Transfer Window Shopping

NY Eagles celebrating at the Football Factory at Legends
Photo Credit: New York Eagles 

Window shopping in New York City can be lots of fun; going from store to store down 5^th Avenue wondering who and why would pay so much money for just the brand name. The majority of the people who do it can only imagine what it would be like to have that kind of money and how they would spend it. Of course living in New York City is expensive for everyone, whether you’re buying luxurious clothing or just groceries, but when certain holidays come around and sales begin it can feel very thrilling to get what you want. Window shopping in the world of Football has a completely different meaning, but the feeling of a good purchase is very similar.

The Transfer Windows in Football are just as important to the clubs as they are to the fans. This is the only time when clubs can purchase or trade players during the season. You read that right by the way—players are purchased. Yet, because there are so many different Football leagues in countries around the world the Transfer Windows may start and end at different times. However each league gets two windows a year—one in the summer and one in the winter. In England the first window, known as the “Summer Transfer Window,” usually begins June 9^th and ends September 1^st.  The second window, known as the “January Transfer Widow” or the “Winter Transfer Window” starts January 1^st and ends on January 31^st. There are sometimes exceptions where the window can remain open an extra day or two if need be. This idea is linear across many sports, including NFL, Major League Baseball, and the National Hockey League. All share the concept of a Trade Deadline, which is basically the last day you can trade players from one team to another. The trading does not recommence until the offseason, meaning that after the deadline day you are stuck with who you have till the end of the season. For example in Major League Baseball the trade deadline is July 31^st and teams cannot trade again until the end of the World Series in October. Making a trade or a big signing can show an ambition for teams to improve towards the end of the season.

Now about the actual trading, in most American sports players are traded for other players or draft picks in a future draft. In Football players can be bought, sold, loaned to another team, or traded for another player. The Transfer Market, similar to the stock market, is used to describe the availability and worth of a certain player. It works like this. Let’s say that Joe isn’t doing well for Team A and Team B would like to buy him. Team B approaches Team A with an offer of $10 Million Dollars. Team A finds this suitable and Joe can be transferred to Team B. Now let’s say Joe loves Team A and does not want to play for Team B, even if both sides have agreed a deal the move is ultimately up to Joe himself. Every time a player is transferred they need to sign a new contract and if they refuse to then they can stay at their current club. But what if Team A feels that Joe may be a better player one day? They can chose to Loan him out. A player is loaned from one team to another to gain experience and play more often. The two clubs involved determine who pays the player’s wage and the length of the loan, which is usally either half a season or a full year. After the loan has expired the player returns back to their “Parent Club” or the club who they originally belong to. Players can be used as leverage too. Let’s say Team A want $30 Million Dollars for Joe. Team B proposes $10 Million Dollars and Bob, their player who they value at $20 Million Dollars. If Team A likes the idea the transfer can go through, if they don’t think Bob is worth $20 Million than they can keep negotiating till they get what they want.

            The last day of either transfer window is always deemed “Deadline Day” and is covered by all the media outlets. Reporters scurry across entire countries to watch players fly in and sign a deal with a new club. Although there isn’t always a match on Deadline Day, it is still reason to frantically watch TV or listen to a radio for news of incoming or outgoing players. Fans all over the world tuned in on February 2^nd to hear the fate of their clubs at the end of this years January transfer window. One supporters group who were particularly happy were the New York Eagles, a dedicated fan base to the club Crystal Palace. On this day Crystal Palace secured the signings of Lee Chong-Yung, Keshi Anderson, and the return of club favorite Wilfred Zaha. Crystal Palace currently sit in 13^th place in the Premier League but supporters all around are confident that they can climb higher with the help of these signings. The New York Eagles meet for every game at the Football Factory at Legends and were just as happy to hear the news as everyone back home in South Norwood.