Premier League U-21 teams including Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea invited to play in Football League Trophy

Chelsea's U-21 side won the 2013/14 Premier League (Source: Getty) 

Premier League academy teams will play League One and League Two clubs next season in next year's EFL Trophy, after Football League bosses signed off on a shake-up of the competition.

At the Football League's annual general meeting, chief executives approved plans to allow Premier League under-21 sides from category one academies, which includes Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City, to play in the competition.

The league described it is as part of an "ongoing commitment to creating more and better home grown players".

Sixteen under-21 sides from category one academies be equally distributed alongside 48 Football League sides in 16 groups of four before a traditional knock-out format after each team has played each other once.

The competition, formerly known as the Johnstone's Paints Trophy, will also receive a £1m prize money boost from the Premier League - nearly doubling its total fund.

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