Leeds United along with their top-flight rivals could see their football calendar drastically changed from 2024 onwards with talks set to discuss proposed changes to the Community Shield, FA Cup and League Cup. Six leading figures from the Premier League, the EFL, and the EFL will meet on Friday to debate the potential alterations to the domestic football calendar, according to the Times.
The title has revealed scrapping FA Cup replays, allowing clubs in European competition to enter youth teams into the League Cup, along with moving the Community Shield to a new date are all on the table. The demands are part of a financial settlement for Premier League sides to share their sizeable wealth with clubs lower down the pyramid.
The EFL is pushing for an additional £300 million per year to support clubs, but as it stands the top-flight clubs have only agreed to a sum in the region of £160m. The sweeping changes are included in the 'New Deal for Football' initiative led by the Premier League, with a bid to reduce fixture congestion from 2024.
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The upcoming meeting will be attended by new Premier League chairwoman Alison Brittain, and her opposite numbers with the EFL and FA in Rick Parry and Debbie Hewitt. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters will also be there along with his FA counterpart Mark Bullingham and EFL equivalent Trevor Birch.
The FA Cup currently has replays up until the fourth-round stage, but the 'New Deal' proposes that they are scrapped when top-flight clubs enter in the third round. The report claims the EFL are 'open' to changing the League Cup, in return for an 'acceptable' financial settlement.
Suggestions are also on the table for the Community Shield, with the Premier League's elite frustrated by the disruption it poses to pre-season preparations and international tours. The fixture could be moved to the opening weekend or during the season, played abroad to 'promote' the Premier League, or even be drastically reshaped into an 'All Stars' game.
The 'New Deal' discussions come as the government prepares to publish a white paper detailing the creation of a statutory independent regulator. This new body would have the power to determine a financial settlement should all three parties not reach an agreement.
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