Giving lower league clubs a ‘Pizza the action’ will protect the modern game

Fair Game’s second principle calls for threats to the integrity of our domestic competition structure to be removed

Adam Harwood

The recently rebranded ‘Papa John’s Trophy’ is not one of football’s recent success stories. Since being reformatted from the Football League to EFL Trophy in 2016-17, introducing B teams from Premier League and Championship academies and group stages the same time, the tournament has seen attendances collapse – regularly to three figure crowds.

Supporter interest has only really grown towards the final stages of the tournament, and to that end the EFL can perhaps count themselves lucky that the presence of well-supported clubs – Portsmouth, Sunderland, Oxford United and Coventry City among them – in pre-Covid finals have made for healthy attendances at Wembley.

But therein lies a point. In spite of a quarter of EFL Trophy entrants being made up of the academies of Premier League giants, including presumably some of the best young talents in the world, not one of them has reached the final in the five years since the rule change came in.

Not only has this helped with the integrity of the competition, which was never previously open on an invitational basis, but it also demonstrates the talent on show at League One and League Two levels – the consistent ability to beat the ‘big boys’, even if this is those at the earlier end of their footballing careers.

In a roundabout way, therefore, the much-maligned EFL Trophy has at least helped underline that our whole footballing pyramid has something to offer, and that the structure isn’t simply there as a plaything for those clubs with the deepest pockets. Similarly, the FA Cup and League Cup produce shock upon shock each season; showing that money doesn’t, and shouldn’t, buy you everything.

Fair Game’s second principle calls for threats to the integrity of our domestic competition structure to be removed. In principle, we are calling for.

●      Legislation to stop a repeat of the European Super League

●      No erosion of the current value of domestic cup competitions

●      No B teams to compete at any level of the pyramid

●      No removal of relegation/promotion at any level

Simple asks, perhaps. But the mere presence of B teams even in the EFL Trophy is a worrying precursor for what might happen next. The FA and League Cups are already under threat, with the former seeing the removal of replays and the start of a midweek round in recent months. And of course, the European Super League wished to throw out the sacrament that is the ability to get relegated.

No fan, manager, owner or player wants their club to suffer relegation. But the outcry over the ESL proves it is a necessary part of competition. It means every club must work, and work hard, to gain and maintain their league position. It allows every dog to have their day, and punishes sleeping ‘giants’. Automatic promotion and relegation has been part of football in this country since 1898, and needs to be maintained far into the future.

Fair Game is holding a open panel and discussion on the structure of football. The discussion is an essential part of Fair Game’s process in developing real and long-lasting solutions to the problems facing football. You can register to take part in the sessions by visiting the events section of our website www.fairgameuk.org