B TEAMS IN THE ENGLISH LEAGUES?
StrumSolo > 06/05/2014, 12:46
The FA will this week consider proposals which would allow Premier League and Championship sides to field B teams in the English league pyramid.
These new outfits would either play in a division sandwiched between League Two and the Conference, or join sides from those tiers in two newly-formed regional leagues.
Straightforward enough, for the first year at least, but deciding how far these new sides can then be promoted or relegated is where you'd imagine the discussions would really get interesting. Could Chelsea B, for example, climb as high as the Championship? And would those promotions be fair on the teams they squeezed out along the way?
As much as the top teams' (hopefully British) youngsters would benefit from competitive football at a decent level, to what extent should their interests impact on the progression of all the smaller, 'actual' clubs?
And while similar structures work well enough in Spain, France and Germany, they're not nations with 100+ well-supported and historic 'actual clubs' to consider.
What do you think? Good idea? Or not?