Rovers to play in the EFL Trophy

We join fellow Premier League big hitters Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle in turning down the invite.

“If it’s a success it will continue”.

The new competition will have an estimated £1.95m prize fund boosted by funds pledged by the Premier League, including £10,000 per win and £5,000 per draw during the group stage and £100,000 for the eventual victor.

“The first round is during the global break, so young players will get a chance”.

Sixteen groups of four teams each contain an academy side, with the top two from each qualifying for the first knockout round of 32 teams.

Blackburn Under-21s v Reading Under-21s at Wembley? The format sees 16 Category A academy teams, although it was thrown into farce when bigger names pulled out.

The changes to the Football League trophy announced last season caused some commotion when they were first revealed.

“We’re a long way from that position yet”.

The group games will have less interest, I believe, because people don’t really get excited until the quarter-finals stage.

With the Category One academy side due to play their one home game at the first-team stadium, it could see the U’s make their first visit to Stamford Bridge since 1999.

Why did clubs reject the invite?

Academy teams must field six players under the age of 21 in their starting line-ups in the Trophy, formerly known as the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

The clubs will play each other once, either home or away.

The group stages will start in the last week of August, with the knock-out rounds beginning at the start of December and the final on April 2, 2017.

READ: Cheltenham Town draw Blackpool.

Northern Group F: Sunderland, Rochdale, Hartlepool, Notts County.

Stoke were grouped with Bradford, Morecambe and Bury, West Brom face Luton, Millwall and Gillingham and Middlesbrough will meet Scunthorpe, Cambridge and Shrewsbury.

Northern Group H: Leicester City, Sheffield United, Grimsby Town, Walsall.

So nothing especially stand out there, although both Bristol Rovers and Pompey present short-ish trips for a Tuesday night.

Southern Group B: Swansea City, AFC Wimbledon, Newport County, Plymouth Argyle.