Invited sides to remain in competition

The EFL have announced the continued involvement of 16 invited sides in the Checkatrade Trophy for the next two seasons.





League One and League Two clubs were recently asked to vote on three options to determine the competition’s future.





1. Retaining the current format with amendments

2. Reverting to a 48-team knockout competition

3. Abandoning the competition altogether





Following consultation with our fans, Portsmouth Football Club voted for option two – a return to the previous format of the tournament with no invited sides.





However, 66.6 per cent of League One and League Two clubs who voted selected option one.





Portsmouth Football Club are disappointed with this outcome, but respect the result of this democratic process.



