PUBLISHED ON 1 JUNE, 2012
The 72 member clubs of the Football League have voted in favour of returning to more players on their substitute benches next season.
At a conference held on Thursday, the move to return to seven substitutes from five for the 2012-13 campaign was approved after proposals from Birmingham City and Derby County.
The conference is currently being held in Portugal with other issues believed to discussed including a potential reintroduction of artificial pitches into the English game and a debate on sporting behaviour.
The Football League followed a move by the Premier League in backing to have seven substitutes for all bosses to have at their disposal at the start of the 2010-11 season.
This was changed to five reserves last year in an effort to bring down spiralling costs, especially for the smaller sides in the lower reaches of the league pyramid.
The move backfired with many managers unimpressed about the lack of options they had if their team was struggling in a match. With the loan system allowed to borrow Premier League squad players outside the transfer window, the change made it a real struggle for academy players to make their mark at their parent clubs.
This means that seven substitutes will now be required in all Football League competitions next season, including the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and the newly named Capital One Cup, formerly known as the Carling Cup.
Comments
Post a Comment