Premier League introduce major change with new 26-team division and elimination play-off at end of season

THE PREMIER LEAGUE have introduced a big change to their top-tier youth football.

Premier League 2 will be expanded into one 26-team division for the 2023-2024 season.

Premier League 2 will be expanded into one 26-team division for the 2023-2024 season.

The Premier League are set for major changes in the youth divisionGetty

The league will thus move away from the traditional model, which saw 14 teams in Division One and 11 teams in Division Two, with two clubs relegated and two promoted between the groups.

In the new system, 26 teams with Category One academies will be placed in the same division.

Those are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Brighton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Derby, Everton, Fulham, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham Forest, Reading, Southampton, Stoke, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Brom, West Ham and Wolves.

However, they won’t all play each other home and away – instead, they will be placed into five pots determined by their performances in Premier League 2 over the last three seasons.

And teams will only be able to play another one from their pot once as well as three to five opponents from all the other pots either home or away.

The league table will then rank the clubs from 1st to 26th, with the top 16 qualifying for a single-match elimination play-off round.

The play-offs will be determined by league positions – with first facing last, second playing 15th and so on – with the higher-ranked club playing at home.

The Premier League explained: “The change came about after an extensive review of PDP competitions, which sought to enhance the transition of talented Academy players into senior football, and engaged various stakeholders, including football directors, Academy managers, first-team coaches and Academy players.

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“The removal of relegation introduces positive jeopardy; it supports clubs making development-first decisions, and minimises the impact of relegation on future groups of U21 players.

“Also the experience of playoffs will open up to 16 teams rather than the four in Division 2 of previous seasons.

“The new format will also give teams a greater breadth of fixtures, playing 20 different opponents, compared with only 13 in Division 1 and only 10 in Division 2.

“The single division format also provides greater flexibility to add or decrease the number of fixtures in future seasons, dependent on the number of teams in the league, as well as access to additional development opportunities, including matches against senior teams and international opposition.”

The fixtures will be announced on Monday.