The Premier League and National League are reportedly said to be in talks over a new cup competition featuring under-21 teams.
Fans have expressed their anger towards the “ridiculous” plans for a new competition just days after the National League told its member clubs to follow the board in being in favour of the decision to scrap FA Cup replays, see more on the latter HERE.
According to reports, the Premier League is discussing a format that involves 16 Under-21 teams and 16 National League sides.
These plans however has been heavily criticised by supporters, who have already voiced their discontent with the FA’s decision.
Q1: Why did the National League back the decision to scrap cup replays?
A: It’s in talks with the Premier League about an EFL Trophy-like comp between 16 NL sides & 16 U21 PL teams.
Q2: When is fixture congestion OK?
A: When it’s subsidised by the PL. https://t.co/ZY3fKW5psC— Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) April 26, 2024
However, the National League’s support for the proposal may be due to the potential financial benefits it could bring, as disclosed by The Athletic.
The proposed competition would see four regional groups, each having eight teams, with the National League teams hosting matches against the Under-21 sides.
The host National League clubs would keep all the gate money plus half the prize money.
The rest of the money would be split between eight National League teams not competing in the tournament, as well as all the National League North and National League South sides – meaning 56 clubs in all.
The National League’s top 16 teams would take part – with the two clubs promoted from there into the EFL replaced by the two relegated sides going in the opposite direction.
The Athletic’s Matt Slater wrote: Some of that anger has even been directed at National League general manager Mark Ives, as he wrote to his member clubs telling them he supported the Football Association’s decision to shelve replays because of fixture congestion.
The Athletic say they have spoken with a number of National League clubs over this, and they all state that they haven’t been consulted by the FA or their own league, and disagreed with the need to axe replays in the first and second round proper, even though those are the rounds prior to when Premier League enter, so to blame it on fixture congestion doesn’t make sense.
It’s also reported that Mark Ives wasn’t consulted about the decision to scrap replays, and told his clubs he would argue to keep them for the qualifying rounds, which involve hundreds of clubs lower down the non league pyramid, that precede the first round proper.
The only hope is he could put it to the FA to reverse the decision to scrap replays in rounds one and two if that is what his clubs ask him to do at the league’s annual general meeting later in the summer.
Problem is, he, the FA and the Premier League, clearly believe that National League clubs will feel differently about the decision to scrap replays once they find out more on the extra £33million the Premier League is giving to the FA to share with the grassroots game, including clubs below the EFL, and it is explained that more lower-round FA Cup games will be televised in future.
The Athletic’s Matt Slater goes on to say: If that does not do the trick, perhaps the new EFL Trophy-style competition will, particularly as it is pencilled in to start in the pre-Christmas period just made slightly less congested by the scrapping of cup replays.
But what this means for the stalled plans to expand the actual EFL Trophy by inviting all 20 Premier League clubs and increasing the group stages to five games is unclear.
Those plans appear to be another casualty of the breakdown in talks between the EFL and Premier League over a new financial distribution model for the professional game.
As reported by @mjshrimper of the Athletic, National League x Premier League U21 competition WILL go ahead
Top 16 clubs in NL + 16 PL U21 sides would be split into 4 groups of 8
Suggested it will then progress to a knockout competition, like EFL Trophy
Fixture congestion 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/A2tX7ydDRS
— tomhwilliams23 (@tomhwilliams23) May 1, 2024
An update: it’s happening, folks. Starting next season. https://t.co/HZO0FA4lpT
— Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) May 1, 2024
This is how fans are reacting with the Premier League and National League in talks over a new cup competition featuring under-21 teams…
@Dukey_3006: Absolutely buzzing for when the Premier League start complaining about their U21 sides having too much fixture congestion 🙌
@HxtfcRichard: I can barely control my excitement
@coatesieboy: You can just imagine the @TheVanaramaNL board sat there saying: “You know what will make people happy?” 🤦🏻 #YTFC
@parkinsonross: This was so obvious when they backed scrapping the replays. Regulator can’t come soon enough
@Jaytwo86: Tell them to get so far to fuck @matt_uggla #YCFC
@bornatotter: That will be the Bastard League top brass there whoring themselves and the FA Cups glorious history out for a few meaningless exhibition games against some unknown EPL youth.
