Oldham Athletic Supporters’ Foundation have expressed concerns over reports that the National League and Premier League are in talks over a new competition, following the scrapping of FA Cup replays.
According to The Athletic, each National League team would play each Premier League U21 team at home in four groups of eight teams, made up of four teams from each level. The competition would be organised regionally.
It is acknowledged that the competition’s structure would prevent National League teams from facing off against one another in the group stage and that they would keep all gate receipts and half of the prize money, dividing the remaining portion between the 56 National League, National League North, and National League South teams that are not competing in the competition.
Should the competition receive approval, the Premier League is expected to provide significant financial support.
However, OASF is concerned that the new tournament, which is another step towards integrating Premier League U21 teams into the league structure, would not do much to prevent fixture congestion, as was the case for eliminating FA Cup replays.
According to an OASF statement, “The Board of Oldham Athletic Supporters Foundation is disappointed to read reports in The Athletic that the National League is negotiating for a new competition involving Premier League U21 teams, especially in light of the announcement earlier this week that FA Cup replays are set to be scrapped.”
“In general, OASF was taken aback to learn that the National League had initially backed the decision to eliminate FA Cup replays. We are aware of the difficulties that numerous National League teams encounter due to the overabundance of games, especially in the winter when many fields become flooded and unusable. However, the National League’s claim that teams at this level are extremely concerned about fixture congestion is somewhat called into question given the revelation that
The OASF Board believes that this is just another desperate attempt to get EPL U21 teams into the professional football levels in England.
“The Premier League and National League are pushing through these and other changes as quickly as possible, blatantly lobbying against the Independent Football Regulator’s ability to stop them.
“The OASF Board feels that deeds speak louder than words. We intend to talk to other Trusts about the problems that impact our game and investigate our options for action.”
