League hatch plan to create their 100 club
Radical plan for 5 leagues of 20 teams
REVOLUTIONARY proposals have been unveiled which would mark the end of the 92-club system which has defined English football for 66 years.
Football League supremo Shaun Harvey has plans to introduce a format of 100 teams from the 2019- 20 season arranged in five tiers of 20, including a newly created League Three.
Harvey’s vision is designed to create space in a congested calendar, removing many midweek fixtures and paving the way for further debate about changes to the FA Cup format and a winter break.
The proposed overhaul would go hand- in- hand with a revamped Football League Trophy, involving B- teams from those clubs with Category A academies and an initial group phase played on international dates.
There is no plan for a return to regionalisation of the lower tiers and no change to the League Cup, which will retain its two-legged semi-final.
Nor is there any proposal to end promotion and relegation between the Premier League and the Football League, or to scrap the play-offs.
Yesterday, the inital reaction from lower-league clubs was generally negative. But Harvey, the Football League’s chief executive, who has backing ‘in principle’ from the Premier League and the FA, said: ‘We believe this can act as a catalyst for change. We will ask our clubs to consider this.
‘Ultimately they will decide. How can English football reorganise itself for the benefit of everybody? It doesn’t have to be wholesale change to make a massive difference.’
English football has not faced change on this scale since 1950, when the Football League was increased from 88 clubs to 92.
To proceed, it requires 90 per cent of the vote from the Football League’s members, which is 65 of 72 clubs. As all Football League clubs operate in 24-team leagues, there is sure to be concern for eight lost fixtures per season — and in particular the four lost home games and their revenue.
Harvey hopes a greater proportion of weekend and bank holiday games and fewer meaningless fixtures near the end of the season will offset some of the lost income with bigger average attendances.
Under his vision, most clubs will face only one round of midweek league fixtures from 2019-20, when a new TV deal will also kick in, although other midweek matches will naturally appear due to cup ties and postponements. Divisional restructuring would be introduced in one swoop at the end of the 2018-19 season — which means more clubs will face the prospect of relegation at the end of that campaign.
There is no suggestion that teams will be denied promotion for winning their league, although how many go up and how many go down will generate a lively discussion.
Debate will also revolve around the additional teams. Top Premier League clubs will want to introduce B-teams — an idea which will appear more palatable to the Football League if it comes with a greater slice of the Premier League’s riches. Celtic and Rangers may fancy moving south too, while the simplest way would be to use football’s pyramid and promote from the National League.
The proposals were circulated to clubs yesterday and will be debated at the Football League’s summer conference on June 9-10. There will be no formal vote until the league’s AGM next year.
ENGLISH football is facing its biggest upheaval since the formation of the Premier League in 1992.
The Football League wants to create an extra division with 20 teams in each from 2019-20, increasing the number of clubs from 92 to 100. There would be no change to the Premier League but the Championship, League One and League Two would all be reduced from 24 teams to 20 and a new League Three would emerge.
The initial aim is to create space in football’s congested schedule and it requires 65 of the current 72 League clubs to support the proposal. A decision will be made at their annual general meeting in June 2017. The Premier League and the Football Association have backed the proposal ‘in principle’ but the instant assessment by lower-league clubs was less than favourable.
Bradford City’s joint chairman Mark Lawn said: ‘We’ve had this structure for years because it suited the majority of clubs. Why change it? Losing four home games means we lose income. We need the crowds. It’s ridiculous.’
Accrington Stanley owner Andrew Holt also attacked the plan, which was revealed yesterday by Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey, saying: ‘I don’t recognise it as a sensible plan. We want more games. We’d rather play 50. We need the revenue. I’m putting cash into a black hole. It’s hardly worth having a stadium if we play 20 times a year.’