Welcome to the GBE Expert Hub
What can you expect and why is it important?
This hub has been designed with the main idea of becoming the go-to place for all information, advice, and knowledge on GBE, ESC, and recruitment in football.
GBE stands for Governing Body Endorsement, and this is what is required in a post-Brexit world for a footballer, or, indeed, sportsperson of any sport, to enable them to get a work permit from the Home Office to work in the UK. With the Premier League in such a powerful state at the moment, and the EFL Championship also one of Europe’s highest followed leagues, the recruitment pathways into England, and the other nations of the UK, is of great interest all over the world.
This is why, over the last few years since Brexit, I have specialised in developing knowledge in this specific area. I began writing the Brexitball blog series on Analytics FC in 2021, and we published a research document on the initial effects of the legislation in October 2022. This document was published and then presented to the Premier League, SFA, EFL, and PFA in 2022/23.
The legislation around this topic has continued to change and develop every year, and it is important for recruitment teams, agencies, directors of football, owners, parents, and players themselves, to at least be aware of the basics of the system.
A well-run and well informed recruitment team can save themselves time and, therefore, save money by knowing exactly what they need to do, who they should be watching, and, just as importantly, who they shouldn’t be spending time watching, and why. By subscribing to this hub, all the relevant information will be there to use and guide this practice.
There will be two tier system to the GBE Expert Hub.
A free offering which will entail one detailed piece a month that will hopefully entertain and inform about something interesting about the GBE landscape.
The paid tier, which is priced at only £5 a month, or, even better £50 a year, giving you two months access for free. This tier is mainly aimed at professionals and will contain access to data about GBE & ESC which is automatically updated, resources to help you with your internal processes, a weekly article, access to chat to other subscribers, and make requests for content that you would like to see. There is no offering like this available anywhere else for this price.
This hub is also going to be particularly useful for agencies all over the world. England and Scotland, in particular, are key markets for player trading, and having the knowledge of which of your cohort of players are eligible or close to being eligible for the UK market is obviously valuable information.
The Hub will open on 1st December 2024, and will open with 12 Days of GBE content that will be free to all.
It would be greatly beneficial to The GBE Expert Hub if you could share the word about it. Obviously, this is a bit of a niche area of football coverage and knowledge, but it can be incredibly important in some cases, and, hopefully, provide a level of entertainment at the same time!