Non-League says 'No' to Premier League
Several non-league clubs have turned down the chance to wear bibs against U21 Premier League sides in this season's revamped National League Cup. Eastleigh FC explain why...
For those following Hollywood FC, you might faintly recall the National League during Season One of Welcome to Wrexham. Well, this year they’ve decided to ‘spruce up’ the National League Cup by allowing Premier League U21 teams into the competition, which has led to several National League clubs to decline the invitation to enter boycott the cup this season.
Eastleigh FC were decent enough to issue a statement giving their reasons:
National League teams currently receive no compensation or protection for our young players, some of whom would feature in this competition. Premier League and EFL clubs simply take these players that have often had many years development at our clubs, something they cannot do to each other. Providing these clubs with competitive games to then play these players or showcase more of them to be taken under these circumstances is completely illogical.
The financial reward for playing in the competition is negligible and is likely to cost the club some much-needed funds.
We don’t believe there is a huge demand for the competition from our supporters or any other National League club.
The fixtures are to be played between October and April which is a time in the season where the club would hope to be competing in the FA Trophy, FA Cup and mounting a challenge for the Play-offs/Promotion and to add more fixtures to this already busy schedule would be counter productive.
To fulfill these extra fixtures, the club would need to increase the size of its first team squad which would come at considerable cost to cover games that would provide no revenue to support this.
National League clubs were not consulted before the decision had been made by the National League in the same way that we were not involved in the removal of FA Cup replays recently. Both of these decisions have potentially huge financial implications for National League clubs and also for our supporters.
The competition itself is a 32-club regionalised midweek cup where 16 Premier League U21 teams will face 16 National League sides in the now mandatory group stage/knockout format.
While National League clubs will get to keep 100% of gate receipts, they may very well be paltry. Especially if you’re not excited by the prospect of watching your best players do a hamstring in a training game for Premier League academy starlets before being sold as part of a PSR transfer sham.
Although, it might be a bit short-sighted of the National League if Manchester City get relegated there this week!
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