Wolves and West Brom to feature in Checkatrade Trophy next season
Wolves' and West Brom's Under 21 sides will be taking part in next season's Checkatrade Trophy, the English Football League has confirmed.
Wolves are one of 16 'B teams' invited from the Premier League and Championship to take part, with other clubs including West Bromwich Albion, Chelsea and Arsenal.
The Under 21 sides will compete alongside senior teams from League One and Two in the annual tournament.
It marks a return for Wolves having failed to make the cut last season.
In the year before, during the 2016/17 campaign, they went on a five-match run, resulting in several players being promoted into the senior squad.
These were Bright Enobakhare, Harry Burgoyne and Morgan Gibbs-White who impressed former manager Paul Lambert.
Wolves reached the last 16 after beating Sunderland 4-3 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw. Nicu Carnat struck the winning penalty.
The Checkatrade Trophy invites sixteen clubs with Category 1 academies to take part each year with their Under 21 sides.
EFL bosses believe the inclusion of Under 21 teams helps young players to gain experience of first-team football.
EFL Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey, said: “Feedback from all levels of the game is indicating that the competition is starting to reap the benefits that we all envisaged at the outset of the revamp and I’m confident the format will continue to prosper with increasing support from clubs and their fans.
“The Checkatrade Trophy will continue to provide young players, from invited teams and EFL clubs alike, with a unique opportunity to experience first-team football and I look forward to seeing the stars of 2018/19 emerge as the competition progresses.
“Last season, we had the success of Lincoln City, who stated from the outset that the Checkatrade Trophy is a competition that they wanted to win. I was delighted for the club’s fans when they made it to Wembley for the first time in their history. Of equal significance will have been the financial return the club achieved from the competition, of over £500,000.
“The 48 EFL clubs from League One and Two all received a financial boost from the 2017/18 competition and I am confident the increasing profile, as evidenced once again by the inclusion of yet another of English football’s biggest names, will help to encourage more fans to get behind their team in this unique competition format.”
The other invited teams are: Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton, Fulham, Leicester City, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Southampton, Stoke City, Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
