Football Insider quotes Kelvin Tanner and Owen Chan on the FA's new ESC Endorsement Path

The Home Office recently approved new changes to the Governing Body Endorsement system for international player visas. The changes will help English clubs to recruit “exceptional international talent” which currently falls outside the GBE criteria. 

Kelvin Tanner, Partner, and Owen Chan, Associate, provide comment for Football Insider on the ESC Endorsement Path:

“The new ESC endorsement path allows clubs competing in the Premier League or Championship to sign up to four non-UK players who would otherwise not qualify for a Governing Body Endorsement via the existing routes for the 2023/2024 season.

“Clubs must first receive a GBE before they can sponsor a player’s UK visa to allow them to play football or undertake any employment duties for the club.

“For the 2024/2025 season onwards, the system incentivises clubs to give more game time to homegrown talent by allocating the number of ESC players a club can sign based on the number of playing minutes given to English Qualified Players throughout the season before.

“Clubs must demonstrate to the FA’s satisfaction that the transferee is an elite player who will make a significant contribution to the sport. 

“Relevant guidance will be issued by the FA from time to time, but as a minimum, the FA would expect the player to have played internationally for their country or played in at least five matches domestically in a qualifying league.”

Read the full article in Football Insider here.