English football is facing its biggest upheaval since the formation of the Premier League in 1992.
The Football League wants to create an extra division with 20 teams in each from 2019-20, increasing the number of clubs from 92 to 100. There would be no change to the Premier League but the Championship, League One and League Two would all be reduced from 24 teams to 20 and a new League Three would emerge.
The initial aim is to create space in football’s congested schedule and it requires 65 of the current 72 League clubs to support the proposal. A decision will be made at their annual general meeting in June 2017. The Premier League and the Football Association have backed the proposal ‘in principle’ but the instant assessment by lower-league clubs was less than favourable.
Bradford City’s joint chairman Mark Lawn said: ‘We’ve had this structure for years because it suited the majority of clubs. Why change it? Losing four home games means we lose income. We need the crowds. It’s ridiculous.’
Accrington Stanley owner Andrew Holt also attacked the plan, which was revealed yesterday by Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey, saying: ‘I don’t recognise it as a sensible plan. We want more games. We’d rather play 50. We need the revenue. I’m putting cash into a black hole. It’s hardly worth having a stadium if we play 20 times a year.’ – Daily Mail