Today, the heads of professional leagues gathered at the national team base in Xianghe to discuss the tournament layout and policy changes for the new season. It was disclosed that the new season of the three-tier professional league will kick off from mid-April, and the home-and-away system will return to the norm. The admission criteria and promotion rules will be based on the registration situation, while the U21 youth team will be promoted to be one of the entry thresholds of the Chinese Super League. It is worth mentioning that the winners of the 2023 U21 League will directly qualify for the 2024 Chinese B League.
Among the policy adjustments, the new season of the Chinese Super League eliminated the requirement of having at least one U23 player on the field. Meanwhile, starting from the 2023 season, eligible A and B clubs can apply to change their registered member associations, subject to specific conditions and a ban on transfer before reporting.
Summary of key points of the meeting:
New Super League season kicks off in mid-April
The new season of the Chinese Super League is expected to start in mid-April, the Chinese League A is expected to open in mid- to late-April, and the Chinese League B is scheduled to start in mid-April to early May. The deadline for clubs to register is Feb. 10 to March 20, and the registration system closes on March 3rd.
Full restoration of home-and-away format for Division III with teams to be determined
The 2023 season will see a full return to the home-and-away system in the Chinese Super League and Chinese League A, while the Chinese League B will implement a divisional home-and-away system.
League size and promotion rules are based on admission criteria
Premier League entry conditions eliminate reserve teams
The team structure of the Chinese Super League clubs will be adjusted from "first team, first reserve team, U19, U17, U15, U14, U13" to "first team", U19, U17, U15, U14, U13". Reserve teams (limited to Chinese Super League and Chinese First Division clubs) will be canceled and replaced by U21 teams. The Chinese League One and Chinese League B will set up five and four grades of ladder teams respectively. Clubs are allowed to cooperate with local schools to create U15, U14 and U13 ladder teams.
U21 League winners to be promoted to S.B.
All Chinese Super League clubs are required to participate in the U21 League (as a condition of entry), and Chinese League A and B clubs are encouraged to participate.In 2023, the winners of the U21 League (exact quota to be determined) will be directly promoted to the 2024 Chinese B League. U21 teams promoted to the Chinese B League will participate as Club B teams.
Players enrolled in the Club's B team (after promotion to the U21 League) for the Chinese B League shall be predominantly U23 players, with a maximum of four over-age players, and a maximum of three simultaneous players per game (refer to the competition rules for age criteria for U23 players and over-age players). Club B team registered players and bench officials shall not represent the first team at the same time.
Chinese Super League removes the rule that U23s have at least one person present
Chinese Super League (CSL): register at least 5 U21 players, with clubs registered for at least 4 years (removing the U23 presence requirement).
Central League: register at least 5 U21 players, club registered for more than 4 years, one U21 player present all the time.
C.B. (no change): register at least 5 U21 players, 5 players from the region, U21 players present at all times.
C.B. Enrollment Policy May Change
There was discussion of the proposed changes to the Pro League Entry Policy, which included the following recommendations:
Chinese Super League (CSL): simultaneous enrollment of players aged 18-30 [25 (including foreign aiders) + 5 (this club has developed at least 5 U21 players); cumulative: ≤ 40]
Central League: simultaneous enrollment of players aged 18-30 [25 (including foreign aiders) + 5 (at least 5 U21 players); cumulative: ≤ 40]
League B: Simultaneous enrollment of 18-30 year olds [at least 5 U21 players and 5 players from the region]. No more than 5 domestic players over 31 years old. Cumulative: ≤35 players
Principles for filling professional league eligibility determined
1. Meet the requirements of the league entry standards: i.e. the club has submitted the entry application or supplementary application for the corresponding league and has been reviewed by the CFA to meet the entry standards of the corresponding league.
2. Compliance with competitive performance requirements: In order to ensure the overall level of competition in the league, the competitive performance requirements for clubs will be strictly defined. In the event that relegation is three down, three up, the clubs eligible for supplementation will be limited to the three clubs originally relegated last season and the clubs ranked fourth to sixth in the lower league, and so on.
3. Clubs that have been relegated consecutively will not be allowed to replace consecutively. If a club has been relegated in the first year of the league and replaced in the original league in accordance with the relevant principles, if the league is still relegated in the second year of the league, no further replacements will be permitted and other clubs will be eligible for replacement in the order in which they were replaced.
