6 March 2020 – The South African Football Association’s (SAFA) innovative MYSAFA player registration and competition management system has come a long way in a short time. By now most footballing pundits, administrators, players, coaches and match officials are aware of this ground-breaking technology, why it was brought about and exactly what advantages and benefits it will bring to South African football in the near and distant future.
One positive that will have a ripple effect for generations to come is the distribution of training rewards for smaller clubs who groom young players and make it more efficient for them to get financial rewards.
Among many others, legendary goalkeeper, Innocent Mayoyo, has given the thumbs up to the platform.
“Keeping track of player records is hard if you don’t have a reliable system and I believe through MYSAFA we finally have a working system that will help clubs being compensated for their hard work of producing talented players,” said the former Pirates star.
These rewards revolve around two main aspects: Solidarity Contribution and Training Compensation. These are defined in the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP). Clubs must register all players (boys, girls, amateurs, and professionals) with their member association from at least 12 years of age.
Why is this so important? FIFA requires a complete record of where players have been registered during their entire career. This will be contained in an electronic player passport and used for automated payment of training rewards when the player turns professional.
FIFA’s solidarity reform package specifies that solidarity payments will be automatically withheld and paid to training clubs using the member associations’ electronic registration system. In South Africa, that system is MYSAFA, which is the gateway for transfer matching, payments, passports and more.
FIFA’s Football Stakeholders Committee also recently endorsed the establishment of a fund to partly finance the payment of training compensation. Financed by an additional 1% levy on transfer fees, the system will further encourage and reward the training efforts of clubs. As payments will be automated via the new FIFA Clearing House, it will ensure that training compensation is actually paid, which – especially in Africa – is rarely the case today.
Contact support@mywww.safa.net for more information.
By: Dhirshan Gobind