Attendance at Grimsby

[GazLaz]

£20 k for entering the competition.
£10 k per win ( 90 minutes) in the group stages. So far this has brought in £40 k to Rovers.

I know about those amounts Derek but we are talking about how much the PL clubs pay so that their U21s can be allowed to enter the competition.

I’ll see what I can find out for you & report back.

I have a vague memory that it is around £600k.
A pal who was on the Rovers staff once told me but I can’t be sure.
It’s not important anyway but it would be nice to get a confirmation.

The EPL contribute a £1m as prize money to the competition as compensation for allowing up to 16 EPL clubs to include their U21 academy teams to enter.

Total prize money was about £2m initially but sits at about £3m these days.

But for the serious fans organisations we still see this as a step too far, therefore if fans groups are still boycotting the competition then we’re ok with that. A £1m is not enough to allow the EPL to start entering their academy teams into EFL run competitions.

I think another reason why the u21 teams don’t bother me is because they can’t win it. If they were farming the competition then I may feel different. Also, the majority of the EFL clubs don’t take it seriously. Masses of changes, playing kids in weakened sides.

Anyway, see you all at Wembley!

[silent majority]

£20 k for entering the competition.
£10 k per win ( 90 minutes) in the group stages. So far this has brought in £40 k to Rovers.

I know about those amounts Derek but we are talking about how much the PL clubs pay so that their U21s can be allowed to enter the competition.

I’ll see what I can find out for you & report back.

I have a vague memory that it is around £600k.
A pal who was on the Rovers staff once told me but I can’t be sure.
It’s not important anyway but it would be nice to get a confirmation.

The EPL contribute a £1m as prize money to the competition as compensation for allowing up to 16 EPL clubs to include their U21 academy teams to enter.

Total prize money was about £2m initially but sits at about £3m these days.

But for the serious fans organisations we still see this as a step too far, therefore if fans groups are still boycotting the competition then we’re ok with that. A £1m is not enough to allow the EPL to start entering their academy teams into EFL run competitions.

How much do you think would be enough?

Incalculable.

[Chris Black come back]

£20 k for entering the competition.
£10 k per win ( 90 minutes) in the group stages. So far this has brought in £40 k to Rovers.

I know about those amounts Derek but we are talking about how much the PL clubs pay so that their U21s can be allowed to enter the competition.

I’ll see what I can find out for you & report back.

I have a vague memory that it is around £600k.
A pal who was on the Rovers staff once told me but I can’t be sure.
It’s not important anyway but it would be nice to get a confirmation.

The EPL contribute a £1m as prize money to the competition as compensation for allowing up to 16 EPL clubs to include their U21 academy teams to enter.

Total prize money was about £2m initially but sits at about £3m these days.

But for the serious fans organisations we still see this as a step too far, therefore if fans groups are still boycotting the competition then we’re ok with that. A £1m is not enough to allow the EPL to start entering their academy teams into EFL run competitions.

I think another reason why the u21 teams don’t bother me is because they can’t win it. If they were farming the competition then I may feel different. Also, the majority of the EFL clubs don’t take it seriously. Masses of changes, playing kids in weakened sides.

Anyway, see you all at Wembley!

Isn’t the deal the u21 sides always play away? That’s a big financial and psychological advantage for the senior professional sides.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

£20 k for entering the competition.
£10 k per win ( 90 minutes) in the group stages. So far this has brought in £40 k to Rovers.

I know about those amounts Derek but we are talking about how much the PL clubs pay so that their U21s can be allowed to enter the competition.

I’ll see what I can find out for you & report back.

I have a vague memory that it is around £600k.
A pal who was on the Rovers staff once told me but I can’t be sure.
It’s not important anyway but it would be nice to get a confirmation.

The EPL contribute a £1m as prize money to the competition as compensation for allowing up to 16 EPL clubs to include their U21 academy teams to enter.

Total prize money was about £2m initially but sits at about £3m these days.

But for the serious fans organisations we still see this as a step too far, therefore if fans groups are still boycotting the competition then we’re ok with that. A £1m is not enough to allow the EPL to start entering their academy teams into EFL run competitions.

I think another reason why the u21 teams don’t bother me is because they can’t win it. If they were farming the competition then I may feel different. Also, the majority of the EFL clubs don’t take it seriously. Masses of changes, playing kids in weakened sides.

Anyway, see you all at Wembley!

What if one of them does win it though?  Would we fancy losing a final against Arsenal U21s?

