Leicester City To Participate In 2017/18 Checkatrade Trophy

- Leicester City's Development Squad will take part in the 2017/18 Checkatrade Trophy
- City are one of 16 clubs invited to enter an Under-21s squad into the EFL competition
- Last season, the Foxes reached the first knockout stage under coach Steve Beaglehole
- The group stage draw will be made early in July and feature a host of format changes

Leicester City will once again participate in the Checkatrade Trophy during the 2017/18 season, providing the Club’s youngest stars with an opportunity to test their skills against Football League opposition.

Last term, the Foxes, managed by Development Squad coach Steve Beaglehole, reached the first knockout round of the competition after a successful group stage campaign which included a 1-0 victory over Sky Bet League 2 outfit Grimsby Town at Blundell Park in October, 2016.

City are one of 16 clubs to have been invited to enter an Under-21s squad into the Checkatrade Trophy this year. Included among the new sides participating are; Fulham, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

Format amendments, detailed below, have also been made to provide flexibility in team selection for League 1 and League 2 clubs.

EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey said: “I was delighted when EFL clubs collectively backed the competition following a full and comprehensive review of last season’s pilot format and we can see from the increasing interest from Category One Academies that the Checkatrade Trophy has genuine appeal.

“The competition provides a unique challenge to young players and seasoned professionals alike. I strongly believe players from League 1 and League 2 clubs will look forward to taking on some of the country’s brightest prospects, who will themselves learn a lot from participating in a first team competition.

“I want to thank EFL clubs and the Category One Academies for their support. I believe the balance of the competition should benefit all sides and will make for some intriguing matches when the group stages get under way in August.”

Format changes

- EFL team selection criteria amended to allow increased flexibility for League 1 and League 2 clubs
- Each group will continue to contain one invited Under-21 team with the remainder made up of EFL clubs from either League 1 or League 2
- Groups will be formed to minimise overall travel time for EFL clubs and fans
- Invited Under-21 teams will play their group games away from home
- Regionalisation until the Quarter-Final stage (improved from Round Two in 2016/17) to minimise overall travel time for clubs and fans
- Flexibility of fixture dates to allow teams to schedule games outside of international weeks

Key dates

- Group stage fixtures draw in July; the three EFL teams in each group will be selected to minimise travel requirements for EFL supporters on Friday 7 July
- The 16 invited teams will then be drawn on Wednesday 12 July
- First group stage matches are currently scheduled to take place w/c 28th August