FA commission suggests a new tier for Premier League 'B' teams

FA commission: New four point plan to boost England football

The creation of a new tier within the Football League to accommodate Premier League B teams is at the heart of the Football Association commission's four-point plan to boost English football.

The review also calls for a ban on non-EU players outside of the top flight and a reduction in non-home-grown players in Premier League squads.

It also wants to develop "strategic loan partnerships" between clubs.

The suggestions come as a response to a lack of available English talent.

In the 2012-13 Premier League season, only 32% of starters qualified to play for England, compared to 69% 20 years ago. The figure was 28% among the top four clubs that season.

The exhaustive review by the commission, headed up by FA chairman Greg Dyke, aims to restore the amount of English players within the Premier League to 45% by 2022.

"I welcome the proposals," said national team manager Roy Hodgson. "Having worked at all levels of football, and across different countries and cultures, I have some reference points about what needs to be done in England.

"But I am just one voice of many who have contributed to this important study and I hope the debate that has been provoked can lead to some real developments in our game."

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: "A B team would be the youth development squad of a Premier League club, fully integrated, they would share its name and be part of that club. Across most of Europe B teams provide an effective bridge between the Academy and the first team.

"It should be noted that as a result of B teams, Spanish teams have two and a half times more 18-21 year-olds playing competitive football than their English counterparts. Many of our top clubs have told us that opportunities for 18-21 year-olds are inadequate."

The four key recommendations:
1. Premier League B teams - possibly within a new League Three.

2. Strategic loan partnerships between Premier League, Championship and lower league teams.

3. Reduction in non-home-grown players in a Premier League squad from 17 to 12, over five years.

4. No non-EU visas issued to players for clubs outside the Premier League.

Thoughts?

This seems to be something that many have called for, with some pointing out the current level of competition in the Reserve and Academy seasons is too low, but how exactly will it be implemented, and will it benefit just the Premier League teams to the detriment of smaller clubs, or will it be for the good of everyone?

Apparently we as a club are definitely in favour of it. We were actually mentioned in the outlaying of the proposal.

Awful idea for anyone who isn't a top PL team. A lot at LFC fans may support it, but please think of all the other clubs in our football league pyramid who will suffer from the extra competition for attendances and league places. It is a bad idea that is getting almost universal condemnation.

The problem with home grown talent starts at grassroots and needs bottom-up investment and reform, not top-down. Spain isn't producing so many good young players because it has B Teams. It's producing talent because it has so many more artificial pitches, completely different youth leagues with small squads, so many more coaches that are trained better. To become a top UEFA A Badge coach with the Spanish FA would cost around £450. In England with our FA it costs £2500.

Those are the issues that need addressing. The B league will change nothing. Germany is looking to rid itself of it's B Teams from it's league system. That says it all for me.