Shrewsbury Town Football Club objects in the strongest terms possible the decision made by The FA and the Premier League to scrap FA Cup replays.
It is our understanding this decision was taken without consultation with the Football League, National League or grassroots clubs as a whole.
We are also disappointed that, as a club, we were only first made aware of these changes via yesterday's public statement.
FA Cup replays are an important revenue stream for lower league clubs.
But they have also provided the world’s oldest and most respected cup competition with some of its best and most historic days.
Just a few years ago, everyone associated with Shrewsbury Town was immensely proud to hold Liverpool to a fourth-round draw and earn a replay at Anfield.
The magic of that night would not have been the same if the 90 minutes were then followed by extra time and penalties.
This announcement is yet another hammer blow to EFL clubs.
Back in October 2015, The FA introduced a minimum ticket price for cup games of £10.
Many Premier League clubs then adopted that as a maximum price when playing lower league clubs in the FA Cup.
That effectively reduced potential earnings from gate receipts by 75 per cent – in what was another major financial blow for clubs further down the football pyramid.
Shrewsbury Town believe this decision made by the FA and the Premier League further underpins the need for an Independent Football Regulator. As a club, we strongly feel this cannot come soon enough.
We urge The FA to pause the plans and conduct a thorough game-wide consultation.
