EPL clubs would have to field a "minimum of four home-grown players"
in their starting 11 each week under a "new proposal from the Professional
Footballers' Association," according to Oliver Kay of the LONDON TIMES. PFA CEO Gordon Taylor is "seeking parliamentary support for
his plan, which is aimed to increase opportunities for English players,
before raising the matter with the FA, the Premier League and the Football
League." Taylor held talks with Jon Cruddas, MP, the Labour Party’s "policy review
co-ordinator," on Sunday and plans to meet Government representatives to "push
his case for clubs to field a minimum of four home-grown players, at least
one of them a product of their youth academy." Taylor: "The key is starting on the field of play and to have at least four home-grown
players, of which one should be club-grown. With so much
money going into youth development, we need to see some return from that.
The fallout rate has been so high that if we were a university we would
probably have been closed down" (LONDON TIMES, 9/22). The PA reported Taylor "also wants political
support for the PFA's backing of the 'Rooney rule' to encourage more
black and ethnic minority coaches -- there is only one black manager in
the 92 league clubs, Chris Powell at Huddersfield." The "Rooney
rule," used in the NFL, would "oblige clubs to shortlist at
least one black/ethnic minority candidate for each coaching position." Taylor is also pushing for the FA board to "include representatives from the PFA, fans and the League Managers' Association" (PA, 9/22).
