CLUB REGISTRATION AND TRANSFER WINDOW: SLFA Deadline Ticking Away

WITH three weeks to go for the start of the New Year (2020), the Saint Lucia Football Association (SLFA) Inc, would like to inform all its affiliates that the Club Registration process takes a new turn and many activities that were not being used will now be put into use.

According to the SLFA, in the 2020 – 21 all season Transfers will be done on line.

It means that if a player is not registered online by a Club they don’t have the rights to that player.

All players must be registered on line. This is imperative as the Saint Lucia football Association Inc. will soon start using the online registration to run championships in Saint Lucia. Thus if players are not registered, one cannot used that player in a competition.

In 2020 Clubs are expected to have its structure well set up, with a grass roots component attached, head coaches with at least D’ Licence, a women’s programme, a programme of activities, a budget, a constitution, a list of members, a youth development plan amongst others.

The SLFA will be meeting periodically with Executive of Clubs to ascertain that they are active and in good standing.

According to the SLFA, CONCACAF will be undertaking spot checks with clubs in Saint Lucia to ensure that they actually exist.

For this reason among others, Clubs must take to re-register with the Association before the deadline date of Tuesday 31st December and that each club must register also all of its members, junior, senior and children into the FIFA CONNECT System.

Clubs that are not in CONNECT need to get in touch with the SLFA urgently so that a reassessment can be made and determine whether it meets the criteria for registration.

Meanwhile, the Official Window for the transfer of players from one club to the other in Saint Lucia is Friday 13th December 2019 to Friday 31st January 2020. Transfers will take effect from Saturday 1st February 2020.

Transfers requested after Friday 31st January 2020 will be denied.

Transfers for Minors will only be done during the transfer window. The parents of the Minors requesting the transfers must sign the Transfer certificate.

One needs to take note that a Transfer takes place only after the Saint Lucia Football Association Inc. through its General Secretary, has issued an official document confirming that the player has been transferred.

If a player plays for another club before the transfer process is completed, that player will be determined to have played for two clubs in the same season and will be disciplined.

Once a transfer is granted, the player cannot request a cancellation or a transfer to another club, instead the player has to await the next transfer window in 2021.

If a player is transferred without his knowledge, he must report this to the General Secretary of the Association by letter, stating that he did not request a transfer following which an investigation will be undertaken to determine the status of the transfer request or the already granted one.

All transfers are free and no club can deny a transfer. If any Club frustrates the transfer process the player will be given the transfer by the Saint Lucia Football Association Inc. after an investigation into the matter.