Gibraltar FA stands firm on Home Grown Player rule as foreign players make up 63% of league

As the debate over the Home Grown Player (HGP) rule continues, Gibraltar FA General Secretary Ivan Robba this weekend underlined the association's commitment to protecting the rule, albeit with a warning that it was not open to abuse.
Speaking on GBC TV during Gibraltar's match against the Cayman Islands, Mr Robba not only reaffirmed the association's commitment to protecting the identity of Gibraltar football, but also clearly stated that changes to the Home Grown Player rule would not be taking place.
While some clubs have in recent weeks sought support from other clubs to vote in favour of abolishing the rule, no official proposal has been submitted to the Gibraltar FA. Mr Robba explained that the association would continue discussions with clubs on the issue, but would not abolish the Home Grown Player rule.
As the issue remains one of the main talking points among fans and players, we take a look at the latest statistics from Gibraltar's domestic football league and examine concerns that any reduction in protection for home-grown players could see local footballers spending less time on the pitch.
The 2025/26 season is understood to have seen a total of 316 players participate in the league across the 12 clubs competing.
Of these, 202 were foreign players, representing 63% of all players registered in the league.
Only Bruno's Magpies, with a 22-man squad — one of the smallest in the league — had fewer foreign players than required to field a full starting eleven. Having publicly announced a focus on home-grown player development, Bruno's Magpies registered just eight foreign players within their squad.
League debutants FC Hound Dogs had the second-lowest number of foreign players, with 14 in their 22-man squad, while Lynx registered 15 foreign players in a 28-man squad.
Among the top three finishers, Lincoln Red Imps had the lowest number of foreign players, with 18 in their 28-man squad. St Joseph's followed with 19 foreign players from a 27-man squad, while Europa had 20 foreign players in their 30-man squad, making them the second-highest in the league.
Glacis United, who struggled throughout the season, were the largest recruiters of foreign players, registering 21 foreign players in a 27-man squad. This left them with only six home-grown players available during a season in which clubs were required to have three HGPs on the field at all times.
Surprisingly, Manchester 62, who also endured a difficult campaign, registered 20 foreign players within a 26-man squad. During the height of the club's financial difficulties, which saw players stop playing in protest, Manchester 62 were forced to rely heavily on youth-team players. At times, the club fielded as many as eight or nine HGPs during matches. However, once senior players returned, the youth players were largely sidelined once again.
Interestingly, both Mons Calpe and Lions Gibraltar — two clubs understood to have favoured a reduction in the Home Grown Player rule this summer — registered 24-man squads, each containing just eight home-grown players. Lions Gibraltar are understood to have seconded the proposals tabled by St Joseph's calling for the abolition of the Home Grown Player rule.
The average age across the league during the 2025/26 season was 26.8 years. St Joseph's had the oldest squad, with an average age of 30.3 years, followed closely by Lincoln Red Imps at 29.5 years.
Only Europa Point, FC Hound Dogs and Glacis United had average squad ages below 25 years.
Although the Home Grown Player rule was relaxed compared to the 2024/25 season, last season saw a reduction in the number of foreign players across the league. The figure dropped by 26 compared to the previous season, although that reduction was recorded across 11 clubs.
The 2025/26 season saw the number of participating clubs increase from 11 to 12. Despite this, the number of players registered across senior domestic football dropped significantly from 393 to 316, indicating considerably smaller squad sizes.
This followed a trend that had already seen player numbers fall from 438 in the 2023/24 season to 393 in 2024/25. During the same period, the number of foreign players fell from 242 to 228.
One of the most notable contrasts can be seen in the 2021/22 season, when a total of 431 players were registered across the 11 participating clubs, with just 195 foreign players. The trend continued in 2022/23, when 415 players were registered, including 207 foreign players — still less than 50% of the total player pool. However, it was during this period that the balance began to shift, with foreign player numbers increasing while home-grown player numbers declined.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020/21, the league recorded one of its lowest foreign player totals, with just 155 foreign players registered across senior league clubs. The total number of players registered that season stood at 408, with an average age of 25.7 years. This represented a significant shift from pre-pandemic levels, when 231 foreign players were registered among 401 players during the 2018/19 season.
While the total number of registered players has fallen dramatically — from 431 in 2021/22 to 316 last season despite an increase in participating clubs — the proportion of foreign players has continued to rise. This is most evident when comparing the 155 foreign players registered in 2020/21 to the 202 foreign players registered last season. At one point, the figure reached as high as 231.
While foreign players have undoubtedly strengthened teams competing in European competitions, the absence of regulations or policy criteria governing who can play in the league has meant that much of the increase has been driven by lower-cost imports rather than proven quality.
For some clubs, particularly those struggling in the league, recruiting players from abroad has reduced wage demands. At the same time, the Home Grown Player rule, while designed to protect local player development, has also been cited by some clubs as contributing to increased wage expectations among local players. This has been one of the factors behind calls to abolish the rule.
However, with some clubs now calling for the complete abolition of the Home Grown Player rule, the growing reliance on foreign players — alongside a continued reduction in home-grown player numbers — has raised concerns that removing the rule could further reduce the number of local players within club squads, ultimately shrinking the player pool available to Gibraltar's national teams.
Already, both the Under-19 and Under-21 national teams have included a significant number of players with limited first-team experience when called upon to represent Gibraltar in international competition. Similar concerns have also been raised at senior level, where only a limited number of players have consistently accumulated full seasons of regular football.
While some club owners have called for the rule to be scrapped entirely, others have proposed alternative reforms that could benefit both clubs and the association. Suggestions have included stricter eligibility criteria governing who can play in the league, salary caps linked to club financial reports, salary caps based on player age and availability, and foreign-player squad caps in place of the Home Grown Player rule.
Such measures, supporters argue, could increase competitiveness while also providing coaches with greater freedom in team selection, removing restrictions that currently dictate how many home-grown players must be on the pitch at any one time.