What we think about the Subway League Cup’s structural shake-up

I’m sure we can all agree that the Subway League Cup could do with a revamp in some capacity, right?

Since the start of the cup competition back in 2011, there has only ever been three different teams to lift the trophy – Arsenal, the inaugural winner, Chelsea, the current holders, and Manchester City, the four-time champs.

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In recent weeks, a brand-new format for the tournament has been discussed and put forward, however, of course it’s not come without its controversy.

Proposed by WSL Football, the new style would see the group stage scrapped, looking to move towards the ‘Swiss model’ – the format introduced in the Champions League.

However, whilst the new model would be a welcomed change, the proposal also suggested there could be a major shake-up in order to benefit the ‘smaller clubs’.

The proposition put forward recommends that the top teams, who qualify for the Champions League, face exclusion from the league cup.

Is this really a good idea?...

By excluding the UWCL teams, young and fringe players are the ones to suffer the most. A league-phase format would promote and almost force the ‘bigger teams’ to utilise their academy systems which, additionally, would provide a more competitive nature by allowing the WSL 2 sides to compete with those at the top.

By removing the top teams, whilst it would benefit their schedules, would only be a big step backwards. How can we have a ‘league’ cup tournament without all the teams?

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Excluding those teams could also see the cup lose its credibility as it doesn’t provide the opportunities for real ‘cupsets’ and ‘underdog’ storylines.

Additionally, with the figures and attendances relatively low, by removing the highly watched and supported teams it would only decrease the numbers further.

Take Arsenal - one of the biggest and most supported teams in women’s football. By excluding them will only hurt the viewing figures and attendances. Now, add Chelsea, Manchester United or City to that too.

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By moving to the proposed Swiss model, it would start every WSL and WSL 2 team on the same platform, like it should!

This model does serve those great storylines as we’ve seen this season in the UWCL; Belgian side Oud-Heverlee Leuven defied all odds to beat FC Twente with a 95^th minute winner.  

The drama that would certainly benefit the Subway League Cup.

However, removing the top clubs could come with their own benefits in the long term. A topic for debate that has widely be talked about in recent time is the over scheduling within women's football.

With the ACL epidemic at an all time high and plenty of big stars currently out on the sidelines due to being overplayed, a break in their schedules would be welcomed.

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Having to juggle the WSL, Champions League, FA Cup and then League Cup would for sure only enhance the rate of injuries, so missing out on this cup may not be all bad.

There really isn’t much of a debate around the fact a change is certainly needed surrounding the inclusion of UWCL teams, as currently, the cup heavily favours them.

The current format sees those who qualify for the UWCL avoid the group stage and instead enter in at the quarter final stage, meaning they’d have to play just three games in order to win the title, yet the ‘smaller sides’ would have to play six.

In recent seasons we’ve seen teams such as Durham fight and earn their spot in the quarter final round through beating top tier sides but then suffer defeat to a side who play their first minutes in the tournament.

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Seems… harsh, right?

On just five occasions, there has been four different teams in the final, but not without, of course, either Arsenal, Chelsea or City.

The first ever league cup final saw Birmingham City face Arsenal, whilst Lincoln, Notts County, and Bristol City also made it to the finals, all failing to beat the big three.

With the cup heavily weighted in favour of the UWCL-qualified sides, a change is therefore essential in order to keep the fun, entertainment, and magic of the cup alive.

Implementing the Swiss model is a positive step forward, creating a more even playing field from the very start, but excluding the top teams, well, probably isn’t the way to go.

Our preference... try the swiss model including the