UEFA is distributing €43.2m in solidarity payments from the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League to the top leagues of UEFA's member associations.

Payments to leagues
Leagues with participants in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League will receive a total of €36m, while leagues without participants in last season's competition will receive €7.2m. The payment is being made by UEFA as part of the solidarity scheme associated with the UEFA Champions League, Europe's most prestigious club competition. It is aimed at supporting youth development activities in professional football, and complements other UEFA initiatives such as club licensing and the introduction of rules on locally-trained players.

Distribution process
Payments to the league are made through the respective national association, which is required to transfer the full amount to its recognised top league. The league is responsible for distributing the amount in question to its clubs, together with an appropriate acknowledgment of the source of funding. The associations that have no recognised league (as defined in the official UEFA list of professional league organisations) are responsible for the distribution of the money to the clubs.

Youth development programmes
Among other things, to be entitled to receive this payment, clubs must comply with, as a minimum, the requirement of an approved youth development programme according to the national club licensing manual accredited by UEFA, and must not have taken part in the 2006/07 UEFA Champions League (first group stage onwards).

Competent body
It is up to the competent body of the league (or association) concerned to decide if payments should be made to all clubs which are members of the league (e.g. first and/or second- division clubs) else only to the clubs which belong to the top division.

Click here for the September edition of the official UEFA publication uefadirect to see the amounts paid to the UEFA member associations.