EFL clubs to vote on six-team Championship play-offs | OneFootball

EFL clubs are set to vote on expanding the Championship play-offs to six teams at an extraordinary general meeting on 5 March.

The ballot follows a lengthy consultation with clubs, the EFL and the Football Association, and has required FA Board approval. A simple majority is needed, meaning 13 Championship sides and 37 clubs overall must back the change, unlike the Premier League’s two thirds threshold.

As reported by The Athletic in September, the proposal would add an eliminator round, taking the field to six. Fifth would host eighth and sixth would host seventh in one-off ties, with the winners meeting third and fourth over two legs before a Wembley final for promotion.

The plan aims to cut late-season dead rubbers, add two high-profile fixtures and give more teams a promotion chance. Preston North End chief executive Peter Ridsdale presented the concept to Championship executives in September and it initially drew broad support.

Play-offs were first introduced to the EFL in 1987, and previous attempts to expand them have failed. Former Crystal Palace and Bristol City chief executive Phil Alexander, now interim National League CEO, proposed such changes several times, first in 2003.

Source: NY Times