Watch out, here comes the premier league to EFL trophy

[pompeypete]

Premier League academy teams will be allowed to play in the EFL Trophy next season after radical plans to revamp the competition were approved at the English Football League’s annual general meeting in Portugal.

Of the 21 existing category one academies – most of them belonging to top-flight teams – 16 are set to be invited to join a 64-team competition which will start with 16 groups of four before becoming a straight knockout with a final at Wembley.


Clubs concerned about falling turnstile revenues in Football League shakeup
Read more
The Premier League is also understood to have provided £1m to create a total prize fund of £1.95m, with bonuses awarded for each win. The 16 elite academy sides will be evenly distributed throughout the groups with the 48 clubs from Leagues One and Two, with the whole competition running on a north/south basis until the final.

Each team will play each other once in the group stage, with the academy team getting just one home game. The knockout stages will be single ties apart from the semi-finals, where there will be two legs.

And a comment from Accrington........

“Accrington along with one or two others were vociferously against the proposals, mainly because there’s no real financial award for the club in it to take it forward. The Premier League are offering another £1 million in prize money as an incentive but when you break it down there’s no financial gain for a team like Accrington Stanley.

“The financial rewards only really kick in when you get to the quarter final, semi final and final stages. In the early rounds, of which there will now be more, we could host two home games and have one away game against an under 21’s side from anywhere north of Birmingham. This isn’t something we felt Accrington Stanley could buy into.

“We don’t feel there would be a benefit even to getting one of the bigger clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool or whoever to the Wham Stadium. Accrington played Manchester United here in the Lancashire Senior Cup here a couple of years ago and there were a few hundred people here. There’s no real enthusiasm for under 21’s football or reserve team football or whatever you want to call it.

“One of the things in the League Two meeting in Portugal was that us, with an average crowd of about 1800, and Portsmouth, who have something like 15000, both voted the same way. It’s not little club syndrome. One of the top supported teams in our league didn’t want it either.

“The decision has been made and we accept it. We don’t make the rules and we’ll abide by the rules but I’m sure there are better ways of making this competition more viable.”
_________________
RESPECT..................

Flickr pages in the process of closing......

Happy to forward any info on Pompey...

[pompeypete]

To continue

If its for the development of the english players....

I wonder how many will be in the premier league academy teams....

Mmmmm
_________________
RESPECT..................

Flickr pages in the process of closing......

Happy to forward any info on Pompey...

[Fishy]

Is this the first step to reserve teams playing in the lower leagues?
Call me an old cynic, but...........

[Tynie Topics]

AGM in Portugal? says it all really.............

Also happening in Scotland with the Challenge Cup, Premiership U20 teams are included, 4 each from Highland League and Lowland League, as well as two clubs from Wales and two from Northern Ireland! A total mess.
_________________
https://www.flickr.com/photos/footballprogrammes/albums

[seand]

Without wanting to take this off topic, I'm with Tynie here .... League 2 AGM in PORTUGAL?

[Five and In]

My concern is the same as Fishy.
This could be the "softly softly" way in with a bigger agenda for the Premiership clubs.

[littlewiggy]

Fishy wrote:

Is this the first step to reserve teams playing in the lower leagues? Call me an old cynic, but...........

This all day long ^^^

I'm disgusted this has been sneakily forced through whilst everybody is preoccupied with the Euros, talk about burying bad news!

I'm particularly disgusted with my club and the 47 others who allowed a paltry week's wages for three Premiership players to sway them into recklessly gambling on their very futures as FL clubs.

Make no bones about it, this is merely the precursor into the greedy fat pigs at the top end of the game killing the lower leagues stone dead and being given carte blanche to stockpile even more top young players (a-la-Chelsea who send about 50 players on loan every season to stop any other bugger having them).
They've been given the green light now.

I would urge every supporter of a lower league club to boycott the FLT en masse this season.

Donate your entrance fee to the games to a worthwhile charity instead, so at least something good comes out of this utterly shameful decision.

