Arsenal among Premier League clubs absent from EFL Trophy groups draw

Barnsley celebrate winning last season’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final. The competition is now known as the EFL Trophy and includes Category One academy sides. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Reuters


A number of leading Premier League clubs were missing from the EFL Trophy group-stage draw on Wednesday after rejecting invitations from the Football League to include their academy sides in the revamped competition.


Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham all opted against taking part, but the inclusion of Leicester and Chelsea will be considered a boost by the Football League.


It was announced in June that, in an attempt to refresh the competition formerly known as the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, 16 Category One academy teams would be invited to join the 48 sides from League One and League Two. But a number of teams initially invited passed up the chance to be involved, with fixture clashes and the number of games already played by academy sides among the reasons believed to have been given for the rejections.


Recently-relegated Newcastle United joined 15 Premier League sides in being invited but also declined the chance to be involved, with the Football League extending the invitation to other Category One academies in order of where the first team finished in the league standings last season.


The five teams who decided not to enter therefore saw their offers given instead to Norwich, Aston Villa, Brighton, Derby and Wolves and, with Villa deciding against taking part. Reading were also welcomed.


The reformatted tournament will see 64 teams split into 16 groups of four, on a north/south regional basis, each containing an invited club and they will play each other once, with the invited club playing one game at home.


The draw, made to little fanfare on Twitter, saw Chelsea grouped with Swindon, Exeter, Oxford. Leicester will face Sheffield United, Walsall and Football League newcomers Grimsby while Everton meet Bolton, Cheltenham and Blackpool.


One of Coventry, Wycombe or Northampton will get an early look at West Ham’s new Olympic Stadium home, or London Stadium as it will be known.


Swansea landed an all-Welsh tie with Newport as well as games against AFC Wimbledon and Plymouth while Southampton take on Charlton, Colchester and Crawley.


Stoke were grouped with Bradford, Morecambe and Bury, West Brom face Luton, Millwall and Gillingham and Middlesbrough will meet Scunthorpe, Cambridge and Shrewsbury.


Teams will earn three points for a win and a point for a draw, but if the scores are tied after 90 minutes an extra point will go to the winner of a penalty shootout.


The group stages will start in the last week of August with the top two from each group proceeding to a regional knockout round of 32, with the rounds of 16, eight and four being free draws. These will all be single ties and will be settled by penalties after 90 minutes, although that may change for the semi-final and Wembley final, which will take place on 2 April.


EFL Trophy groups


Northern section


Group A Everton, Bolton, Cheltenham, Blackpool


Group B Wolves, Chesterfield, Crewe, Accrington


Group C Stoke, Bradford, Morecambe, Bury


Group D Blackburn, Fleetwood, Carlisle, Oldham


Group E Derby, Port Vale, Doncaster, Mansfield


Group F Sunderland, Hartlepool, Rochdale, Notts County


Group G Middlesbrough, Scunthorpe, Cambridge, Shrewsbury


Group H Leicester, Sheffield United, Grimsby, Walsall


Southern Section


Group A Reading, Bristol Rovers, Portsmouth, Yeovil


Group B Swansea, AFC Wimbledon, Newport, Plymouth


Group C Chelsea, Swindon, Exeter, Oxford


Group D West Ham, Coventry, Wycombe, Northampton


Group E Southampton, Charlton, Cochester, Crawley


Group F Norwich, Peterborough, Barnet, MK Dons


Group G Brighton, Southend, Stevenage, Leyton Orient


Group H West Brom, Luton, Millwall, Gillingham