The new Football League Trophy

[Retdon1]

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.

Press Association Sport understands 16 of the 21 existing category one academies - most of them belonging to top-flight teams - will be invited to join a 64-team competition which will start with 16 groups of four before becoming a straight knock-out with a final at Wembley.

The Premier League is also understood to have provided £1million 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.

[Retdon1]

Not a fan of this to be honest. I don't see the point of having group games, just adds to an allready packed fixture list.

[DearneValleyRover]

If that's the case then why can't L1/L2 clubs use their academy players instead of putting more pressure on the first team.

[bobjimwilly]

http://www.efl.com/news/article/2016/premier-league-trial-for-the-trophy-3140598.aspx

F*cking joke. Trophy is going to mean even less now, and if an academy team wins, it's going to make a mockery of all L1 and L2 teams. 

Also, when playing academy teams away will they be hosted at the proper club's stadium, or an academy ground?

[Retdon1]

You could have a game like Bournemouth academy vs watford academy in the final. This cup was some clubs and players only chance of ever playing at wembley.

[bobjimwilly]

I really hope fans, and clubs if possible, boycott this now completely pointless competition.

[PDX_Rover]

Utterly f**king pointless.

[The Red Baron]

Looks like it has been done because they can't find a sponsor - or at least one that will put enough money in.

http://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/sport/football/doncaster-rovers-and-chesterfield-could-face-premier-league-academies-in-revamped-efl-trophy-next-season-1-7958597

Someone at the Derbyshire Times needs to take more care with the picture library, BTW.

I think maybe we should field our under-21s!

[craigdrfc]

I could be in the minority here but I dont have a problem with this. The competition is tin pot anyway and is only remotely interesting IF you get to the Final.

Having these youth teams in it will add a touch of 'something else if nothing else' to it, and our younger fans might get the chance to see a couple of future stars in the making.

As an older generation fan I tend to give the Tin Pot Cup (and League Cup) a miss these days anyway and would rather focus my resources on the League and the FA Cup.

[IDM]

Regardless of those teams being involved, I would prefer to see the group games or first few rounds played pre-season.  In that way there are some competitive fixtures pre season and then less congestion later.

[Copps is Magic]

So basically our second strings could be playing Blackburn academy away next season? Is that meant to add value to the competition? Is it meant to be a spectacle people pay to watch? I won't.

[bobjimwilly]

The whole competition is now a load more chances for our players to get tired and pick up injuries.

[turnbull for england]

And EFL still sounds like a group of dyslexic racists

[Muttley]

Craig - I take it you didn't enjoy the semifinal v Southend the season we won it?

I'm completely against this - if the PL youth teams need competitive match practice, why don't they just organise their own league/cup?

How will the groups work? Home and away fixtures ie 6 games for each team? If not, surely home teams get unfair advantage.

[Copps is Magic]

How will the groups work? Home and away fixtures ie 6 games for each team? If not, surely home teams get unfair advantage.

Academy teams will only play group games at home and every team plays each other only once (from one of the articles I read at least). It's not all PL team either, some are championship.

[NigelJ]

Craig - I take it you didn't enjoy the semifinal v Southend the season we won it?

Crewe!

[Retdon1]

How will the groups work? Home and away fixtures ie 6 games for each team? If not, surely home teams get unfair advantage.

Academy teams will only play group games at home and every team plays each other only once (from one of the articles I read at least). It's not all PL team either, some are championship.

So for example if we drew say man united away, would the game be at old Trafford or the training ground/non league ground that the academy play most of there games at

[Glyn_Wigley]

At least the extra prize money is being spread across the rounds if it means a bonus for each win- which can mean a lot to some smaller clubs.

As for saying that it's some players' only chance of getting to Wembley, I'd say that seasoned professionals shouldn't have any problem facing an Academy team of youngsters (only a few players of whom are ever going to amount to anything in the game). If the pros can't cope with them perhaps they don't deserve to get to the final...

All in all, it really depends on just how much importance you placed on the competition in the first place...

[curley]

Re-structure the leagues to cut down on midweek games & now this.
 

[RedJ]

Scotland's League Cup has undergone a similarly pointless change of format along these lines.

[roversontheup]

I may also be in a minority but I hate this move. I actually like the old JPT. It's the only real route we have to win a trophy at Wembley. I just hope this move isn't the thin end of the wedge in allowing them into the league as well😟

[swintonrover]

I may also be in a minority but I hate this move. I actually like the old JPT. It's the only real route we have to win a trophy at Wembley. I just hope this move isn't the thin end of the wedge in allowing them into the league as well😟

Don't think you're in a minority there mate...

[dknward2]

I may also be in a minority but I hate this move. I actually like the old JPT. It's the only real route we have to win a trophy at Wembley. I just hope this move isn't the thin end of the wedge in allowing them into the league as well😟

This is the start if it means the league or fa or sky can make money then they will do everything to force it though.
The best thing to do is boycott any games

[Muttley]

Craig - I take it you didn't enjoy the semifinal v Southend the season we won it?

Crewe!

That'll teach me posting from the pub!

[karldew]

I'm guessing we'll have to field a certain number of players from previous fixtures? Just think this is stupid idea, along with the league structure changes too...

No need to change!

[BobG]

I may have misubnderstood the exact format - I've assumed the top two teams in each group go through to the knock out stage, and, that each group only plays 3 matches per team. If that's all ok it would mean 79 matches in total for the competition. And that would mean each match, assuming a flat rate for all rounds, would net the winner £24,683. Not a real lot imho. It might be nice to have, but it's not going to change anything much. Even if you won every single match you play right through to winning the whole thing, the prize money would be less than £200k. 

I don't call that generous by the PL and Championship for getting their kids into a grown ups competition.

BobG

[Glyn_Wigley]

It might be worth it to see their kids getting lumps kicked out of them. 

[idler]

I'd loved to have seen some of the precious tattooed and diamond studded PL wannabes against Colin Sutherland, Mark Albrighton, Steve Foster and Tim Ryan.
That would have been some awakening.
I still remember a young Van Persie wondering what the hell hit him before disappearing at Belle Vue.
I wonder how keen PL teams will be when the injuries start building up with their young hopefuls.

[MrWoodySir]

I really hope fans, and clubs if possible, boycott this now completely pointless competition.

The clubs voted for it.

[RedJ]

Not all of them.