Solidarity payments and women's football on Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability Conference agenda
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
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Hosted in collaboration with the Serbian Football Association, the 2024 UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability Conference encouraged discussion on topics such as UEFA's regulatory framework and the professionalisation of the women's game.
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UEFA member associations, FIFA, sister confederations and other key stakeholders met in Belgrade on 2 and 3 October to discuss UEFA's club licensing system, which sets out the highest standards for good governance across European football.
The system is a set of regulations aimed at ensuring clubs meet certain standards of financial sustainability, transparency, governance and infrastructure, which then allows them to participate in the world's most prestigious club competitions.
UEFA gave an update on the club licensing system, financial sustainability and the main takeaways from last season, with the agenda also including a presentation on the new solidarity payment scheme and a discussion on the professionalisation of women's football.
New solidarity payment scheme
The presentation on the new UEFA solidarity scheme highlighted how it is implemented with the support of the club licensing system.
Teams not competing in UEFA's men's club competitions will be boosted by an unprecedented increase in solidarity payments of close to 80%. These payments have reached a yearly total of €308m – 7% of the combined gross commercial revenues of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League.
The distribution to the top five countries (England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France) will be capped at €50m, and each of them will receive a fixed annual share of €10m. The total amount available for non-participating clubs of the remaining countries will be €258m.
To receive the payments, clubs must demonstrate the fulfilment of certain criteria of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability regulations. This process helps level the playing field between clubs, leagues and associations and also boosts the development of football at grassroots and youth levels.
Professionalising women's football
Two panel discussions were held during the conference. The first focused on the development of women's club and leagues, emphasising the role of governing bodies in implementing regulatory measures to further enhance the professionalisation of the game.
This aligns with the new UEFA women's football strategy for the period 2024 to 2030, which will focus on professionalising more leagues across Europe and making the game more financially sustainable.
The second panel centred on sustainability and highlighted the initiatives driving efforts in social, environmental and financial sustainability across European football.
Encouraging discussion on club licensing
The conference offered an excellent opportunity to discuss the latest updates on club licensing and financial sustainability, present the latest overview of the European football landscape and encourage discussions and the exchange of ideas.
Representatives from Serbian champions Crvena Zvezda provided an overview of the club's evolution and its strategic vision. This was followed by a session from the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) on the academy certification process, and a presentation on stakeholder communications and crisis management in club licensing.
"As we look ahead, I am confident that the progress we have made here will strengthen the foundations of European football, and together we will continue to safeguard its future," said Aleš Zavrl, UEFA's head of club licensing.