[wandererpaul]

seand wrote:

Without wanting to take this off topic, I'm with Tynie here .... League 2 AGM in PORTUGAL?

No. It's the EFL who have their AGM in Portugal, and have done for the past 5 years iirc. In fact, it's probably easier for clubs ceo's, chairmen and secretaries to get get to Portugal than it is to travel to London.

This is the beginning of the end. Expect the EFL to ratify the inclusion of EPL reserve teams for 2020. With the new EPL tv deal that season too, the EPL have the EFL over a barrel. Let us do as we wish otherwise, the EFL loyalty payment will be cancelled.

The end of football is nigh!
_________________
Not Forgotten; Allwright, Greechan, Hagan, Kennedy, Littler, Purver, Robotham, Saunders, Shields

[sharrowblade]

Tynie Topics wrote:

AGM in Portugal? says it all really............. .

To be fair Tynie, it probably works out cheaper....
_________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharrowblade/sets
A Sheffield United Programme guide

[sharrowblade]

Group Format.....that will be exciting
_________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharrowblade/sets
A Sheffield United Programme guide

[Tynie Topics]

sharrowblade wrote:

Tynie Topics wrote: AGM in Portugal? says it all really............. . To be fair Tynie, it probably works out cheaper....

I'm not sure cheapness is in any way a consideration!
_________________
https://www.flickr.com/photos/footballprogrammes/albums

[Dorking]

Palace won't be in it as our academy is not Cat 1.

AGM in Portugal though, gotta laugh.

[sharrowblade]

Tynie Topics wrote:

sharrowblade wrote: Tynie Topics wrote: AGM in Portugal? says it all really............. . To be fair Tynie, it probably works out cheaper.... I'm not sure cheapness is in any way a consideration!

It is. They are always telling us they haven't any money
_________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharrowblade/sets
A Sheffield United Programme guide

[foxes1]

The so called bigger clubs have got to try and get some money back somehow after all little old Leicester City put the cat amongst the pigeons by winning the title last season and boy how they hated it.
In fact to the point that managers like Arsene Wenger is trying to strip us of our better players the same way they did it to Southampton.
Lets face it it's not top help the lower league teams out.

[pompeypete]

Since the decision was announced Portsmouth, Accrington Stanley, AFC Wimbledon, Hartlepool United and Luton Town have released statements to confirm they voted against the trial.

Will the academy sides be seeded ?

Will they be english ?

Will the rules apply to all teams?

I hope Pompey & the others play their weakest team & not charge for entry..........
_________________
RESPECT..................

Flickr pages in the process of closing......

Happy to forward any info on Pompey...

[kcs]

Looks like the PL teams are against it as well

http://www.thisisanfield.com/2.....ms-201617/
_________________
Nuts and Bolts Web Design
https://www.nutsandboltsarchive.co.uk/portfolio.php

Showcase your collection in an online programme guide!
Display your research in a comprehensive history archive!

[pompeypete]

kcs wrote:

Looks like the PL teams are against it as well http://www.thisisanfield.com/2.....ms-201617/

Great, if Liverpool drop out then a few other may follow....

Could be a none starter.....
_________________
RESPECT..................

Flickr pages in the process of closing......

Happy to forward any info on Pompey...

[se20blue]

Dorking wrote:

Palace won't be in it as our academy is not Cat 1. This article thinks otherwise http://www.thisisanfield.com/2.....ms-201617/

[pompeypete]

se20blue wrote:

Dorking wrote: Palace won't be in it as our academy is not Cat 1. This article thinks otherwise http://www.thisisanfield.com/2.....ms-201617/

I noticed that too "se20blue"........

Also I hope they bring some descent refs with them to protect their young prima donnas

The refs at fratton park this year have been terrible
_________________
RESPECT..................

Flickr pages in the process of closing......

Happy to forward any info on Pompey...

[Dorking]

According to our website, Palace play in the Cat 1 Academy games, so maybe we are???? Always thought we were Cat 2 as our training facilities are split between Beckenham and the Crystal Palace Sports Centre???