A proposed FA Cup rule change is absolutely bad news for Wrexham, and all clubs in lower-league football really.
Yesterday, new information was revealed regarding the FA Cup, which looks like bad news for absolutely everyone. That is unless you’re a Premier League club.
According to the Daily Mail – FA Cup replays could be scrapped, the early rounds moved to midweeks and the final staged on an ordinary Premier League weekend from the 2024-25 season in the biggest shake-up in the competition’s 152-year history.
This is really poor from the FA and by no way encapsulates the spirit of what the FA Cup is about…
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The FA plan to ‘shake-up’ the FA Cup
Here are the proposed changes the FAC may want to introduce in 2024.
- The abolition of FA Cup replays.
- The prospect of early rounds of the competition being played midweek.
- The end of a stand-alone weekend for the FA Cup final at the end of the season, with the showpiece occasion being brought forward to clash with a regular weekend of Premier League fixtures every year.
- The FA Cup final will likely be held on the penultimate Saturday of the season, with a full Premier League schedule taking place on Sunday
- A 10-year deal to sell foreign TV rights for all overseas markets, and the possibility of subsequently selling the domestic rights, which are currently held by BBC and ITV.
- An increased offer payment from the Premier League to the FA to fund grassroots football.
Shameless really. It completely benefits the likes of Premier League clubs who will no doubt have congested fixtures, but replays provide so much-needed revenue for smaller clubs.
Putting early rounds midweek also messes with fans. They will have to travel on work nights to ridiculous laces, having to travel back the very same night. It’s ludicrous – but not surprising.
Last year Wrexham’s fantastic cup run made sure they made a bucket load of money. This sadly may not be the case at the beginning of the 24/25 season.