The involvement of two JD Cymru Premier clubs in the 2023/24 SPFL Trust Trophy has been confirmed.
Last season’s league champions The New Saints and Nathaniel MG Cup winners Bala Town will enter the competition in round three on the weekend of 9/10 September 2023.
The competition features the 30 cinch Championship, cinch League 1 and cinch League 2 clubs, along with eleven cinch Premiership B teams and four representatives each from the Highland League and Lowland Leagues.
As well as the JD Cymru Premier, Northern Ireland’s Sports Direct Premiership is also providing two representatives for 2023/24 – Cliftonville and Coleraine.
The JD Cymru Premier has been represented in the competition in five of the last seven seasons, with Connah’s Quay Nomads reaching the final in 2018-19.
The New Saints have entered on all of those five occasions, reaching the semi-final in both 2016-17 and 2017-18.
This will be Bala Town’s second time in the SPFL Trust Trophy and first since 2016-17, when they lost to Alloa Athletic in the fourth round.
Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive, said: “I am pleased to confirm the format for the forthcoming season, which will again include two clubs from both Wales and Northern Ireland joining the B Teams, 30 SPFL clubs, and representatives from the Highland and Lowland Leagues. The final in March was a great occasion and we are very much looking forward to the 2023/24 tournament getting under way at the beginning of August.
“I would like to thank the SPFL Trust and our broadcast partners BBC ALBA for their continued support. Travel expense payments for any club travelling between Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have been increased too and, for the first time, each club featured in a live TV game will also receive a facility fee.”
