Premier League for Community Shield shake-up

Article posted by Coliseum, November 1^st, 2022

Image: MJR Group Ltd./Coliseum

Premier League (UK) clubs are pushing for a change to the Community Shield as part of the English top-flight’s ‘New Deal for Football’ plans. Different alternative ideas have been put forward to shake up the historic match that usually marks the start of the new football season.

‘Express’ stated that the Community Shield, which involved the previous campaign’s Premier League champions facing the Football Association (FA) Cup winners, has been contested since 1908. But it could be chalked off the football calendar as part of planned changes from the 2024-2025 seasons.

London (UK)-based Premier League is the highest level of the men’s English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League (EFL). Seasons typically run from August to May with each team playing 38 matches.

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London (UK)-based The Football Association (FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in its territory.

The Football Association Community Shield is English football’s annual match contested at the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium in Wembley, England (UK) between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier League champions also win the FA Cup, then the league runners-up provide the opposition.

The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men’s domestic English football. First played during the 1871-1872 seasons, it is the oldest national football competition in the world. It is organized by and named after The Football Association.

‘Express’ further stated that some Premier League clubs want to remove the Community Shield as the traditional curtain-raiser. Some believe it disrupts final preparations for the season and lucrative overseas tours, which the league’s giants use to boost finances and increase global reach.

Proposals for the Community Shield match have included moving it overseas – such as to the United States or China – or scrapping it altogether in favor of a Premier League All-Stars match. And a group of clubs want the fixture, in whatever form, to be played as part of the competition’s opening weekend or midway through the season.

The Premier League club Chelsea F.C. owner Todd Boehly has openly endorsed an All-Stars clash, leading many to believe the ‘Blues’ are the driving force behind that idea. It would involve each Premier League club providing a maximum of two players to battle against the biggest stars of Europe’s top leagues.

The FA organized the Community Shield to raise money for charities and grassroots projects and will ultimately have the final say in any drastic changes to the match. The governing body will generally have a significant role in the ‘New Deal for Football’ plans, which also look to scrap third-round and fourth-round FA Cup replays.

Manchester United F.C. is the most successful team in Community Shield history, lifting the silverware 21 times. Arsenal F.C. and Liverpool F.C. trail with 16 triumphs, followed by Everton F.C. on nine, Tottenham Hotspur F.C. on seven and Manchester City F.C. on six. Liverpool is the reigning champions after their 3-1 win over Man City at the 32,312-capacity King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, in July.

Changes to the Community Shield would likely prompt a mixed response from fans, particularly traditionalists. But the game is constantly evolving, and it doesn’t seem like the match is in many clubs’ future thoughts as the ‘New Deal for Football’ plans slowly take shape.

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