Football agents and young players in England: what the rules say

Does my child need an agent?

The EFL’s 2026/27 handbook (opens in a new tab) says the services of a football agent are not essential for a future in professional football. It describes an agent as someone who acts on behalf of a player or a club and may represent them in contract negotiations. Whether to use one is your family’s decision. The PFA Youth Advisory Service (opens in a new tab) advises academy players and their families. The EFL’s handbook says it offers independent advice, helps families understand contracts, and advises if a child is being approached by agents or other clubs.

The FA’s guidance says the regulations are not intended to catch a parent who is giving advice to their own child.

When an agent can approach your child

Before 1 September in the school year in which a child turns 16, The FA’s regulations say an agent must not:

• approach the child or their legal guardian, directly or indirectly, about their services or about signing a representation agreement; or
• make any agreement with the child or their legal guardian.

From that date, an agent can approach a child or make an agreement with them only once the child’s legal guardian has given written consent first. The regulations say a breach of this rule must be punished with, at a minimum, a fine and a suspension of the agent’s registration.

These rules bind agents registered with The FA. The FA says (opens in a new tab) only people registered with it as agents are authorised to carry out football agent services in England, so someone who is not on its list should not be acting as an agent for your child at any age.

For a child registered with a boys’ academy, the leagues’ rules also stop other Premier League and EFL clubs, and agents acting for them, from approaching the child or family except as the rules allow. Our guide to how football scouts find young players sets this out.

What an agent needs before working with a child

Under The FA’s regulations, an agent must:

• hold a FIFA football agent licence and be registered with The FA;
• get additional authorisation from The FA before approaching, representing or making an agreement with a player under 18.

To get that authorisation, The FA’s guidance says an agent must give it an enhanced criminal record check made for the agent role; a check obtained for another football role is not accepted. The authorisation lasts three years, and The FA suspends or withdraws it if the agent stops meeting the requirements.

You can check a name against The FA’s list of registered football agents (opens in a new tab). The FA also issues each registered agent with a Digital ID (opens in a new tab) showing their name, registration number and whether they are authorised to represent children. The FA says an agent must show it to a player, or a child’s parent or guardian, on request, inside the ID123 app rather than as a screenshot or photograph. The FA’s regulations say players must satisfy themselves that an agent is licensed by FIFA and registered with The FA before signing a representation agreement, and must not engage someone who is not registered. The FA’s registered agents page invites anyone with doubts about a person claiming to be an agent to contact The FA.

Signing a representation agreement

For a player, a representation agreement is the contract between the player and an agent. The FA’s regulations say an agreement with a player under 18 can only be enforced if:

• it meets the minimum requirements The FA sets, which its standard templates follow;
• the agent kept to the approach rules and had The FA’s authorisation to deal with under-18s; and
• it is signed by the child and their legal guardian, in the form The FA sets.

The regulations also say an agreement between a player and an agent cannot last longer than two years, and cannot renew itself automatically. A player under an exclusive agreement with one agent must not sign with another, except in the last two months of the exclusive agreement. The EFL’s handbook warns that a player signed to one agent on an exclusive basis who signs with another may have to pay commission to two or more agents.

Before signing, the EFL’s handbook suggests taking independent legal advice or contacting the PFA, especially if you are unsure about any of the terms. It also says to date any document you sign and to get a copy on the day.

When an agent can be paid

The FA’s regulations say an agent cannot receive a service fee for Football Agent Services relating to a player under 18 unless the player is entering a professional contract with a club and that contract comes into force. The FA’s guidance says a scholarship agreement does not count as a professional contract for this rule. So a registered agent cannot receive a service fee for representing your child before then. If anyone asks you to pay, check them against The FA’s list, contact The FA through its registered agents page, and take independent advice before agreeing to anything; the PFA Youth Advisory Service advises academy players and their families.

If an agent worries you

Ask to see the agent’s FA Digital ID in the ID123 app and check the name against The FA’s list. The FA’s regulations give it power to sanction agents, players and clubs who break them. If your child is at a Premier League club’s boys’ academy, the 2026/27 handbooks say to report a concern about an agent to the academy’s Head of Safeguarding and to The FA. At an EFL club’s boys’ academy, the EFL’s 2026/27 handbook says to check The FA’s list of registered football agents, and names the academy’s Designated Safeguarding Officer and the EFL’s safeguarding team for a safeguarding concern. The PFA Youth Advisory Service can also advise. Our guide to how football academies work sets out the academy safeguarding routes in full.

If an approach makes you worried for your child’s safety, treat it as a safeguarding concern. In England, you can report it to any of these:

• Your child’s club welfare officer, who is the club’s named safeguarding contact, or the league’s welfare officer.
• The County FA’s Designated Safeguarding Officer.
• The FA’s safeguarding team, through The FA’s reporting page (opens in a new tab).

You do not have to report through the club first. If the concern is about the club welfare officer or someone on the committee, you can go straight to the County FA or The FA. If you cannot contact the club, league or County FA, The FA also points to the NSPCC helpline. If you think a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, contact your local authority’s children’s social care. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

Our guide to safeguarding in grassroots football explains how safeguarding works in clubs.