Football League clubs will vote on whether they want to scrap the Checkatrade Trophy from next season’s calendar
The trophy has offered a chance for clubs in League One and League Two and selected academy teams to compete for a trophy
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THE CHECKATRADE TROPHY could be scrapped from next season as Football League clubs will discuss the future of the historic honour.
Teams from League One and League Two met with the EFL Board today where they will decide on whether to remove the trophy from the football calendar.
A final vote will be made in May, with the board presenting the clubs with a number of options alongside the radical proposal.
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The competition this year has been with anger by fans for allowing 16 academy teams to participate, with fan attendances plummeting.
Changes to the cup included: A significant increase in prize money, a revised format including 16 invited teams and a return to the previous 48-team competition, exclusive to League One and Two.
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EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey said: "We committed at the outset of this season’s competition to conduct a full and comprehensive review of the competition and, importantly, give our Clubs the ability to ensure they make the key decisions regarding where we take the competition in 2017/18 and beyond.
"After asking clubs in advance for some initial thoughts on the competition, today was the next stage of the process and I’m delighted we were able to have such a full and frank exchange of views that will now assist the Executive in refining a final proposal that our clubs will now vote on.”
The trophy has been in existence since the 1983-84 season - Coventry City are the current champions, having beat Oxford United 2-1 at Wembley Stadium on April 2.