Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore confirmed plans today to launch a Premier League B League, which will be played at Premier League grounds, be televised and will feature U-23 players as well as four over age footballers.
The league will replace the current U-21 league format, and would involve the same teams that are in the Under-21 league – which is those who are classed as category one in the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP).
There’s no news yet regarding when Scudamore wants to launch the Premier League B League, but here’s what he told The Daily Telegraph newspaper:
“We understand the challenge of developing English talent good enough to play in the Premier League first team is how do you get them to transition from Under-18s into first-team squads? It is such a huge leap. You have to have the transition phase, the ‘professional development phase’ we call it.
“The Under-21 League is technically very good but not where it needs to be in terms of meaningful competition for these youngsters.
“The minute you call it ‘Under-21’ people think it is no use. It needs a better name and a better focus. All clubs recognise that. We need proper kick-off times, using main stadiums, anything to create an experience that is more competitive and more like the first team so it doesn’t come as such a shock. And those players in that group should be interchangeable with the first team.
“They should be category one clubs and we are happy for them to be in that league with 16 of ours, and six of the Championship. If more cat one clubs come along you structure it accordingly.
“It should be in all our interests that people have more cat one academies because that’s the best it can be.”
Here are tonight’s world soccer news headlines:
Premier League
- Richard Scudamore confirms plans for a Premier League ‘B’ league — Sky Sports
- Arsene Wenger expected to risk rotation for Arsenal’s FA Cup fifth-round clash against Liverpool — The Telegraph
- Cardiff City report £30m loss, accounts show — BBC Sport
- Cardiff City claim Malky Mackay’s ‘careless’ transfer dealings in the summer cost club millions — The Telegraph
- Steven Gerrard says Liverpool are ‘dark horses’ in the title race — Sky Sports
- Going berserk with drunk Swansea fans at the South Wales derby — Vice
- Juande Ramos: ‘Tottenham won a cup, everyone was happy. Then? Sacked’ — The Guardian
- Tottenham’s new shirt deal means club can offer improved contracts to Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris — Telegraph
- Man City approved to turn Etihad Stadium into the Premier League’s second-largest venue — Pro Soccer Talk
- Michu’s Swansea comeback could come against Everton in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday — The Mirror
- Premier League chief Richard Scudamore’s crusade to lift England football — The Telegraph
- Roy Hodgson is a Southampton fan says Jesus Perez, Mauricio Pochettino’s assistant — The Mirror
- Hull City loan star Jake Livermore: ‘I told Tottenham I wanted to stay with Tigers’ — Hull Daily Mail
- Loic Remy will not face any further action over rape claim made last year — Newcastle Chronicle
- ‘Tim Sherwood knows the game perfectly – he deserves a chance to be Tottenham boss long-term’, says Younes Kaboul — Evening Standard
- Sunderland get Scocco up to speed for debut — Sunderland Echo
- Chelsea’s Sam Hutchinson loaned to Sheffield Wednesday — Chelsea
- Emmanuel Adebayor could miss Tottenham’s Ukraine trip but other big guns will go — Evening Standard
- Nacer Chadli turned down Swansea City to stay at Tottenham Hotspur — South Wales Evening Post
- Manchester United still top of the league when it comes to shirt sales — MEN
International soccer
- USA-Mexico friendly set for April 2 at University of Phoenix Stadium — Sports Illustrated
- Roy Hodgson leaves Januzaj call to FA — The Courier
- Hodgson will lead England at Euro 2016 no matter what happens in Brazil, says FA chief — The Mail
- English FA wants opening Euro 2020 game — ESPN FC
La Liga
Scottish soccer
- Hearts takeover: IT millionaire bankrolls deal — The Scotsman
MLS
- Toronto FC announce that they will be introducing Julio Cesar today at a press conference at 1 PM — TSN
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