Training compensation and solidarity payments: how smaller clubs earn
Aug 21, 2026 · 12:40
After a big transfer, money also flows back to the small club where the player trained at twelve.
When a young footballer moves for millions, part of the money flows back to the clubs that developed him. Two separate mechanisms make this happen.
Training compensation
This is due when a player signs his first professional contract and on every international transfer up to the age of 23. The amount depends on how many years he spent at each club between the ages of 12 and 21, and on the category of the signing club: a top-flight side pays considerably more than a lower-division one.
The solidarity mechanism
This is the second pillar: on international transfers, five percent of the fee must be distributed among the clubs where the player played between 12 and 23, in proportion to the time spent there. On a €10 million deal that means €500,000 set aside for this purpose.
Why does it matter?
For a small academy, one successful graduate can cover an entire annual budget. This is income that does not depend on league position or sponsors, only on whether the club did good work with teenagers.
The catch in practice
The money does not arrive automatically: the club must document the player's time there and often has to claim the payment. As a result, significant sums go unpaid every year. Any club serious about youth development must also be serious about the paperwork.
