In 2019, the UK and Republic of Ireland negotiated the terms of a ‘Common Travel Area’ (“CTA”) between the two countries, giving Republic of Ireland nationals the right to travel to, live and work freely in the UK, post-Brexit.
However, this arrangement does not apply to the transfer of 16-18 year old players from the Republic of Ireland. This is because such transfer:
- Would qualify as an ‘international transfer’ for the purposes of the RSTP; and
- Would not fall within the ‘Brexit exemption’ as the Republic of Ireland does not form part of the UK.
However, with the Republic of Ireland being members of the EU, 16-18 year old Irish nationals would still be able to benefit from the ‘EU exemption’ by transferring to clubs within the EU/EEA.