New details emerge for Aston Villa, Wolves, Liverpool and Everton after controversial FA decision

Aston Villa and Wolves have discovered more about the new cup competition their Under-21's teams could play in.

The Non League Paper has provided more information on what the competition could look like for the stars of the future in the Midlands. It's a competition designed to help prepare young players for first team football.

According to the newspaper, matches will be played in the midweek, and is likely to begin in November. The competition will have 32 teams, with 16 from the Premier League and 16 from Step One, which is the fifth tier of English football.

The format is similar to the EFL Trophy style format with a group stage to begin before moving in to the knockouts. It will have four regional groups of eight and the group games will see National League teams play against the Premier League, which will give a total of four matches.

The top two from each qualifying will move in to the quarter-finals. All matches will be held at the grounds of National League clubs up until the final with a date and venue to be confirmed. Supporters unable to attend the games will be able to watch them on National League TV.

News of the competition comes as on the backdrop of the controversial decision by the FA to scrap third-round replays. Premier League clubs voiced their concerns over the congested fixture list following the expansion of the Champions League, and as a result replays were nixed, and that has left lower league clubs with less of a chance of a big money spinner.

Both Aston Villa and Wolves play in the Premier League 2, and are managed by Josep Gombau and Jamie Collins respectively. Earlier this month, both clubs discovered their EFL Trophy schedule.

Villa will come up against Fleetwood Town, Bolton Wanderers and Barrow in the group stages, meanwhile Wolves are facing Port Vale, Wrexham and Salford City. All matches are to be played on September 3, October 8 and November 12, but are subject to change.

Aston Villa's youngsters will be busy as they fight on various fronts across different competitions. They will compete in the 2024–25 UEFA Youth League because the senior side qualified for the UEFA Champion's League, meaning they will come up against some of the best academies in Europe.