International Transfer Card Now Mandatory For All American Football Players Worldwide
The IFAF (International Federation of American Football) Executive Board adopted new ITC (International Transfer Card) rules at their board meeting in December. These new rules will apply for all federations (countries) in 2015.
The ITC is important as it regulates player transfers and sets a new level of organization governing player transfers between countries. In order to simplify player transfers, the ITC ensures that players who leave their teams ae in possession of the proper release documents. An ITC is mandatory for all players worldwide who wish to transfer from one federation (country) to another.
The ITC is particularly important for players in Europe, as most transfers occur on European soil.
In addition, a special agreement has been concluded with Football USA and Football Canada, whereby everyone transferring from college will fall under ITC rules and regulations. Basically, all American/Canadian players will also have to obtain a proper ITC in order to transfer to any federation across the globe. However, ITC rules and regulations will not apply to athletes who have had a two-year break from football, or who have not played football before.
The fee for the ITC is 130 euro, and the fee is split between the national and continental federations involved. Federations cannot charge any additional fees for an ITC.
These new regulations took effect January 1, 2015, and the ITC database will be public and available for everyone to check transfers.
The IFAF Board has appointed Ms. Zorica Hofman to be responsible for managing all matters related to International Transfer Cards.
For any additional information, teams and players are asked to contact their local federations.
Source: IFAF Europe Media Department
