Does a club pay a fee when my child signs a first professional contract?

Sometimes, and the new club is the one responsible for paying it. Domestic training compensation is due when a player is registered as a professional for the first time (or a professional later transfers and signs a new professional contract), until the end of the season of their 23rd birthday. The new club pays Football Australia within 30 days of registration, and Football Australia distributes it to the clubs entitled to it.

Where it is pro-rated, it is shared among the clubs the player has been registered with since turning 12, according to the length of each registration, as shown on the Player Passport.

Examples for a first professional contract:

• Last amateur club was a Category C club (any club that is not an A-League Men club or a licensed NPL club) and the player signs with an NPL club: nil.
• Last amateur club was an NPL club and the player signs with another NPL club: $6,000, pro-rated across the junior clubs.

It is not payable for female players, or if the player's last club ended their contract without just cause.

Source: article 14, National Registration, Status and Transfer Regulations (22 September 2026).