J. League contracts

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Contracts in Japan's professional soccer league (J. League) are subject to certain rules and regulations. Mainly, there are three types of contracts, as described below:

1 Contracts
2 Notes
3 External link

[edit] Contracts

[edit] Pro A

This is the main contract for most professional players. The minimum salary is ¥4.8 million, and there is no upper limit. Each team is limited to 25 members signed to this type of contract.

[edit] Pro B

This contract carries an upper limit of salary of ¥4.8 million. There are no limitations on the number of players signed to this type of contract

[edit] Pro C

This is a type of development contract, also carrying an upper salary limit of ¥4.8 million. Players must be upgraded to the Pro B or Pro A contract after playing for 450 minutes for a J1 team, or after playing 900 minutes for a J2 team. Also, any player who has played more than 1350 minutes in the Japan Football League can not be signed to this type of contract.

[edit] Notes

Even though there is a limit of 25 Pro A contracts, if during the season an athlete is promoted from a Pro C contract, it does not count against the 25 member limit for the team.
Each J1 team must have at least 15 players with a Pro A contract, and each J2 team must have at least 5.
Salaries for new players in the J. League are capped at ¥7 million. From the second year forward, no limit is in place.
Because of the extra toil of participating in the AFC Champions League, participating teams may carry a maximum of 27 Pro A contracts.
Promotion from Pro C to Pro A contract is possible, however, no demotion from Pro A to Pro C is possible even if the playing time requirements were met by the player. Players who have been under contract for more than three years are also prohibited from a Pro C contract.
Amateurs are also allowed to play, with no restrictions. This includes members of a club's youth team.
During the season, players may be exchanged between clubs up until a trading deadline. In 2005, the deadline was September 30.
Teams are limited to three players who do not hold Japanese citizenship. However, this limit can be increased to five players, provided at least two are amateurs, or are signed to Pro C contracts and have not yet reached their twentieth birthday. These players can also be promoted to Pro A contracts during a season.