The Lega Serie A council has introduced a number of rule changes to help promote the development of Italian players in the Primavera leagues.
TMW highlights how the maximum age limit of the Primavera leagues will be raised from Under-19 to Under-20, starting from the 2024-25 season, and changes have been made to the squad registration rules.
The first of which is a requirement to use ‘local’ players – defined as someone who has been registered with the club for two seasons as well as any FIGC-affiliated clubs – starting from the 2023-24 season.
The second squad change, apart from the reduction to a maximum of 22, is that a number of players must be eligible for the Italian national team.
Both these changes are being enacted to encourage clubs to grow and develop their Italian talents, helping to increase the options available to the Azzurri.
These changes will start next season and will grow over time, as seen below.
- 2023-24 season: presence in the squad of at least five local players and five players eligible to be called up for the Italian national teams.
- 2024-25 season: presence in the squad of at least eight local players and eight players who are eligible to be called up for the Italian national teams.
- 2025-26 season: presence in the squad of at least 10 local players and 10 players who are eligible to be called up for the Italian national teams.
Got to be careful and not fall into the trap of repeating some of the hideous practices of the FFF when it comes to quotas etc though. The target of 10 homegrown players in the squad would be wonderful though.