3 Key Things You Need to Know Before You Sign that Contract with A Professional Football Club

At first, it was really easy. You could play for which ever team you wanted and for as long as you wanted. But then came the revolution: clubs started signing contracts with their best football players to keep them under their helm. But from the beginning of the 19th century on, much has changed.

The rules are now much more strict today,  players and clubs have many more contract requirements and there is much more money involved.

Basically, there are two types of players playing the game in organized football associations: amateurs and professionals.

FIFA defines professionals as players who have a written contract with a club and are paid more for their footballing activity than the expenses they effectively incur. All other players are considered to be amateurs (some of them are paid for playing, some not).

Key rules
The more complicated and sough-after status is the professional one. Here are some important rules you should know about when potentially signing a professional contract:

1. A player can only sign a professional contract when he is 15 years old or older; it has to be co-signed by his parents or custodians.

2. A player who is 18 years old or younger can only sign a contract for a maximum of 3 years;
all other contracts are limited to 5 years; the minimum length of a contract is from its effective date until the end of the season.

3. A contract between a professional and a club may only be terminated upon expiry of the term of the contract or by mutual agreement; a contract may be terminated by either party without consequences of any kind (either payment of compensation or imposition of sporting sanctions) where there is just cause;

You can find more detailed information in the FIFA “Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players“. These regulations also explain what (and how) a player (or a club) can do if the other party is violating the contract.

How much can a Player Earn modern football?
The level of the salary in your contract depends on you and your agent’s  capability to negotiate it and – of course, on how good your playing skills are.

Most clubs pay strikers and attacking midfielders more, because they are the ones saddled with the responsibility of scoring goals and bringing excitement to the game. Goalkeepers are the least paid.

Of course, there other considerations such as the player's commercial viability: popularity to attract spectators as well as brands sponsorships and endorsementc'=..Today, it also includes the player's social media popularity and followership.