FA confirm major change that will impact Sunderland, Leeds United & Championship rivals next season
The FA have made a significant change to the FA Cup that will inevitably impact Sunderland going forward.
A major and historic change has been confirmed for the 2024/25 season. Sunderland will no longer compete in FA Cup replays in the event of a draw in the famous old competition.
The FA have confirmed that the once-treasured replay system is being scrapped from next season, with the governing body believing the change will ‘strengthen’ the competition. The change is likely to face backlash from lower league clubs, given replays were a way for smaller clubs to generate revenues.
Clubs split gate receipts for FA Cup fixtures, and it has always been a big grab for a smaller club to secure either an away draw or a replay against clubs with high capacity stadiums. The replay part of that scenario will not be taken off the table, removing potential revenue from those smaller clubs, but there is a caveat.
The Premier League has agreed to provide further funding to the football pyramid in exchange, with an additional £33million pledged in funding for grassroots football.
The change likely comes as a result of regular complaints from top clubs over recent years over the demanding schedules they face across multiple competitions. Such complaints had already led to replays from the fifth round onwards being scrapped over the covid period.
Among the other changes, all rounds will now be played on weekends, as was once the case, while rounds four and five plus the quarter-finals will be played on weekends where there is no Premier League football, likely increasing audience figures. The final will also be played on a weekend with no Premier League football, and the showpiece will be played on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, meaning teams will get a break before their final game of the season. It’s worth noting that replays have been scrapped from the first round proper onwards, meaning they will still be a part of the preliminary phases.
