UEFA Executive Committee approves first dedicated women’s football licensing regulations

The UEFA Executive Committee today approved dedicated UEFA Club Licensing Regulations for the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

While licensing for the elite women’s club competition was introduced in 2019, these are the first set of fully independent regulations for the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

Indeed, the regulations aim to promote participation in football, contribute to the development of women’s football, and protect the integrity and smooth running of the UEFA Women's Champions League.

In addition, the regulations will improve the professionalisation of clubs’ structures and contribute to long-term sustainability, as well as providing increased transparency and improved quality of financial information and financial management.

The new regulations come into effect on 1 June 2022.

The Executive Committee approval comes after their recent approval of the new UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability Regulations. Changes include further support for youth development, while the number of qualified youth coaches with defined minimum coaching qualifications has also been increased.

A new article in the regulations will support the development of women’s football in accordance with the UEFA Women’s Football Strategy 2019–24. The objective is to encourage men’s football clubs to embrace women’s and girls’ football in all 55 UEFA member associations.

A new requirement has been introduced requiring licence applicants to have a football social responsibility officer, with responsibility for the implementation and application of football social responsibility policies and measures. The regulations now include a detailed section dedicated to football social responsibility, which set out where clubs should implement policies in the areas of equality and inclusion, anti-racism, child and youth protection and welfare, football for all abilities, and environmental protection.

The regulations strengthen the implementation of the no overdue payables rules by pushing the cut-off date for club licensing from 31 December to 28 February, by making the two existing monitoring assessment dates mandatory and by adding a new assessment date. All payables to football clubs, employees, social/tax authorities, and UEFA due to be settled by 28 February, 30 June, 30 September, and 31 December must be settled by a club by 31 March, 15 July, 15 October, and 15 January, respectively.

A new ‘net equity rule’ has been introduced to strengthen clubs’ balance sheets by ensuring they operate with positive equity. If a club’s equity is not positive at the 31 December preceding the deadline for submission of the application to the licensor and preceding the deadline for submission of the list of licensing decisions to UEFA, the club must have reduced its negative equity position by 10% or more compared with the previous 31 December.

In parallel, to ensure that all licensors manage the Club Licensing process, UEFA has updated the Club Licensing Quality Standard. These will ensure mandatory requirements for national associations as licensors, ensure a proper and efficient functioning of the system based on the principles of consistency and equal treatment, and aid good governance and quality management.