LEAGUE THREE PLAN SHELVED
FA refuses to switch Cup dates
THE controversial Whole Game Solution is dead in the water – and EFL clubs have welcomed the news.
Back in May, the Football League announced their masterplan to expand from 72 to 80 teams from 2019-20, creating a League Three in the process.
In doing this, there would be four divisions of 20 teams below the Premier League. With just 38 games to play instead of 46, the move would cut down on fixture congestion and reduce the need for midweek matches.
However, clubs feared they would lose revenue from the reduction in home matches. The idea was that the EFL clubs would vote on the issue at their annual meeting next summer, with 90 per cent of clubs having to vote in favour for the proposals to get the go-ahead.
But that is immaterial now after the EFL announced they have abandoned the plans after the FA informed them they were no longer prepared to consider rescheduling FA Cup fixtures into midweek slots.
It follows the FA agreeing a new six-season overseas broadcasts rights deal for the FA Cup, worth £800m, from the 2018-19 season.
Sceptical
EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey said: “If the weekend slots are not available, then there is simply no way we can meet the financial conditions (to be no worse off) as outlined a the very outset.”
Far from being disappointed at the news, the movers and shakers at EFL clubs have welcomed the news.
Grimsby Town director John Fenty said: “We are pleased it’s been shelved. We were always sceptical about replacement income and we didn’t think some of the things seen as problems actually were. For example, fixture congestion.
“We are itching for Tuesday night games and we’ve played only one or two. I like a Saturday Tuesday fixture list and I’m sure the players do, too, when things are going well!
“The initiative was centred on helping English football at the top level, but I don’t think it really did that. We have to reduce the number of foreign players in the Premier League and give more English players a chance. Until we do that, I don’t think we’ll see a successful England side.”
Fleetwood Town chairman Andy Pilley isn’t losing any sleep over the matter, either.
“I’m delighted it hasn’t progressed,” he said. “It didn’t seem as though there was enough consultation with the clubs or supporters in the first place. And, for that reason alone, it wasn’t correct for a vote to take place. I don’t think it would have been passed anyway.
“It’s back to the drawing board now and I’m always open to proposals. However, I don’t see massive problems with the current structure. It works and it’s incredibly popular.”
Gillingham chairman Paul Scally, currently recovering from open heart surgery, believes the EFL may have tried to bite off more than they could chew.
“I was never particularly in favour of it,” he said, “and it was optimistic to think we would get a solution by the next AGM.
“It was a massive step – it was game-changing. It would have required so many stakeholders to back it. It was too big a challenge.
“If the FA believe the FA Cup is significantly more valuable, then they aren’t going to move it.”
Distance
However, Scally believes there are certain aspects of the plan that are worth looking into in future.
“It’s on the backburner, but I’m sure it will come back again,” he added. “We need to look at solutions to long-distance travelling in midweek and maybe think about regionalising Leagues One and Two.
“We need to try to find more Saturdays, but it’s not easy because of other competitions.”