A child is tied to a specific club for a three-year period between the ages of 12 and 15 and a further four-year obligatory period between the ages of 15 and 19. A child cannot move to another nursery without the consent of the club even if he/she is unhappy or is not getting playing time.

In other words, a child is the club's property. Freedom comes at a price. If a player wants to move to another club, the parents are often asked to pay a transfer fee which most often goes into the thousands. All this in addition to the yearly membership and kit fees.

Unfortunately, this system creates situations where minor amateur practically are at the mercy of their clubs and treated as commodities.

The MFPA (Malta Football Players Association) has taken action by filing a claim with the Office of the Commissioner for Children on behalf of numerous parents who have approached the players association over the years. Unfortunately, this trend is increasingly becoming the norm.

This practice blatantly contradicts the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as children are being exploited for economic gain, denying them the right to leisure and impeding their ability to freely participate in cultural life.

A recent incident involved the parents of a 16-year-old who were asked to pay 5,000 Euro for their son to be able to move to another club even if his playing opportunities were limited. In another case, the parents of 3 players aged between 16 and 17 years had to fork out 1500 Euro each and this above the 400 Euro annual membership fee and 180 Euro annual kit fee.