The EFL have today launched EFL Futures, a financial incentive scheme aiming to reward clubs who include young English talent in their starting line-ups, less than a month after fining 12 EFL clubs £60,000 – for including young English talent in their starting line-ups.
As was announced earlier in the campaign, £750,000 per season is being made available for the next three years to encourage clubs to play homegrown talent under the age of 21 in their matchday XI.
The EFL claim projections for the 2016/17 season will offer a windfall of £600,000 to League One and Two clubs, a whopping £12,500 per club, with the remaining £150,000 to share between the 24 Championship sides.
This is the same EFL that are fining Luton Town £15,000 for fielding young, English talent in their cesspit of a competition, the Checkatrade Trophy, which is more than that same club would actually receive from the EFL Futures kitty.
Against League 3 summed up the whole thing quite nicely:
And the real winner from “EFL Futures” is….. pic.twitter.com/mpzk9oCleh
— Against League 3 (@AgainstLeague3) December 8, 2016
Hilariously, Shaun Harvey, chief executive of the EFL and he of Michael Gove face, actually said the following words:
[quote]”The EFL has a very strong and proud tradition of supporting the development of young English talent. However, we want to ensure that the EFL continues to have a positive impact on a future generation of English players and I strongly believe that EFL Futures can deliver much-needed long-term change.”[/quote]
Supporting the development of young English talent by fining every club that dares to play young English talent in your self-serving joke trophy? GOOD ONE, SHAUN.
If you can bear it, read the EFL Futures launch statement here.
The EFL are fast becoming football’s equivalent of Baldrick: cunning plan upon cunning plan, none of which is as cunning as a fox who’s just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University, but actually rather rubbish.
