For professional clubs and contracted players, the closing of the Summer and January Transfer Windows marks the end of months of speculation and rumour. Well, for approximately five minutes at least until it all starts again.
It’s a little different for non league clubs, particularly those at the lower levels including our own National League, Isthmian League and Combined Counties League sides where players are registered for teams in the most part on non-contract basis, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a transfer window to close!
A few years ago, our much-missed co-editor Darrell Freeland went into more depth on the complexities of the non league player transfer system and 7 day approach rule here, but the deadline for player registrations in the various leagues covered by Football in Berkshire are as follows:
- Vanarama National League: Thursday 24th March
- Pitching In Isthmian League: Thursday March 24th at 5 pm
- Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League: 31st March, All new registrations, de-registrations and transfers must be received by the Registration Secretary by 5 pm on that date.
This means that there will be no new player transfers after that date and no Steve Gabb transfer updates until the summer!
The non league system is more in line with the classic transfer deadline that was the norm prior to the 2002/03 season when the European Commission enforced a transfer window system.
An article Premier League website has a little bit about what life was like prior to the introduction of the bi-annual windows. It says: “Players could be traded throughout the season up until 31 March. Beyond that it was felt that allowing transfers could undermine the integrity of competitions.
“For example, a team going for the title might suddenly acquire players from a club with nothing to play for at the end of the season on short-term contracts, not something that was really in the spirit of a season-long league competition. But the rest of the season you could lose, or gain, a player at point.”
Main image: Harvey Griffiths signs forms for Bracknell Town. Photo: @bracknelldev