FA Cup replays have been scrapped from round one onwards from next season.

A new six-year agreement between the Premier League and FA will see replays now not be played in the competition proper having been scrapped from the fifth round in the 2017/18 season.

The FA Cup qualifying rounds in which teams from the fifth to the 10th tiers take part will continue to have replays.

The move will be controversial as a break with tradition and with replays lucrative to smaller clubs, although some Town fans may welcome no longer having to make midweek trips to the likes of Barrow and Oldham as has been the case in recent years.

The new arrangement will also see all rounds of the tournament played at weekends exclusive of Premier League fixtures, fifth round games having been scheduled for midweek for the last five years. The fourth round will have an extended window from Friday to Wednesday in which FA Cup ties will be played on consecutive days.

The FA Cup final will now be moved to the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season with no top-flight matches that day or on the Friday before in order “to allow focus on the build-up to the showpiece event”.

The Premier League will increase its funding to grassroots football by £33 million.

“The FA Cup is our biggest asset,” FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said. “This new agreement between the FA and the Premier League strengthens the FA Cup and gives this very special tournament exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar.

“We have also agreed new funding for the grassroots game, disability football and the women's and girls' game.

“All football begins at the grassroots, and this is recognised by the Premier League with very welcome additional financial support.”

Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, added: “The Premier League is proud of the investment it provides to all levels of the game and this new agreement with the FA will see us enhance our support into grassroots football.

“This will improve facilities for communities and lower league clubs across the country, through the Football Foundation and Premier League Stadium Fund.

“Throughout our discussions, both parties have been committed to enhancing the scheduling of the Emirates FA Cup, a hugely important domestic competition with a storied history.

“The FA and the Premier League have worked in partnership to deliver more exclusive weekends without compromising the excitement of knockout football and this has been achieved at the same time as allowing us to ease fixture congestion generally.”

The Premier League has also scrapped its mid-season break to allow the season to start in mid-August, allowing players to get a consecutive three-week break in the summer, following expert advice from medical and technical departments.

Photo: Action Images

mathiemagic added 13:39 - Apr 18 About time too. You can also scrap playing the semi-finals of competitions at Wembley please as it devalues the final as Wembley is the prize, not the prize for getting to the semi-finals.
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Europablue added 13:41 - Apr 18 It's sad that they can't get rid of a few Champions League games or make that a knock out cup only if it is necessary to ease fixture congestion. There should be a deal in there to give the lower league clubs a bigger share of the revenue if they draw after 90 minutes.
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benfromkent added 13:43 - Apr 18 Agree with you mathiemagic, was going to say exactly the same about the Semi's, I hate the fact they play them at Wembley and maybe this should have been included in the rework they've announced.
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carsey added 14:03 - Apr 18 A sad day in my view and another devaluation of one of the oldest knockout competitions in the world. This will only benefit the big Premier League clubs who constantly whine on about too many games etc and having to rest players. For those saying the semis shouldn't be played at Wembley I agree with you but that will never be the case now because the FA need to use the stadium to make money an justify the massive cost of building it.

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VanDusen added 14:09 - Apr 18 And once again - the rich get richer and the chances of, say, Maidstone this season getting a lucrative replay at an Old Trafford goes out the window so these megaliths don't have to play an extra game they'd put their youth team out in anyway. The sooner the armchair fans and the money men just disappear off with their brands to their Euro Super League closed shop and let the rest of us get on with in-person football the better.

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BlueNomad added 15:17 - Apr 18 Saves the poor little legs of players at the biggest clubs to the detriment of the smaller ones. Football is beginning to stink - apart from at our club obviously.
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chrice added 16:13 - Apr 18 We should adopt the French model. In the early rounds the team in the lowest division always plays at home and then when the bigger clubs enter the lower-ranked team gets to choose if they play the game home or away.
5

Westy added 16:46 - Apr 18 A shame that replays have been done away with. Lessens the likelihood of a small team playing at a big stadium and vice versa. Absolutely the semi-finals should be moved away from Wembley - totally detracts from the final - there are plenty of large capacity stadiams out there including the Principality Stadium in Cardiff that hosted the final when Wembley was being rebuilt. A pity the EFL can't do away with the Play-offs that are totally unfair.

5

SickParrot added 17:14 - Apr 18 I have mixed feelings about this. The cup loses some of its magic if a little club who draws with a much bigger club then loses on penalties and misses out on a replay at their little ground, or a visit to a big and/or historic ground. However I understand the desire to reduce the number of domestic midweek games, especially for Premier League clubs who qualify for European competitions. On balance for the benefit of English clubs in European competitions, the national team and players welfare, I think no cup replays is the best way forward.

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Bluedocker added 17:23 - Apr 18 FA and premier league corrupt... only care about 6 teams the soul is being ripped out of English football...
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Karlosfandangal added 18:09 - Apr 18 Carsey Did the Champions league not once called the European Cup and each leg was home and away and you were knocked out on an aggregate score. However the greed of the prem made it a league so playing more games. The size of the Prem squads they should be able to field teams with enough quality to be able to cope…..funny how teams in the lower leagues have to play 46 games to their 38 with small squad don’t complain.

6

Mark added 18:51 - Apr 18 Money continues to ruin football. They just want people sitting in front of their TVs watching the big teams constantly play each other, with fans paying big money for TV contracts around the world as they bombard us with more and more advertising.
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Baino added 19:05 - Apr 18 I get the disillusion about this from some, particularly the smaller teams. However, you're assuming that the smaller clubs haven't got what it takes to give bigger sides a game, and I feel this system could work both ways. Say a side from L2 take on a Championship or PL side at home, it's 1-1 after 90 mins, they do lose the chance of the replay at the so called bigger sides ground but equally they may hold on in extra time and pens are a lottery. They may end up knocking out the bigger side and drawing an even bigger side away from home, when in a high percentage of games they would ordinarily have been beaten in the replay, not always of course and the PL are funding an extra £33m to the lower league game. It would probably work out much as such financially for them but the prestige of reaching the next round and potentially TV money too and maybe even getting further in the competition than they have before. Also, I feel so called both teams will field stronger sides as with no second chances with no replays it's winner takes all. That means we'll have some humdingers of games! The £33m

1

Baino added 19:07 - Apr 18 *that should have read Also, I feel both side will field strong sides
0

BlueWax added 20:36 - Apr 18 Agree with the majority on here regarding the smaller clubs. Having dreamt all season about the Town winning back to back promotions and getting to the promised land BUT then last Saturday standing outside PR before the match and hearing the cheers from hundreds of fans at the result from Elland Rd, I felt a bit flat. Not that for one moment would i want the players and management team along with the blue army to miss out after the excellent season, I just feel we may miss this amazing championship league...any team can beat any other! Granted, we get mucked about with sky tv scheduling ( the price you pay for success) but many Sunday matches along with the dreaded VAR part fills me with dread as we have had such a blast this season. How many of our fantastic players could actually make yet another step up ? KMCK has kept faith with the nucleus of the squad from League one, they have been amazing but i guess the chequebook would have to be waved for Prem survival.

4

BuckieBlue added 20:48 - Apr 18 If replays are going to be scrapped to help PL sides, why from Round 1 and not Round 3 when they enter? Heard Chairman of Cray Valley on radio earlier saying how much his club's replay v Charlton had meant to them this season (on TV? I can't remember). I checked- that was in Round 1. Why deprive smaller clubs of a chance, such as that, v a League One club?
4

Jugsy added 21:11 - Apr 18 Listening to an old episode of Quickly Kevin about Exeter City and how the FA Cup replay against Man Utd financial saved the club, about to go bust. Anyone who thinks cutting replays from the FA Cup helps football has been brainwashed by the Premier League. It will help kill the game and only make the elite more so. Stupid idea.
4

bobble added 22:21 - Apr 18 they should scrap the elitist premier league.....it hasnt helped british football looking at all the teams knocked out of euro comps the last few days...and it punishes the other divisions for not being filthy rich....money is destroying football like it is destroying society /the environment/education/health, there is no reason why money should be allowed to do this for the benefit of a few wealthy elites except warped ideology and corrupt political parties..

3

trncbluearmy added 07:17 - Apr 19 No need to repeat the reasons all well made above a sad day for football
3

MickMillsTash added 07:58 - Apr 19 The West Ham replays, Liverpool away and Gavin Johnson scoring in front of the away end - Highlights of watching Ipswich for me. Given the performance of our 'top' teams in Europe this week maybe the decision will be reversed once there are only 2 Champions league places available for Micky mouse leagues
2

trncbluearmy added 08:13 - Apr 19 and the Leeds replays,what a night at Leicester
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pazzy added 08:51 - Apr 19 this stinks not fair on small clubs who draw at home and miss a game at old trafford once in a lifetime all about the rich again
7

Gazelle added 12:13 - Apr 19 It’s penalties that should be scrapped, they’re so cruel on one player.
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Cheshire_Blue added 12:55 - Apr 19 Has been a Mickey Mouse competition for some time now. You only have to look at the teams the top Premier League Clubs put out to see how seriously they take it.
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chepstowblue added 14:05 - Apr 19 A soulless decision made by soulless people which will be approved by yet more soulless people. One more dagger in the heart of a wonderful tournament, purely to allow the elite few to play more games in the ultimate Mickey Mouse competition. The laughingly named 'Champions league'. Those of you accepting this decision should **** off, and never sing about 78 ever again.

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