I've personally never particularly cared for the JPT but i'll be objective and way up both sides (Now called the EFL). There are both pros and cons for the new reform. Business wise theres a claim that it is far more beneficial in the long run. If Coventry for example drew a Premier League sides U21's, a bigger crowd would be attracted in comparison to previous seasons where home JPT games have been bringing in barely any fans. This is a significant reason why the tournament has been changed, due to the fact that the competition itself is completely stagnant and there are many clubs who would rather not take part because of the amount of games football league teams are entitled to play during a season. Teams more often than not will put out weakened sides throughout the tournament and I believe that these new reforms are an attempt to obviously increase the competitiveness along with making sure its taken more seriously. If a team wins the EFL the prize money is just shy of £2 million which obviously is huge for a lower league side therefore the incentive in attempting to win it is greater. However there are also cons. To put it simply the competition as a whole is much harder now U21 sides from the Premiership and Championship are now included therefore the chance to go to Wembley as well as winning the prize money have both been reduced respectively. Just because gates are small in the early rounds does not necessarily mean they don't increase as the competition goes on therefore there is a flaw in the argument that suggests tournament games brings in a small fan base. E.g. Coventry vs. Crewe Alexander in 2013 Semi-Final which bought in around 30,000 fans. There is no evidence to suggest that attendances will increase either. Huge clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have all opted out of taking part in the trial competition period this year therefore the lure of playing a prestigious clubs' U21 side has already been thrown out the window. In our current group we have West Ham who boast to having one of the best academies in the country however this does not make me think fans will be flooding in to the Ricoh or desperately trying to get themselves down to the Olympic Park, however time will tell. My view is that it could be better for the competition because before it was stagnant and in all honestly even though lower league teams have a chance getting to Wembley I considered it a waste of time as a whole. Our season is long enough and we don't need another competition to take part in. However these reforms do make my interest in the tournament greater due to the possibility of playing against Premier League Under 21 sides that could contain some of the stars of the future. Also the prize money is nothing to complain about if your team is lucky enough to win the tournament.
