‘Caceres Clause’ set to be phased out ahead of the 2025/26 A-Leagues season

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Football Australia, the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), and the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) have confirmed a joint commitment to review and phase out the ‘Caceres Clause’ in the lead-up to the 2025/26 A-Leagues season.

The Clause was brought back into the discussion after Auckland FC confirmed the loan signing of Alex Paulsen from sister club AFC Bournemouth.

The rule essentially prohibits the registration of a player to an A-League club if a team within the same club ownership group purchases a player from another A-League organisation and attempts to transfer/loan such player to their related A-League side.

The three Australian football governing bodies have identified that the clause is outdated and no longer fit for purpose due to the expansion of Australian football and the broader globalisation of the football economy.

Ever since the rule was implemented, multi-club ownerships have become more common across the footballing world and in Australia, with the likes of Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory all being part of multi-club partnerships.

Numerous contributing factors explain why the clause needs to be phased out, such as the increase in value of A-League players, the increasing interest in players between A-League clubs, and longer player contract terms.

Regarding how the clause will be phased out, the first stage will happen effective immediately where the clause will be amended to allow such transfers involving clubs with common ownership.

Therefore, Alex Paulsen’s move to Auckland FC will go ahead and become a registered player.

However, there will be “guardrails” limiting the number of multi-club transfers and loans to two players on loan at any one time, which is similar to the existing FIFA loan prohibitions.

The second stage will aim to enhance the broader A-Leagues’ economic model, such as assessing the efficacy of the salary cap against its stated objectives as well as exploring the potential benefits of transfer fee payments between A-League clubs.

The changes will be considered by both the men’s and women’s professional football committees, which include representation from the APL, clubs and players.

They review the A-Leagues by regularly assessing key strategic matters including commercial, broadcast, and high-performance areas and the A-Leagues’ economic model.

Football Australia will also be invited to join to discuss the changes as a regulator.

Brisbane Roar teams up with Monochrome as Platinum Partner

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Brisbane Roar confirmed Monochrome Corporation will become their Platinum Partner and A-League Men’s match day kit sleeve sponsor for the upcoming 2024/25 season.

Monochrome is a diversified financial services group specialising in crypto-assets and infrastructure projects within the bitcoin and digital asset sector across the Asia-Pacific region.

Earlier this year, Monochrome’s asset management division launched the Monochrome Bitcoin ETF (Ticker: IBTC), Australia’s first ETF to directly hold bitcoin.

A cryptocurrency company partnering with a club in the A-League is an extremely rare case and could signify a change in the future with this Brisbane Roar deal.

Central Coast Mariners partnered with Australian crypto platform Zipmex back in April of 2022 with the partnership becoming a joint deal with NRL club Penrith Panthers, however, this collaboration didn’t last very long at all, dissolving in 2023.

The other major codes in Australia have accepted multi-million dollar deals in crypto and the A-League could follow suit in the coming years if it becomes more acceptable.

Brisbane Roar Chairman & CEO, Kaz Patafta expressed his excitement and discussed the way this will benefit the club.

“We are delighted to welcome Monochrome to the club for the upcoming season. Monochrome is a leader in their field and a pioneer in the ETF investment space for crypto and bitcoin exposure. We are greatly appreciative for their support of our A-League Men’s program, and we look forward to seeing this partnership grow,” Patafta explained in a press release.

Monochrome CEO, Jeff Yew also commented on the collaboration and how the two parties are tied to the same values.

“Monochrome has been a long-standing supporter of Australian athletes and sporting events. Furthering our commitment to excellence alongside Brisbane Roar which aligns well with Monochrome’s brand values,” Yew said in a press release.

Brisbane Roar secure an important deal financially for the club and are busy once again in the offseason as they remain one of the strongest business clubs in the league.

This crypto deal is pioneering and could also give a glimpse into the potential for more deals like this if it becomes successful, with clubs becoming increasingly desperate for stable, financially-heavy partnerships.

Football Queensland will keep registration fees unchanged for 2025

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Football Queensland (FQ) has decided to buck national trends in increased registration fees by keeping the same low fees from past seasons for 2025.

FQ’s prices for the 2025 season will be $50 for MiniRoos, $66 for Juniors and $130 for Seniors making them the lowest registration fees in Australia.

President of Football Queensland, Paula Robinson, champions the federation’s economic management throughout the years to deliver affordable sport to a growing audience.

“The Football Queensland Board of Directors is extremely proud to keep its registration fees unchanged for yet another year. Having the lowest registration fees of any Member Federation means football in Queensland is one of the most financially accessible sports in the country. No wonder we have more Queenslanders than ever wanting to take to the football fields,” she said via FQ press release.

“As we continue to experience record year-on-year growth in participation across the state, the decision to not increase governing body fees for a fifth year reflects Football Queensland’s commitment to ensuring football remains accessible to all Queenslanders, no matter their age, background or location.”

Football Queensland CEO, Robert Cavallucci, explained how the governing body continue to manage difficult reforms.

“Football Queensland continues to undertake very difficult and significant reforms to its operational design, execution and statewide governance structures to transform how we deliver football and ensure the game can handle its evolving needs well into the future,” he said via press release.

“Coupled with prudent financial management, these reforms continue placing significant downward pressure on football’s volatile and high inflationary cost environment to deliver stable registration benefits to participants across the state. 

“After another exciting 2024 season, we look forward to welcoming participants back next year and seeing even more Queenslanders join our game in 2025.”

The registration fees for FQ have been the lowest in the nation for 5 years with the federation not allowing price increases since 2020, including in 2022 where on average football prices saw a 30% increase nationwide.

With the recent cost of living crisis in Australia, the cost of sports has been a massive influence on players either starting or returning to play football in Australia.

FQ’s massive increase in participants has made football the most-played team sport in Queensland, having the largest increase in players of all state federations last season. The continued low prices have been voiced as a key contributor to this success.

As a federation with a large contribution to Australian football in player numbers and successful professionals, its ability to keep prices low is a massive accomplishment.

Other state federations should look to FQ for inspiration in replicating their economic management if Australia wants to maintain participant numbers and ease the financial pressure to play football.

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