from the player, rather than clubs, which will help the dozens of cash-strapped clubs in the lower divisions.

In the current climate, only very few clubs can afford to pay anything over and above a nominal transfer fee for a player, and 'Bosman' free transfers are commonplace in the lower divisions, with much greater player movement than there was ten years ago.

As a prime example of the new way of dealing with the transfer market in today's game, Gillingham have signed seven players this summer - Kelvin Jack, Duncan Jupp, Mark Bentley, Clint Easton, Gary Mulligan, Guy Ndumbu-Nsungu and Dean McDonald - all on frees, making this close-season one of the busiest for incoming player transfers in the club's recent history.