The National League Cup is designed to give young players from Premier League and EFL clubs additional opportunities to test themselves against senior opposition, with the aim of further aiding elite player development.
The competition, which begins in October, also offers an opportunity for National League clubs to play regular matches against the best under-21 teams in England at their own stadia, with this additional exposure intended to improve the playing and spectator experience. National League clubs will also keep all gate receipts from these fixtures.
The National League Cup is a 32-team midweek competition, comprising of 16 under-21 teams participating in Premier League 2, and 16 first-teams from clubs participating in the National League.
The competition will consist of a group stage (four groups of eight), with the two best-placed teams in each group advancing to a knock-out stage to determine the winner.
Newcastle United Under-21s have been drawn in Group C alongside Sunderland Under-21s, Middlesbrough Under-21s and Leeds United Under-21s as well as Halifax Town, Tamworth, Boston United and Gateshead.
Fixture dates and kick-off times will be confirmed on newcastleunited.com in due course.
Competition round dates:
Group stage match round 1: 1 – 2 October 2024
Group stage match round 2: 5 - 6 November 2024
Group stage match round 3: 3 – 4 December 2024
Group stage match round 4: 21 – 22 January 2025
Quarter-finals: 5 – 6 February 2025
Semi-finals: 11 – 12 March 2025
Final: 1 – 2 April 2025
