The latest publication of Football League clubs' spending on agents' fees has revealed that clubs committed a total of £17.7m to agents during the 2013/14 season, a reduction of 18% on the previous year (£21.5m).The report reveals that Walsall Football Club spent £6,500 on agents' fees last season, putting them amongst the lowest spenders in the Football League.
Released via football-league.co.uk, the report confirms; "Championship clubs accounted for £14.7m of the total, with League 1 and League 2 clubs spending £2.3m and £0.6m respectively. Clubs committed to pay agents in 860 of the 3,355 player transactions that took place.
"Four clubs did not spend any money on agents' fees at all (Shrewsbury Town, Accrington Stanley, AFC Wimbledon and Hartlepool United) with more than a third of clubs (26) spending less than £25,000 each."
In announcing the latest agents' fees figures, The Football League's Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey, said: "The 2013/14 campaign was the first season against which sanctions will be applied in all three of our divisions under The Football League's Financial Fair Play rules. It is therefore notable that we have seen a significant fall in payments to agents. Hopefully this is a sign that they are having a positive effect but it's too early to know for definite at this stage.
"Whilst a reduction of £4m is welcome there is still a very significant sum leaving the game to pay agents. Under the financial reporting arrangements in place for clubs these liabilities are provided for in club business plans going forward."