A new competition is about to see the light of day: the Espoirs League. Faced for several years with a reduction in playing time for young professionals (pro matches on Sundays, longer benches) and the reform of the Championships (most reserves now play in N3), French trainers have launched the idea of a new format.
16 clubs, 6 matches, then semi-finals and a final
Concretely, 16 clubs (Toulouse, Monaco, Saint-Etienne, Nantes, Montpellier, Strasbourg, PSG, Paris FC, Ajaccio, Auxerre, Nice, Bordeaux, Rennes, Caen, Le Havre and OM) will be involved, on six dates, in addition to the semi-finals and the final, starting in October. The format remains to be worked on but the matches will last 1h30, without extra time (directly penalty shootouts), with the aim of giving maximum playing time to the youngsters. The matches would take place on Monday at 2:30 p.m., with the possibility of making arrangements if necessary, on grass pitches and without an audience for logistical reasons. Only the last four and the final will be played in front of spectators.
“Some of our best potential players no longer had the opportunity to play on weekends”
This competition is similar in concept to the one set up in Portugal, with young people aged 18 to 20, and the possibility of having 4 professionals over 23 play. A similar model also exists in England, but the average age is more around 18. “Some of our best potential players no longer had the opportunity to play at the weekend,” underlines Hubert Fournier, the DTN. “We had a lot of discussions with the directors of the training centres and this subject had been going on for several years.”
This new competition does not mean, moreover, that the reserves will withdraw from the Amateur Championships. The system is complementary. “We are starting with six matches for the moment and we will listen to the directors of the training centers to see if they want more”, assures Fournier, knowing that the calendar of the pros, especially for the clubs qualified for the European Cup, does not allow for many dates to be freed up. Fournier explains, finally, that this result is the fruit of cooperation between the League and the FFF.
