Kolpak deal

A Kolpak deal allows players from countries with trade-managing agreements with the European Union to play professionally in the UK without taking up a valuable non-European Union (EU) player spot in team rosters. Essentially, it means these players are considered local or EU players for cricket and other sports, easing restrictions on team composition. This arrangement benefits both players—by providing opportunities in UK leagues—and teams—by adding skilled players without breaching rules on foreign player limits. The deal is named after a Slovak handball player, Karel Kolpak, whose legal case led to this sporting exception.