Steve Coppell’s 33 Days
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 9 Aug 2020
- Messages
- 134
- Team supported
- Manchester City
Financial losses from COVID in global football are well understood & a study this week suggested they are £11bn+ so far.
Recent financial struggles of Wigan, Macclesfield, Bury & Bolton are well understood.
Rick Parry (wash my mouth out) suggests further club failures aren’t inevitable (spoiler alert: they are) in the EFL despite no imminent gate receipts & financial constraints on broadcast revenues and limited options to cut wages (& remain competitive).
One thing the EPL/EFL should look at is for a number of, say 6 to 8 premier league U23 teams - current PL1 teams - to get admitted to the EFL. Say join at League 2 with promotion still possible to league 1/championship (& obvs relegation from championship/league 1). PL1/2 are consolidated into a single league and there’s auto promotion annually of the champions of PL1/2 to replace the lowest place U23 team but obvs no relegation from league 2 for these teams.
There would have to be an annual participation fee paid by the U23 team & an agreement to forego any EFL prize money & no participation in either league cup or FA cup obvs. But that could be material £value at least for the EFL trust, if not the clubs themselves.
Imagine the benefit for EPL player development especially home grown players.
What’s not to like?
Recent financial struggles of Wigan, Macclesfield, Bury & Bolton are well understood.
Rick Parry (wash my mouth out) suggests further club failures aren’t inevitable (spoiler alert: they are) in the EFL despite no imminent gate receipts & financial constraints on broadcast revenues and limited options to cut wages (& remain competitive).
One thing the EPL/EFL should look at is for a number of, say 6 to 8 premier league U23 teams - current PL1 teams - to get admitted to the EFL. Say join at League 2 with promotion still possible to league 1/championship (& obvs relegation from championship/league 1). PL1/2 are consolidated into a single league and there’s auto promotion annually of the champions of PL1/2 to replace the lowest place U23 team but obvs no relegation from league 2 for these teams.
There would have to be an annual participation fee paid by the U23 team & an agreement to forego any EFL prize money & no participation in either league cup or FA cup obvs. But that could be material £value at least for the EFL trust, if not the clubs themselves.
Imagine the benefit for EPL player development especially home grown players.
What’s not to like?