Are Leeds United’s Papa John’s Trophy fixtures on TV? EFL competition explained as Whites begin campaign

Leeds United’s under-21s are back in Papa John’s Trophy action this week.

The Whites’ youngsters will once again put their talents to the test against League One and League Two clubs in a bid to land the English Football League Trophy, or Papa John’s Trophy, as it is known for sponsorship reasons.

Leeds kick off their campaign this week, and they will compete in the group stage over the next month in a bid to land a place in the knockout stage.

Here we take a look at how the competition works and how you can tune into the Leeds fixtures.

How does the Papa John’s Trophy work?

The Papa John’s Trophy is made up of 64 teams in all, including the 48 teams from League One and League Two.

The competition also features 16 category Premier League and Championship teams with category 1 academies, and these sides are all under-21s teams.

The under-21s sides are allowed to play up to two players who are over 21.

Specifically, the under-21 teams cannot play more than two players who are over 21 years of age or players who have made more than 40 first-team appearances, as of June 30, 2022.

The competition is split into regional groups, of which the top two progress. Teams play each other once in the group stage.

If a draw plays out in the group stage, there is a penalty shootout. The winner of the penalty shootout gets two points, and the loser one point.

The competition remains regional until the quarter-final stage, at which point the draw becomes open.

Knockout ties all go straight to penalties in the event of a draw, with the exception of the final, which goes to extra time first.

Who are Leeds United’s opponents?

Leeds United’s under-21s will face one League One team and two League Two sides in their group this season.

The Whites find themselves in Northern Group B, along with League One side Bolton Wanderers, and League Two sides Tranmere Rovers and Crewe Alexandra.

The Whites’ fixtures

Under-21 sides play their games away from home in this competition, and Leeds kick off their campaign on October 4, against Tranmere.

They are back in action on October 18, when they head to October.

Their group stage campaign concludes on November 1, when they head to Crewe.

All fixtures kick off at 7pm.

How to watch Leeds in the Papa John’s Trophy

Unfortunately, fans can only watch the Papa John’s Trophy fixtures through Sky Sports News, which show the highlights.

Leeds will also post highlights on their official YouTube channel, and the rivals they are up against will do the same.

Sky Sports only show live coverage of the two semi-finals and the final.

This competition is geared towards inspiring crows at the lower levels, which explains the lack of live TV coverage.

When is the final?

The final of this season’s Papa John’s Trophy will take place on March 19th at Wembley Stadium.

The semi-finals are set for February 1st, while the Quarter-finals are booked for January 11th.