Michael Kenrick 04/07/2023 2comments  |  Jump to last

As a Category One development academy, Everton U21s will play in next season's EFL Trophy against first-team opponents from Leagues One and Two, the eighth time the competition has been staged in its current form.

It represents a unique opportunity each season for the top academy teams in the Premier League to test themselves against often seasoned professionals in the first teams of clubs from the lower divisions of the English Football League (EFL).

This upcoming season, Everton U21s will play in Group H with three away fixtures against:

Doncaster Rovers (League Two), Tuesday 19 September, 7 pm 
Burton Albion (League One), Tuesday 26 September, 7 pm
Mansfield Town (League Two), Tuesday 7 November, 7 pm.

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For sponsorship reasons. the competition was previously known as the Papa Johns Trophy and briefly as the Leasing.com Trophy after the Checkatrade Trophy since 2016-17, when Premier League academy teams were first invited to compete. 

In March 2023, Papa Johns opted not to renew the 3-year sponsorship deal they had signed in 2020. According to the Daily Mail, EFL Chiefs have begun a search for new backers, but ahead of the draw for the group stage of the 2023–24 season, no agreement has been announced. 

The current competition begins with 16 regional groups, each containing three EFL teams and one Academy team, and divided between northern and southern sections. The top two from each group qualify for the knockout stages before the two regional winners meet in the final at Wembley Stadium.

Last season, Everton U21s topped Group A and went on to beat Mansfield Town in the Round of 32 before falling to Lincoln City in the Round of 16, when the only remaining Academy teams from Man Utd and Chelsea also went out.

That's the furthest Everton have progressed in the competition, which has proven to be a substantial challenge for almost all of the Premier League academy sides since the Football League Trophy was rebranded with its current format in 2016-17. Over that time, Chelsea U21s have progressed the furthest, reaching the semi-finals in 2018. 

 

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Michael Kenrick
1 Posted 04/07/2023 at 16:42:43
With the on-and-off academy debate on again on a current thread, I thought the history of this competition to be highly significant – especially the perennial inability of any Premier League academy U21 side to prevail against all comers – nevermind even reaching the final – not once so far in 7 years!

That's 7 x 16 = 112 opportunities with zero success. But I suppose they are indeed outnumbered by the 48 League One and League Two sides, totalling 336. In today's parlance, that might be an xW (expected Winners) of 0.25 or 1 in 4 just on participation alone.

Which might lead me to conclude that the Premier League crème de la crème are somewhat underperforming when it comes to mounting an effective challenge against these wily seasoned professionals in League One and League Two, and they are indeed part of a broken system that is not fit for purpose.

James Flynn
2 Posted 05/07/2023 at 16:12:59
Michael, somewhere over those years, likely some U-21 sides under-performed.

Still, "challenge against these wily seasoned professionals in League One and League Two", pretty much explains it for me. I think any U-21 side taking the trophy is a major upset. Hope it our lads this time around.

My view of our U-21 set-up is that any player looking a prospect at 18-years old needs to go out on loan.
Not hanging around playing games against fellow children.

League 1, minor league that it is, still exposes our youngsters to the cut-throat nature of the pro game. There are grown men down there whose wages put a roof over the head and groceries on the table for family. Not to mention all the others still dream of moving up a league.

Clubs with their own rich traditions with demanding supporters and screaming supporters of opposing clubs. In front of crowds waaaaay beyond the empty training pitch games our lads play in U-21 ball.

The overall step up in athleticism and skill to adjust to. Having to fight your way into the first-11 rotation. And just the sheer grind of a 46-game schedule.

For me, that's what we should be doing with any prospect by the age of 18. Put pressure on them and see how they adjust to it.

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