>PLAYER REGISTRATION AND CONTRACTS
PLAYER REGISTRATION AND CONTRACTS
Registration
Players must be registered at the Japan Football Association by a J.League club in order to play in the J.League. A copy of the player's contract must also be submitted in the case of professional players (defined as a player who receives remuneration for playing football).
Each team can register up to three foreign players, or up to five including amateur players (defined as a player who receives no remuneration for playing football) below the age of 20 and those on professional C contracts (see below). In the case where a foreign amateur or professional C contract player moves into a different contract status during the year, the three player limit does not apply to that player for the remainder of that year. The five player limit does, however, continue to apply.
Players of foreign nationality who are born in Japan are exempted from these registration limits provided that they either are enrolled in or have completed compulsory education at a school approved under Japan's School Education Law, or have graduated from a senior high school or university approved under the same law. Each team may, however, register only one player in this category.
In the 2006 season, player registration formalities for J1, J2 and the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup must be completed by September 15, 2006.
Each team can register up to three foreign players, or up to five including amateur players (defined as a player who receives no remuneration for playing football) below the age of 20 and those on professional C contracts (see below). In the case where a foreign amateur or professional C contract player moves into a different contract status during the year, the three player limit does not apply to that player for the remainder of that year. The five player limit does, however, continue to apply.
Players of foreign nationality who are born in Japan are exempted from these registration limits provided that they either are enrolled in or have completed compulsory education at a school approved under Japan's School Education Law, or have graduated from a senior high school or university approved under the same law. Each team may, however, register only one player in this category.
In the 2006 season, player registration formalities for J1, J2 and the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup must be completed by September 15, 2006.
The Contracts of J.League and JFL Players
Almost all professional players sign one of the JFA's standard A, B or C contracts with their club. Each club may have up to 25 players on the A contract. To sign an A or B contract, a Japanese player must either have completed a stipulated amount of playing time or have held a C contract for a period of three years. The stipulated playing times in J.League, League Cup, Emperor's Cup etc. games are 450 minutes for J1, 900 minutes in J2, and 1,350 minutes in the Japan Football League (JFL).
A player's first A contract has a basic salary cap of 7 million yen for the first year (with reasonable allowance for fluctuating income), but no cap is applied in subsequent years. The B contract is for players who qualify for an A contract but do not have one. The B contract has a basic salary cap of 4.8 million yen per year and match appearance fee cap of 50,000 yen per match. The C contract is the first professional contract for amateur and company team players who do not yet qualify for an A or B contract. It is limited to a maximum of three years. Players retained beyond that limit must be granted an A or B contract. The C contract also has a basic salary cap of 4.8 million yen per year and match appearance fee cap of 50,000 yen per match.
A player's first A contract has a basic salary cap of 7 million yen for the first year (with reasonable allowance for fluctuating income), but no cap is applied in subsequent years. The B contract is for players who qualify for an A contract but do not have one. The B contract has a basic salary cap of 4.8 million yen per year and match appearance fee cap of 50,000 yen per match. The C contract is the first professional contract for amateur and company team players who do not yet qualify for an A or B contract. It is limited to a maximum of three years. Players retained beyond that limit must be granted an A or B contract. The C contract also has a basic salary cap of 4.8 million yen per year and match appearance fee cap of 50,000 yen per match.
Player Transfers
Transfers may occur during the season but registration formalities must be completed by the deadline stated above for a transferred player to compete in J1, J2 or Yamazaki-Nabisco Cup matches. In the case of a temporary transfer, the player shall in principle return to his original team at the end of the agreed transfer period.
The transfer fee is set through negotiation between the two clubs. The JFA stipulates a standard procedure for calculating the transfer fee that sets the upper limit for the fee and applies to all player transfers.
The transfer fee is set through negotiation between the two clubs. The JFA stipulates a standard procedure for calculating the transfer fee that sets the upper limit for the fee and applies to all player transfers.
