European Football Clubs (EFC), formerly known as the European Club Association (ECA), is an organisation that is officially recognised by both UEFA and FIFA as the sole, independent body for association football clubs within Europe.
Contents
History
Formed on the merge of the G-14 group with the European Club Forum, a task force created by UEFA in 2002 to bring together 102 member clubs in January 2008. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge served as acting chairman until he was officially elected chairman when the ECA's 103 members met for the first time on 7–8 July 2008 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was the acting chairman before officially being elected chairman of the ECA when its 103 members met for the first time on the 7–8 July 2008 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. In addition to replacing the G-14, which was dissolved in favour of the ECA on 15 February 2008, the new ECA also replaces UEFA's European Club Forum (of which Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was also chairman).
The European Club Forum utilised a similar membership selection process as the European Club Association, with 102 members picked every two years. In April 2021 following the announcement of the European Super League, several of the clubs involved resigned from the ECA. The ECA had criticised the formation of the new league. On 7 May 2021, UEFA approved reintegration measures for nine clubs involved in that breakaway competition.
As of March 2023, there were 512 ECA members including 135 ordinary, 169 associated in addition to 208 network clubs and 40 women's clubs. On 1 June 2024, it was reported that Juventus would rejoin the ECA starting from July, following their withdrawal as part of the Super League project in 2021.
On 7 October 2025, the European Club Association (ECA) rebranded as European Football Clubs (EFC), representing over 800 member clubs across 55 nations, including 139 women's clubs.
On 13 February 2026, Barcelona were reinstated as an Ordinary Member after withdrawing from the Super League project.
Structure
Working Groups
The Working Groups are an important cornerstone of EFC's organisational structure as they provide active advice and support not only to the Executive Board, but also to EFC representatives participating in UEFA, FIFA and EU committees and working groups. Their contribution is key and strategic to the association. All working groups are made up of both Ordinary Member and Associated Member Clubs from all four subdivisions. Alongside EFC Working Groups, dedicated Task Forces give assistance on specific matters, which require urgent decision-making.
Executive Committee
Source:
Achievements
Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by UEFA in 2008, the European Club Association was recognized as the sole body representing the interests of clubs at European level. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, UEFA also agreed to distribute every four years an amount from the UEFA European Championship to national associations for them to pass on to their clubs who have contributed to the successful staging of a European Championship.
2012
A renewed Memorandum of Understanding for the period 2012–2018 was signed on 22 March 2012 between ECA and UEFA at the occasion of the XXXVI Ordinary UEFA Congress. The memorandum was signed by ECA Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and UEFA President Michel Platini.
2023
The most updated Memorandum of Understanding between FIFA and ECA happened at the 29th ECA General Assembly in Budapest, Hungary. It hoped to encourage close collaboration between ECA and FIFA with an extension fulfilled until December 2030. UEFA also signed an agreement that extends their cooperation until 2030.
2024
The most recent Memorandum of Understanding between UEFA and ECA was announced in October during ECA’s 31st General Assembly in Athens, building their long-standing partnership out until 2033. The renewal of the long-term agreement underlines the strengthened relationship between the two organisations who have collaborated on critical issues on European club football in recent years ranging from new competition and revenue distribution structures to Financial Sustainability Regulations
International Match Calendar
The International Match Calendar, a key topic of discussions, makes the release of national team players compulsory for clubs on the dates it highlights. The 2014–18 International Match Calendar is based on a concrete proposal put forward by ECA, and the efforts of a dedicated working group comprising representatives from ECA, European Leagues, FIFPro, and UEFA. The working group's recommendation, acknowledged by FIFA, offers a more balanced system of nine double-headers over two years with no single friendly matches and is beneficial for both clubs and national associations.
Insurance for players' salaries
The Club Protection Program, initially put in place at the expense of UEFA to cover the Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, has since been taken over at FIFA's expense following the approval by the FIFA Congress in Budapest in May 2012. It now covers all clubs that release players for national A-team matches listed on the International Match Calendar, including a FIFA commitment to insure the football tournament of the Olympic Games.
The Club Protection Program provides compensation for clubs in the event that national A-team players participating for their national association suffer a temporary total disablement (TTD) as a result of bodily injuries caused by an accident. Players are insured up to a maximum of one year from the day of the excess period (= date of injury + 27 days) and a maximum of €7.5 million.
Distribution for EURO Benefits
As stipulated in the 2008 MoU between ECA and UEFA, the UEFA Executive Committee agreed to set aside provisions of €43.5 million for Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria, and €55 million for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. With the renewal of the MoU, the benefits for clubs releasing players for the Euro 2012 increased to €100 million and were set to increase again to €150 million for Euro 2016.
In view of the increased amounts of benefits received by clubs, UEFA and ECA elaborated a new distribution mechanism. The main objective of this distribution mechanism is to have a fair and balanced system, ensure increased benefit for all clubs compared to previous tournaments, and guarantee more clubs are entitled to receive a share of the benefits. For the Euro 2012, the total amount of €100 million was split between the final tournament (60%) and the qualifying phase (40%).
This new distribution mechanism led to 578 clubs receiving varying amounts of compensation from UEFA for their part in releasing players for qualifying matches and the final tournament, a significant increase from the 181 clubs who received a share after the UEFA EURO 2008.
Governance
The new MoU granted a greater influence for clubs in the decision-making processes at UEFA. In the future, clubs are guaranteed to have their voices heard and that no decision directly affecting club football will be taken without their prior consent. EFC representatives from the executive board are appointed in both the UEFA Executive Committee, UEFA Club Competitions Committee, UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council and the UEFA Women's Football Committee.
Educational programmes and initiatives
Academy Management Programme (AMP)
Club Management Programme (CMP)
Club Talent & Mentoring Programme (CTMP)
Knowledge-sharing workshops
ECA Campus Alumni Association
Publications
Community & Social Responsibility Report
In September 2011, the European Club Association published its first Community & Social Responsibility (CSR) Report. The aim of this publication was to present the work of European football clubs in the field of CSR. The report is a collection of 54 ECA Member clubs’ CSR projects.
EFC Report on Youth Academies in Europe
In September 2012, ECA published a Report on Youth Academies in Europe, which acts as a benchmark and provides a comparable perspective that underlines different approaches and philosophies of youth academies across Europe.
ECA Study on the Transfer System in Europe
In March 2014, ECA published a study on the transfer system, which offers an in-depth overview of all the incoming and outgoing transfer transactions involving European clubs over a two-year period. The ECA Executive Board mandated PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and LIUC University to carry out this work.
ECA Women's Club Football Analysis
In 2014, ECA published an analysis on Women's Football. This report of the ECA analyses women's football from a club perspective. Topics such as women's club structure, relations with stakeholders as well as key success and constraint factors in the women's game were addressed.
ECA Club Management Guide
Published in 2015, this publication is a unique mixture of practical and conceptual football club management, focusing on club core activities, environment and strategies. The ECA Club Management Guide is a collation of club representatives’ practical experiences in managing a football club. An extract is available in 9 languages.
Founding members
The following 16 clubs founded the ECA in 2008. Clubs currently being an Ordinary Member Club are marked in italics:
Current EFC members
Source: