It was promoted by a Premier League spokesman as a way to “help young, talented players progress physically and mentally on top of the technical aspect of their game”, but the English Football League’s attempt to revamp the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy looks set to have angered the fans of lower-league clubs, and alienated some of the Premier League clubs it was hoping would join it. All before a ball is kicked.
The competition was due to be expanded as a trial this season to include not just the 48 clubs from League One and League Two but 16 additional “invited clubs”, entering their academy teams. Fifteen of those clubs were to come from the Premier League, with Newcastle United filling the final slot.
But of the original list of clubs invited, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have declined the invitation. Question marks remain over the involvement of Liverpool because of concerns over the availability of Anfield, and Manchester United are also thought to be against taking part.
It is expected that the EFL will now invite Championship clubs with category one academies instead. But for lower-league fans, the fact that the EFL announced the changes without seeming to have the larger clubs fully on board will probably only increase the feeling that the changes were not fully thought through.
In addition to the “invited clubs”, the regionalised knockout format of the competition will have a group stage added to it, where games that finish in a draw will feature a penalty shootout, with the winners getting a bonus point.
The increase in the size of the competition lessens the chance of lower-league clubs getting a day out at Wembley. With 48 teams, you had a one in 24 chance of getting to the final. It is now one in 32, and that is before you consider the 16 invited clubs have, in theory, a much greater chance of getting to the final because of having bigger budgets than most lower-league clubs.
As Chris West, an AFC Wimbledon fan, points out: “I think that overall it’s a good thing to have a tournament just for lower-league teams, and providing them with a day out at Wembley and some much-needed income. Fifty-nine thousand at Wembley to watch Oxford vs Barnsley this year shows the popularity of the final. It may not be the biggest event in the calendar but for fans of teams who get to the semis and especially the final, attendances show that it matters. I look forward to the EFL defending their plan when 6,000 people are at Wembley watching Swansea reserves against Stoke reserves.”
It is the inclusion of Premier League development squads that is the main source of objection for lower-league fans. It was notable that the English Football League, in its tweets to promote the new format on Wednesday, avoided any reference to the Premier League, merely talking about “invited clubs”. - The Guardian