Leicester City To Participate In 2017/18 Checkatrade Trophy

[Sambiasso]

Leicester City To Participate In 2017/18 Checkatrade Trophy

Leicester City will once again participate in the Checkatrade Trophy during the 2017/18 season, providing the Club’s youngest stars with an opportunity to test their skills against Football League opposition

- Leicester City's Development Squad will take part in the 2017/18 Checkatrade Trophy
- City are one of 16 clubs invited to enter an Under-21s squad into the EFL competition
- Last season, the Foxes reached the first knockout stage under coach Steve Beaglehole
- The group stage draw will be made early in July and feature a host of format changes

Leicester City will once again participate in the Checkatrade Trophy during the 2017/18 season, providing the Club’s youngest stars with an opportunity to test their skills against Football League opposition.

Last term, the Foxes, managed by Development Squad coach Steve Beaglehole, reached the first knockout round of the competition after a successful group stage campaign which included a 1-0 victory over Sky Bet League 2 outfit Grimsby Town at Blundell Park in October, 2016.

City are one of 16 clubs to have been invited to enter an Under-21s squad into the Checkatrade Trophy this year. Included among the new sides participating are; Fulham, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

Format amendments, detailed below, have also been made to provide flexibility in team selection for League 1 and League 2 clubs.

EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey said: “I was delighted when EFL clubs collectively backed the competition following a full and comprehensive review of last season’s pilot format and we can see from the increasing interest from Category One Academies that the Checkatrade Trophy has genuine appeal.

“The competition provides a unique challenge to young players and seasoned professionals alike. I strongly believe players from League 1 and League 2 clubs will look forward to taking on some of the country’s brightest prospects, who will themselves learn a lot from participating in a first team competition.

“I want to thank EFL clubs and the Category One Academies for their support. I believe the balance of the competition should benefit all sides and will make for some intriguing matches when the group stages get under way in August.”

Format changes

- EFL team selection criteria amended to allow increased flexibility for League 1 and League 2 clubs
- Each group will continue to contain one invited Under-21 team with the remainder made up of EFL clubs from either League 1 or League 2
- Groups will be formed to minimise overall travel time for EFL clubs and fans
- Invited Under-21 teams will play their group games away from home
- Regionalisation until the Quarter-Final stage (improved from Round Two in 2016/17) to minimise overall travel time for clubs and fans 
- Flexibility of fixture dates to allow teams to schedule games outside of international weeks

Key dates

- Group stage fixtures draw in July; the three EFL teams in each group will be selected to minimise travel requirements for EFL supporters on Friday 7 July
- The 16 invited teams will then be drawn on Wednesday 12 July
- First group atage matches are currently scheduled to take place w/c 28th August
https://www.lcfc.com/news/425063/press-release
 

[AKCJ]

Can this be strictly Under 21 though?

 

Pretty sure we had Ben Hamer playing in it last year. What's the point?

[Voll Blau]

Farce of a competition. We should be embarrassed to be associated with it.

[lgfualol]

2 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

Can this be strictly Under 21 though?

 

Pretty sure we had Ben Hamer playing in it last year. What's the point?

Pretty sure one game we had Ulloa, Hamer, Wasyl and Benaloune playing.. it's just a joke. 

[Sambiasso]

Think you can have a max of 3 players over 23yrs playing each game. 

[AKCJ]

Just now, Sambiasso said:

Think you can have a max of 3 players over 23yrs playing each game. 

It's a joke.

 

Should be strictly U21.

[TheUltimateWinner]

Hopefully will have the same atmosphere down the KP as champions league nights.

 

Lets win it so this season can go down in history.

[Sambiasso]

Anything that gives Dean Hammond more game time is a positive in my book 

[Nugent]

Wank, let the lower league teams have their competition ffs, Shaun Harvey needs to **** off

[Dan]

Total shambles of a competition.

[rn9013]

I simply refuse to follow us in this competition. It is the only time I want us not to do well. Not us alone, but collectively I hope the academies all get knocked out early. 

 

For league 1 and 2 clubs this is realistically the only competition they can have a genuine ambition of winning. Let them have their competition and a potential trip to Wembley. 

[MPH]

2 hours ago, AKCJ said:

Can this be strictly Under 21 though?

