Ipswich Chairman David Sheepshanks has voiced his support for a new Football League initiative aimed at providing extra transparency in clubs' dealings with agents.

The League has broken new ground by publishing for the first time the aggregate spending by each of its member clubs on agents' fees during the last six months.

The Football League Agents Fees Report (Jan-June 2004) shows that clubs used agents in 12% of the 963 player transactions registered between January and June 2004, paying £1.4m to them in the process.

Last season's Division One clubs accounted for 80%, or £1.13m, of the monies paid to agents, with Town's figure sitting at £37,125 over a total of 11 transactions.

Mr Sheepshanks, a Director of The Football League, said: "I am in full support of this initiative. This is not to say that responsible agents do not have their place in the game, as they surely do.

"There are many occasions when agents are responsible or materially assist in the recruitment of a player and equally times when a club like ourselves may enlist the help of an agent to move a player on, particularly where overseas markets are concerned.

"This new policy of publicising agents' payments by Football League clubs will hopefully help eliminate the extraordinary and excessive settlements that we read about on a national basis from time to time, along with the suspicion that surrounds them. More than that it will serve as a limiting factor so that these amounts are more proportionate to the service provided.

"All in all I think this is a responsible lead from the Football League and one that I hope the Premiership will follow for the benefit of the reputation of all football transactions in England.

"Agents fees are usually paid based on a negotiated percentage of a player's wages over the period of the contract. Individual player salaries are a private matter and not for public disclosure, however I will say that the amount published against Ipswich Town relates to player acquisition and represents the total liability of the Club for the duration of the contract in question. I am comfortable that the amount paid by us is proportionate to the service received."

Sir Brian Mawhinney, Chairman of The Football League, added: "I am delighted that Football League clubs have taken the courageous step of opening to public scrutiny their dealings with football agents.

"I hope it is a lead that others choose to follow."