It's a tough decision for fans if they get to the final, it may be the only chance in a generation to visit Wembley, I clearly couldn't say no to the kids attending if we got there, but it'd be much better against proper clubs like the 2007 final was.

[IDM]

Are the u21 teams allowed to play in the final.?

I thought I had read somewhere that they couldn’t, but I can’t remember where..

[graingrover]

From abroad I cannot watch in stadium  but have no hesitation in watching online streaming of these games that I pay for to support the club .I also enjoyed watching Flint , Shaun Brown and  Gotts and doubt that I was either betraying my club’s future nor encouraging the Premiership in any way .If we wish to be anti-Premiership are we to stop nurturing loanees from those clubs .It feels like misplaced strategies to to me in boycotting this tournament

[Pancho Regan]

From abroad I cannot watch in stadium  but have no hesitation in watching online streaming of these games that I pay for to support the club .I also enjoyed watching Flint , Shaun Brown and  Gotts and doubt that I was either betraying my club’s future nor encouraging the Premiership in any way .If we wish to be anti-Premiership are we to stop nurturing loanees from those clubs .It feels like misplaced strategies to to me in boycotting this tournament

I can only speak for myself Bri, but my objection to allowing Premiership U21 teams into the EFL Trophy isn’t because I’m “anti-Premiership” (although to be honest I’m going more and more that way).
It’s because this competition’s raison d’etre originally was to give the bottom two divisions their own exclusive tournament, with a realistic chance of getting to the final and winning it. And the final would be a showcase at Wembley.

Allowing Premiership U21 teams to enter the competition completely destroys that original principle. It also reminds us all once again that the mega-rich Premier League can buy anything it wants. It’s like we’ve sold our soul for a piece of silver.

I don’t think it means we’re hypocritical to accept loaners from Premiership clubs; I see that as an unrelated issue.

So I’ve never attended or watched an EFL game since this rule came in. I just feel it has undermined the competition.

Do I still watch out for our result? Yes!
Would I go to Wembley if we reached the final? I honestly don’t know.

[drfcsteve]

Under 21 sides or not, league 1/2 sides still have a realistic chance of getting to the final and winning it. No under 21 side has ever got to the final in the 10 years or so of this format, I can’t remember any getting very far in to the tournament at all.

Being pragmatic if there’s £3 million on offer for winning it we can’t afford not to have a go at it.

[drfchound]

It would be interesting to see what the attendance would be if ever two U21 teams got to the final.

[silent majority]

From abroad I cannot watch in stadium  but have no hesitation in watching online streaming of these games that I pay for to support the club .I also enjoyed watching Flint , Shaun Brown and  Gotts and doubt that I was either betraying my club’s future nor encouraging the Premiership in any way .If we wish to be anti-Premiership are we to stop nurturing loanees from those clubs .It feels like misplaced strategies to to me in boycotting this tournament

So, what if I said, hypothetically, that there was a proposal on the table to create a 5th division of English football made up of a mix of national teams and U21/B teams from the EPL? And over a period of time those very same U21/B teams could climb the leagues and compete at a higher level? You know, like in Spain for example? What would your answer be if those teams displaced Doncaster Rovers?





By the way, it wasn't hypothetical as such, that was a concrete proposal a few years back.

Its a good job there are some more forward thinking fans around.

[Pancho Regan]

Are the u21 teams allowed to play in the final.?

I thought I had read somewhere that they couldn’t, but I can’t remember where..

I’ve read the Wikipedia page about the competition and also the official EFL website, and neither mentions that Premiership U21 teams are forbidden to reach the final.

So as far as I can see, and I stand to be corrected, it is perfectly possible for the final of this trophy to be contested by Everton U21’s versus Newcastle Utd U21’s.

Part of me wishes that happens, to see what the reaction would be.

[drfchound]

Are the u21 teams allowed to play in the final.?

I thought I had read somewhere that they couldn’t, but I can’t remember where..

I’ve read the Wikipedia page about the competition and also the official EFL website, and neither mentions that Premiership U21 teams are forbidden to reach the final.

So as far as I can see, and I stand to be corrected, it is perfectly possible for the final of this trophy to be contested by Everton U21’s versus Newcastle Utd U21’s.

Part of me wishes that happens, to see what the reaction would be.

It would be interesting to see what the attendance would be if ever two U21 teams got to the final.

That’s two of us then Pancho.

[Janso]

Chelsea went to the area final I think or semi final a few years ago didn't they? they were 100% wanting to win it.

[Draytonian III]

Lincoln beat Chelsea U21s that year

[TheFunk]

Leeds U21 won the National League version of this competition last season.