@TheDB30: @TheVanaramaNL there’s already a cup competition that exists where National League clubs have the opportunity to get to Wembley, it’s called the FA Trophy! Hope @GatesheadFC tell this idea to fuck right off if anything comes of it.
@cfchistory_com: More fixture congestion incoming for the National League, which was forcing clubs to play three or four games a week at the end of this season in order to protect its “competition integrity.” A good time to get out.
@davescounty: Explains why they backed the FA on scraping replays 🤦♂️🤣
@AllAtSeaFanzine: Absolutely nobody is turning up to this.
@BradleyKnowles1: State of this bollocks. You could have a team finishing 17th one year not playing this comp and doing well in the league the year after…
@BarnetAkela: To be clear @BarnetFC I won’t be attending any such games. This is how premier league B teams force their way into the pyramid. I will do everything I can to ensure this loses money.
@9men: Absolute farce. We should not be legitimising this nonsense.
@GRTourist: What a rancid idea. People that run football really do have no comprehension of what appeals to supporters (or players). About eight people will watch this. The National League board should resign, they’re a joke.
@ycfc_connor: “we want less fixture congestion so we want rid of FA Cup replays and we’re gonna bring a whole new tournament in” – What a fucking terrible decision #ycfc
@JanZglinski: One does wonder if the Premier League could have handled these past weeks any worse. From awkward lobbying against the Football Gov Bill, to failing to make progress on the EFL deal, to pushing to scrap FA Cup replays… Never was the need for an independent regulator clearer.
@Browny_90: Oh FFS. We cannot escape the Premier League infesting everything.
@farnellDisher: If this goes ahead, next step is Premier League U21 teams entering the NL
@BigLegDrop: How about the Premier League stop stockpiling young talent and let them sign for clubs lower down the divisions to get that experience that this competition is trying to create. Just a thought
@MickScully7: Surely this only benefits PL clubs and not the NL clubs. The U21s will get experience of playing senior, competitive football, but the NL clubs will be out of pocket as they’ll have to put the games on, but crowds won’t be great.
@c_m_hunt: Away games guaranteed at first team grounds? Final at Wembley? Big pay day for winning games? Of course not. Everything in favour of the Prem Clubs
Now we know the price for @TheVanaramaNL agreeing to support @premierleague in their campaign against an independent regulator.
No consultation from either party with individual National League clubs or supporters, of course. Why would they bother with that? #RegulateNow https://t.co/q1Cm873Wwv
— The FSA (@WeAreTheFSA) April 26, 2024
Everyone who has sat there wondering about the unlikely bedfellows that were the Premier League and National League in opposition to football regulation, all suddenly say ‘ahhh’ https://t.co/Tel56q81C7 pic.twitter.com/e9hjvyTAfP
— Jay McKenna (@JayMcKenna87) April 27, 2024
Mark Ives and the National League board are evidently not fit for purpose. Non-League football is supposed to be a haven of sorts from some of the ills of modern football. Instead those in charge are opening the bloody doors to it all in exchange for a big wad of cash 🤬 https://t.co/dJQHtlKi9U
— Seb White (@sebdwhite) April 27, 2024
Backing the abolishment of FA Cup replays one day, secretly plotting a new cup competition with Premier League money the next. English football is rotten to its absolute core. The sooner an independent regulator is in, the better. https://t.co/CXG5v0Srcz
— Dylan Walsh (@dylanwalsh_) April 26, 2024
This is so embarrassing for the NL. Last week’s lobbying by the NL was odd but now makes sense. Opposing a Regulator by striking a side deal with the PL. Near term short sightedness and self interest over the potential of long term sustainability for all. Well done @mjshrimper https://t.co/X9IsdCmZyH
— Jason Stockwood (@jstockwood) April 27, 2024
So let me get this straight: we ditch FA Cup replays, and then we create another cup competition that imposes even more fixture congestion on the best non-League players. Yep, that makes total sense… pic.twitter.com/tsh6LsRAI3
— Chris H (@RuytonShrew) April 26, 2024
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