It was promoted by a Premier League spokesman as a way to “help young, talented players progress physically and mentally on top of the technical aspect of their game”, but the English Football League’s attempt to revamp the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy looks set to have angered the fans of lower-league clubs, and alienated some of the Premier League clubs it was hoping would join it. All before a ball is kicked.

The competition was due to be expanded as a trial this season to include not just the 48 clubs from League One and League Two but 16 additional “invited clubs”, entering their academy teams. Fifteen of those clubs were to come from the Premier League, with Newcastle United filling the final slot.

But of the original list of clubs invited, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have declined the invitation. Question marks remain over the involvement of Liverpool because of concerns over the availability of Anfield, and Manchester United are also thought to be against taking part.

It is expected that the EFL will now invite Championship clubs with category one academies instead. But for lower-league fans, the fact that the EFL announced the changes without seeming to have the larger clubs fully on board will probably only increase the feeling that the changes were not fully thought through.

In addition to the “invited clubs”, the regionalised knockout format of the competition will have a group stage added to it, where games that finish in a draw will feature a penalty shootout, with the winners getting a bonus point.

The increase in the size of the competition lessens the chance of lower-league clubs getting a day out at Wembley. With 48 teams, you had a one in 24 chance of getting to the final. It is now one in 32, and that is before you consider the 16 invited clubs have, in theory, a much greater chance of getting to the final because of having bigger budgets than most lower-league clubs.

As Chris West, an AFC Wimbledon fan, points out: “I think that overall it’s a good thing to have a tournament just for lower-league teams, and providing them with a day out at Wembley and some much-needed income. Fifty-nine thousand at Wembley to watch Oxford vs Barnsley this year shows the popularity of the final. It may not be the biggest event in the calendar but for fans of teams who get to the semis and especially the final, attendances show that it matters. I look forward to the EFL defending their plan when 6,000 people are at Wembley watching Swansea reserves against Stoke reserves.”

It is the inclusion of Premier League development squads that is the main source of objection for lower-league fans. It was notable that the English Football League, in its tweets to promote the new format on Wednesday, avoided any reference to the Premier League, merely talking about “invited clubs”.

The EFL was at pains to avoid any mention of the Premier League on its graphic explaining the EFL Trophy format. Photograph: EFL

Many worry that this is the thin end of the wedge in bringing forward major changes to English football’s pyramid structure. Grimsby supporter Rich Mills says: “There is a place for B teams but not in the league pyramid. I know this is just the Trophy, and it’s just a trial, but we also know about the proposals to add another tier to the league and to restructure it, including the likely addition of some B teams. As soon as that happens then promotion/relegation looks suspect, and we’re a step closer to a Spanish or US model where the lower leagues don’t have a route up.”

It isn’t all doom and gloom. There are some pluses to the new format. The introduction of a group stage does guarantee every League One and League Two club at least three fixtures in the competition and the share of the gate receipts that entails. The “invited clubs”will also be putting some of their gate receipts into a central pot which will be distributed among the lower league clubs.

But one of the key attractions to fans of the new format – that you might get a mid-week trip to see your club play at Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge – is somewhat diminished if the bigger Premier Leagues sides decline to participate.

The rationale behind the changes is that they will help the development of young English players who don’t get exposed to enough competitive football. It is aimed at giving match time to those who haven’t gone out on loan from Premier League clubs but haven’t yet broken through into the first team, and so face a lack of competitive football at a crucial stage in their career.

Earlier in the week the EFL chief executive, Shaun Harvey, said: “The new format is intended to rejuvenate this competition and also assist the development of the very best young players in English football. This will help us deliver more and better homegrown players, which will deliver benefits to the national team and domestic league football at all levels.”

It doesn’t necessarily wash with the fans. Walsall supporter James Martin says: “The lower-league system we have in England is unique – nowhere in the world does the depth of support and passion run so far down the pyramid. Rather than protect and promote this, the authorities seem intent on disrupting and devaluing it for the sake of some vague notion of improving the national team.”

Campaigners against the changes will be closely monitoring how many young English players the “invited clubs” end up selecting for the games.

The Against League 3 campaign group says it has signed up 1,500 lower-league fans for a boycott of the competition. The campaign manager, James Cave, says: “There’s long been a desire from English footballing bodies to move towards a continental style of pyramid that includes B teams. We feel the EFL Trophy changes are more of a test to see how far it can be pushed. Our surveys show at least 75% of lower-league fans are against the measures. The EFL is correct when it says the Trophy needed rejuvenating but this is not going to be achievable without the support of the fanbase.”

Fans threatening to boycott midweek group stage matches over the inclusion of the invited clubs is one thing. Missing out on your club appearing at Wembley as part of a protest is something else entirely. Even Cave admits, if his team got to the final, he wouldn’t be able to stay away: “I’d be there – but I’d be outside sulking!”

Southampton, winners of the trophy as a League One club in 2010, are among the Premier League clubs who have been asked to enter an academy side under the new format. Photograph: Sean Dempsey/PA

Confirmed format details for the EFL Trophy

Clubs:

48 clubs from League One and League Two.



16 invited category one academy teams.

Eligibility criteria:

EFL clubs – a minimum of five ‘first-team’ players in the starting XI as defined under the competition’s existing rules.



Invited clubs – six of the starting XI to be under-21 (as at 30 June 2016).

Group stage:

16 groups of four teams organised on a regionalised basis.



Groups to include one invited club and at least one club from each of Leagues One and Two.



Clubs to play each other once, either home or away. Invited clubs will play one home game at the club’s first-team stadium.



Clubs will be awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. In the event of a drawn game (after 90 minutes), a penalty shootout will be held with the winning team earning an additional point.



The top two teams will progress to the knockout stage.

Knockout stage: