The Premier League have launched their own second division in a bid to give young players a leg-up to first-team football.
Premier League 2 will replace the Under 21 Premier League this season, with the age cap raised to 23 and a focus on establishing a competition for youngsters to stand in its own right.
Top clubs will host at least three games a season at the main stadiums, while matches are being pushed away from training grounds in a bid to get supporters in to watch the emerging generation of talent.
Teams - split across two 12-club divisions that carry over from the Under 21 league - can field three over-aged stars, in addition to an over-23 goalkeeper.
Two teams will be relegated from Division 1 each season, with two promoted - one by finishing first and one decided by a four-team play-off system.
There are also opportunities to compete in the Premier League Cup, an expanded Premier League International Cup and, for the first time, the EFL Trophy.
PREMIER LEAGUE 2 FORMAT (NEW FOR 2016/17) EXPLAINED
All players born after 1 January 1993 for the 2016/17 season are eligible to play, and the format stays as follows:
- There are 12 teams in Division 1 and 12 in Division 2, with every club playing each other once at home and once away
- In Division 1, the team who finish first are champions
- The bottom two teams in Division 1 get relegated to Division 2
- In Division 2, the league winners get automatic promotion to Division 1
- Teams ranked second, third, fourth and fifth go into a promotion play-off
- Second plays fifth place at home and third hosts fourth in the semi-finals, both at the club’s main stadium, while the final takes place at the home ground of the team who finished highest in the league
- All play-off matches are one-off ties, decided by extra-time and then penalties if the match is level after 120 minutes
- There is no relegation from Division 2
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