The Football League has proposed to expand the professional game in England to five leagues from 2019-20 in an attempt to help with fixture congestion.
Clubs have been asked to consider the re-organisation of the domestic league system, which will see each division split evenly with 20 teams.
The Football League, currently made up of the Championship, League One and League Two, would instead become a four-tier competition with the addition of a new League Three.
In addition to this, the League Cup and League Trophy would remain, but the latter would see its format revised to include a group structure before the knockout stages begin.
The Football League claims that no teams will be financially worse off as a result of the reduced fixture list, but it does point out that there will be no relegation into the National League in 2018-19.
In a statement, the Football League said: "The proposal stems from English football's collective concerns about the fixture calendar and enjoys the 'in principle' support of executives from the Premier League and FA. The Premier League is due to take a report to their clubs at their summer meeting, while the FA Executive needs to consult with its board.
"The congested fixture list remains one of the game's biggest concerns with insufficient dates available in each season to sensibly accommodate both League and Cup fixtures without significant clashes. The League's proposal seeks to achieve a new, innovative approach to the fixture calendar and will need 'whole game' support as this concern is not unique to The Football League and is shared for differing reasons by both the Premier League and FA.
"If implemented, the proposal would reduce the number of midweek matches from next season's nine in the Championship, seven in League One and six in League Two to just one in the Championship, League Two and the new League Three and none in League One in 2019-20."
To proceed, the proposal requires 90% of the vote from the Football League's members, which is 65 of the current 72 clubs.
Daniel Lewis
