Are England’s current Home Grown Player requirements sufficient to produce an elite national team?

On 6 April 2017, the English Football League (“EFL”) announced that its 72 members clubs (each of whom compete in one of the three divisions that the EFL oversees – the Championship, League One, and League Two) had approved proposals to increase the number[1] of “home grown players” in their match day squads for the 2017-18 season and to also include at least one “club-developed” player in the 2018-19 season[2].

This article considers the genesis of home grown player requirements within European football; the current requirements that are in place in both the EFL and the English Premier League (“EPL”); and considers whether or not the requirement to name “home grown” players in match day squads is an effective means of developing elite English-qualified talent and providing them with sufficient opportunities in first team football. Specifically, it looks at:

• “Home Grown” and “Club-Developed” player requirements in the EFL
  
  
• Home Grown Player requirements in the EPL
  
  
• The genesis of Home Grown Player requirements in European football 
  
  
• Why have the EFL implemented changes to its Home Grown player regime?
  
  
• Can we expect the introduction of club-developed players in the EPL?
  
  
• Are the current Home Grown Player requirements an effective means of producing elite English-qualified players?