One of the biggest footballing debates in England so far this summer - aside from who Roy Hodgson should select for England in the World Cup- has been the proposals by FA Chairman Greg Dyke about the possibility of Premier League sides fielding B teams in the lower leagues.
A month ago, Dyke- whose previous involvement with football included being a director of Manchester United and Chairman of Brentford- and the FA Commission proposed a plan that would include ten Conference sides and ten Premier League B teams playing in a newly created League Three.
Despite the fact many others major European leagues allow B teams to compete in their lower divisions, the plans have drawn widespread opposition from the Conference and many others within the game, as well as an online petition against it; but have Dyke and his colleagues may have ignored something that could already be benefiting the long term health of English football: the youth loan.
Youth loans are a type of deal that allows lower league clubs to sign players under the age of 21 and guarantee those players regular first team football. Yeovil Town and Torquay United are two such teams who have benefited from this deal in recent seasons; players such as Steven Caulker, Andros Townsend, Alex McCarthy and Tom Lawrence have turned out for the Glovers, whilst youngsters like Adam Smith and Shaquile Coulthirst have appeared for the Gulls.
In fact when Caulker was on loan at Huish Park from Tottenham Hotspur during the 2009-10 season- when he was just 18- he was facing the likes of Southampton's Rickie Lambert- a member of Hodgson's squad in Brazil this summer, and a former lower league campaigner with the likes of Macclesfield, Stockport, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers- and Leeds' Jermaine Beckford.
This experience gave him the taste of the experience that Dyke was hoping young players would be able to taste as part of his new plans.
Caulker held his own against these players with great credit before going on to represent Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics and England. He also earned himself an £8 million move to Cardiff City and is being linked with moves to Liverpool and a possible return to Spurs.
More recently, Tom Lawrence joined the Glovers from Manchester United on loan last season and on his return to Old Trafford was handed his debut by Ryan Giggs during his brief reign as Caretaker manager, following the departure of David Moyes, in a 3-1 win over Hull City.
He has since received his first international call-up for Wales.
Shaquile Coulthirst joined Torquay United on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and scored twice in six games for the Gulls as they failed to avoid relegation from the Football League.
The experience that these young players would have gained from their respective loan spells will no doubt stand them in good stead in their future careers; they are three of several players who have been loaned out by top-flight clubs in the past four to five years to lower league clubs.
Financial reality has dictated that many clubs have relied more on loan players than ever in recent years and it could be the case that Dyke and his commission maybe a bit premature with their assessments.
If in five years time, the number of home-grown players plying their trade in the top-flight has increased from the 23 % - the percentage of players qualified to play for England in the Premiership during the 2013-14 season- it currently stands at, then many within the game will point to the success of the youth loan system in helping to improve players.
Should there be no sizeable increase, then a radical alternative may need to be found; something similar to what Mr Dyke has suggested.
However, with the World Cup due to start next week these plans will probably be shelved for now, but an impressive display from an England, featuring many players who have played in the Football League or below, will help reflect the value of lower league clubs to the health of the national game.
