Tuesday 30 August 2016 17:34, UK
Premier League sides will be represented when the new-look Checkatrade Trophy kicks off on Tuesday.
The competition formerly known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy has had a makeover for the 2016/17 season, with the biggest change being the introduction of academy sides from the top flight and the Sky Bet Championship.
The EFL says the Checkatrade Trophy "will give some of England's brightest young talents the opportunity to gain experience and develop their skills against EFL clubs" so who's in it and how will it work?
Ahead of kick-off, here's all you need to know...
The competition had traditionally been played by Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two sides, but 16 invited Category One academy teams are also in the mix.
Several Premier League clubs - including Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City - did not take up the offer of involvement on a one-season trial basis, with scheduling conflicts and player involvements just a few of the reasons for not taking part.
But Premier League champions Leicester and Chelsea plus Southampton, West Ham and Everton will all field development squads.
Last season's Championship play-off contenders Brighton and Derby are also contributing academy teams, as are newly-relegated Norwich and current bottom club Blackburn.
The Checkatrade Trophy is still split into a northern and southern section, with 16 groups across the two regions - eight in each - and four teams making up each group.
They must include at least one team from the 48 League One and League Two sides taking part as well as an academy side.
Each team will play each other once with one game played at the first-team stadium of the academy side before the knockout rounds get underway. The top two from each group will make it through to the round-of-32.
The geographical divide is removed in the round-of-16 where any team from around the country can face each other as the competition heads towards the Wembley final on April 2.
There's a £100,000 prize on offer for the winner, while each group-stage win along the way will secure £10,000.
Aside from the new sponsor, the semi-finals will no longer be a two-legged affair, although the format of how they will work is yet to be confirmed by the EFL.
While the group stages will feature three points for a win and a point for a draw, if the game ends in a tie, a penalty shoot-out will be held with the winning team earning an additional point.
There are also team restrictions on the competing teams. EFL clubs must field a minimum of five 'first team' players in their starting XI, while academy sides must include six U21 players in their starting line-ups.
As far as discipline is concerned, there's good news for clubs: bookings and suspensions from league or other domestic cup competitions will not apply in the Checkatrade Trophy.
Most eyes will be on the games involving academy sides to see how the arrangement fares in its opening weeks.
There are 29 fixtures on Tuesday evening including Leicester U23's trip to Sheffield United, Everton U23 against Bolton and West Ham U23 against Coventry.
Other notable games include MK Dons hosting Barnet in Southern Group F while Yeovil host Portsmouth in Southern Group A.
Two other fixtures from matchday one will take place over the next few weeks with Sunderland U23 heading to Rochdale on Tuesday September 6 and Chelsea U23 getting their campaign underway against Swindon on Tuesday September 14.
