Ballincollig lose out on United new Bhoy

IT WOULD be nice if Manchester United were to make a goodwill gesture to the Ballincollig club that discovered Liam Miller by paying them a nominal sum in compensation.

Miller will become a United player at the end of the season, presumably in May. This means that Ballincollig will have lost their legal entitlement to a maximum compensation payment of €65,000, by three months.

The terms of the compensation scheme introduced by FIFA were aimed at compensating small clubs who helped in the training and development of players between the ages of 12 and 22 years. Miller celebrates his 23rd birthday on February 13.

The Career Guidance Officer of the FAI, Eoin Hand, has done invaluable work in chasing the professional clubs in England and persuading them to comply with the scheme.

The three clubs in Dublin who helped to develop Damien Duff in his formative years were all in receipt of compensation following his transfer from Blackburn Rovers to Chelsea.

Crumlin United, who discovered and trained Robbie Keane while he was a schoolboy, were also compensated when he moved from Leeds United to Tottenham Hotspur, thanks to Mr Hand's intervention.

He is working on several cases involving young Irish players who have recently moved between professional sides. And in the coming months he will tour the country explaining the finer points of the legislation to officers of schoolboy clubs.

The system of calculating compensation is worth examination.

Let's assume for ease of explanation, that Miller signed today, before he reaches his 23rd birthday.

The compensation sum for each of the first three years of the player's career between the ages of 12 and 15 is €10,000 (a 'ceiling' figure, the sum paid is negotiable). If Ballincollig had the player on their books for those three years they should receive €30,000.

Once a player reaches 15 years of age the compensation sum is based upon the category of club involved. For this purpose FIFA have divided clubs into four categories category four is for small amateur clubs like Ballincollig, category one covers elite clubs like Manchester United. Celtic, who hold Miller's registration, is classified as category two.

THE compensation due to a category two club like Celtic for a player who is with them between the ages of 15 and 16 is €60,000, if he transfers to a bigger club while out of contract. While under contract, of course, a transfer fee replaces the compensation payment.

Because Miller took a second step upwards from Celtic to United, Ballincollig would have been entitled to the average of the compensation due to Celtic and to a category four club. That is the average of the sum of €10,000 and €60,000 and amounts to €35,000.

The gross sum that Ballincollig will lose because Miller will have reached his 23rd birthday when he signs for United is then the sum of €30,000 and €35,000, i.e. €65,000.

It is worth recording that Celtic will lose out on compensation as well. Were he to sign for United today without a transfer fee, Celtic would be entitled to six years' compensation. That would amount to six times €60,000, because he was with them from age 16 to 22.

It is also disappointing for Ballincollig to recall the fact that Colin Healy was originally their player. He was with Celtic and was more than 22 years of age when signed by Sunderland Ballincollig would have been entitled to compensation had he been younger.

Eoin Hand summed it up: "It is an awful shame for Ballincollig. They are unfortunate that this transfer falls just outside the limits of the scheme. Celtic are unlucky that they lose out as well.

"These rules were brought in to help clubs like Ballincollig and under the spirit of the compensation scheme Ballincollig are entitled to some recognition.

"Manchester United would serve themselves, and every other professional club in England were they to make some sort of gesture. Such a big club would hardly miss a sum in the region of €50,000."

All is not yet lost, however. There is a second scheme brought in by FIFA designed to compensate the grassroots clubs like Ballincollig when a former player moves between professional clubs for a fee when he is over 23.

This is known as a 'Solidarity' scheme and the principal behind it is the same as that governing the compensation scheme. Under the solidarity scheme 5% of the gross transfer fee is divided between the player's former clubs.

This means that if Colin Healy or Liam Miller are transferred for a fee from Sunderland and Manchester United to another professional club, then Celtic and Ballincollig will share 5% of the fee involved.

Eoin Hand said: "Ballincollig have been unlucky twice now because they did not benefit either when Colin Healy moved from Celtic to Sunderland.

"They will not receive any reward for their work unless Liam and Colin are transferred for a fee in the future and they are unlucky not to benefit from the compensation scheme.

"The good thing is that Liam Miller is set up for life even though he has a big challenge ahead of him.

"He is entitled to everything he receives for his hard work and it's just a pity his friends in Ballincollig lose out by a couple of months."