"I'm all for it" - Birmingham City view given as EFL plot major play-offs change | OneFootball

The English Football League are considering a big change to the Championship play-off format

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

The EFL recently proposed a change to the play-off system in the Championship.

According to The Athletic, a proposal has been suggested that would see an eliminator round introduced into the current format, incorporating seventh and eighth place into the system.

It has been claimed that the concept has broad support within the Championship, with a majority of clubs keen to see more sides given the chance to fight for promotion to the top-flight.

The new format could be compared to the one currently in place in the National League, with eighth playing fifth and seventh facing sixth in an eliminator round.

The winners would then compete against the sides that finished third and fourth in the table in a traditional play-off system.

Preston North End CEO Peter Ridsdale is believed to be the force behind the idea, with the EFL considering also making changes to the League One and League Two formats. However, the Championship currently holds priority.

Any change will require the approval of the FA Board, with the Premier League believed to be against the idea.

The earliest new rules can be implemented is next season, with several board members in the second-tier understood to be in favour of the new format.

Amid this proposition, Football League World’s Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, believes that making a change to the play-off format would be exciting for the clubs that don’t traditionally challenge for promotion.

EFL backed to make changes to play-off format

“The play-offs are more than fine the way they are,” stated Jason. “But I just think it adds a little bit more and it makes the league a little bit more competitive.

“The way the league is set up currently, especially with your parachute payment clubs, you normally get the top four that are away from everybody, especially looking at last season. There were the top three, then you had Sunderland on their own, then you had the rest.

“I don't think it does any harm; it just gives people an extra opportunity. If whoever finished 7th or 8th were to win the play-offs, they're going to have to properly work for it, beat each other, then they've got to beat the play-offs, then they've got to win the final.

“I'm all for it. I think it's a good little thing to add. I'd be curious to see if one of those teams were to win the play-offs and then go up into the Premier League, how they'd perform.

“That gap might be absolutely massive, but I'm all for it. At the end of the day, football is a sporting competition and if we've not got competition, goals and objectives to aim for, what's the point? Oh, finish mid-table, that's fun.

“No, I'm all for it. I think it should 100% come in and I think it should be the case for every single league.”

Changes to the play-offs would add more drama but could reduce the spectacle

On the surface, a play-off format that gives more teams the chance to compete sounds exciting and would add an extra element of competitiveness across 46 Championship games.

There would be two more teams battling for promotion to the Premier League and it could see even more of the drama that play-off football regularly produces.

However, the EFL must be careful not to damage the integrity of the play-offs as a whole.

Some teams battle all season, for multiple campaigns, with the sole aim of sneaking into the play-offs.

If that goal is made much easier to achieve, it could reduce how massive an achievement it is for clubs when they finish in the top six.

Time will tell what the Football League decide to do with the play-off format, but they must consider the consequences of their choice thoroughly.