 

Pretty sure we had Ben Hamer playing in it last year. What's the point?

 

 

looking at that new youth GK - bet he would play in this...

[LittlethorpeFox]

The project was aimed at addressing the fact that not enough Eng u21 players are facing anything near competitive football in development squads. Other countries have the B team system, but that won't work here because we have 92 amazing football league clubs plus the rest trying to get in the pyramid. Its just a poor compromise between the two. If they are really serious about improving young English players' chances of playing first team football, they should make a quota rule for starting Prem-11s that they should include at least 3 or 4 homegrown players (who are eligible for England), clubs would sure start paying attention then. But lets not get ahead of ourselves, that could impact Sky/BT viewing figures and that comes before the success of the 3 Lions!

[AjcW]

Can see it being won by one of the U21 sides this year as Chelsea, Man City and Spurs have taken up the option after rejecting last year. 

[Melbourne Fuchs]

It would be mildly amusing if we knocked out Coventry. Otherwise I'm not bothered.

[lcfcben76]

4 hours ago, Sambiasso said:

Think you can have a max of 3 players over 23yrs playing each game. 

I was under the impression it was 6 over 23s

[The Blur]

3 hours ago, rn9013 said:

I simply refuse to follow us in this competition. It is the only time I want us not to do well. Not us alone, but collectively I hope the academies all get knocked out early. 

 

For league 1 and 2 clubs this is realistically the only competition they can have a genuine ambition of winning. Let them have their competition and a potential trip to Wembley. 

 

They already have JPT.

 

One quote in particular really made me cringe-  "I strongly believe players from League 1 and League 2 clubs will look forward to taking on some of the country’s brightest prospects"

 

L1 and L2 players deserved to be treated like credible professionals that are trying to better themselves and to get their team promoted or to earn a move to a bigger club that matches their talents not as cannon fodder for academies.  Embarrassing.  

 

 

[The Horse's Mouth]

3 minutes ago, The Blur said:

 

They already have JPT.

 

One quote in particular really made me cringe-  "I strongly believe players from League 1 and League 2 clubs will look forward to taking on some of the country’s brightest prospects"

 

L1 and L2 players deserved to be treated like credible professionals that are trying to better themselves and to get their team promoted or to earn a move to a bigger club that matches their talents not as cannon fodder for academies.  Embarrassing.  

 

 

JPT is the checkatrade trophy 

[The Horse's Mouth]

also I don't buy this, league one & two clubs genuinely taking the competition seriously. Been a joke since its inception 

[The Blur]

7 minutes ago, The Horse's Mouth said:

JPT is the checkatrade trophy 

 

 

I had a mare there.  Literally forgotten that this format has replaced the JPT format, shows much how shit and uninspiring this competition is then.  Fair play for not ripping me a new one. 

[MrSpaM]

17 minutes ago, The Blur said:

 

They already have JPT.

 

One quote in particular really made me cringe-  "I strongly believe players from League 1 and League 2 clubs will look forward to taking on some of the country’s brightest prospects"

 

L1 and L2 players deserved to be treated like credible professionals that are trying to better themselves and to get their team promoted or to earn a move to a bigger club that matches their talents not as cannon fodder for academies.  Embarrassing.  

 

 

Only one academy made it through the first round last year...

 

The academy's are very much the cannon fodder for the league 1 and 2 teams

Edited 30 June 2017 by MrSpaM

[The Blur]

18 minutes ago, MrSpaM said:

Only one academy made it through the first round last year...

 

The academy's are very much the cannon fodder for the league 1 and 2 teams

 

I meant cannon fodder as in they are being used as 'guinea pigs'  for academics.  Sorry for not making that clearer. 

[Foxxed]

15 minutes ago, The Blur said:

 

I meant cannon fodder as in they are being used as 'guinea pigs'  for academics.  Sorry for not making that clearer. 

I see your point but can't l1 and l2 teams benefit from playing premier league academies? It'd say it'd give some of our academy talent good experience. But can't it be a two way street?

[Corky]

If this had been brought in 9 years ago we could've had our first team against Fulham or Wigan U21's. Utterly ridiculous concept.

[mozartfox]

I hear they are planning to play the theme from 'Coronation Street' before each game to mirror the Champions League Hymn format. Should be a cracking atmospheric experience.