The notion was part of the FAW's 'Prosiect Cymru' that aims to boost the profile of Welsh football with a view to gaining a better ranking in Uefa's coefficient.

If successful it would have seen Cardiff City, Newport County, Swansea City and Wrexham take part in a newly reformed Welsh League Cup alongside teams from the Cymru Premier. 

The winner of the Cup would have then qualified for Europa Conference League. The EFL sides would have remained in their respective domestic Leagues but would have forfeited the right to qualify for Europe through English competitions.

However the English FA rejected the proposal citing a number of factors around scheduling and fairness for all clubs.

A statement from the FA read:

"Following careful consideration, taking into account various factors including equal opportunity for clubs to participate in the same competitions, for the same rewards on an equal basis; concerns raised by stakeholders regarding competition integrity, fixture congestion and player welfare, and the impact on the standing of existing competitions, the FA Board has rejected the request.

"It was noted that it is open to the Welsh clubs to choose whether or not to participate in the English or Welsh system based on their own assessment of the relative merits of participation in each system, but if they choose to participate in the English system they must do so on the same basis as the English clubs which participate in that system."

In response, the FAW said: "The FAW is disappointed that the proposal was rejected as it would have benefited all levels of football throughout Wales with funding worth an annual £3million.

"The revenue model would have been distributed throughout the Cymru Premier, Adran Premier [women's top flight] and grassroots facilities across the country.

"The FAW will continue to focus on raising standards across the game in Wales and implementing its ambitious strategy to improve the Cymru Premier both on and off the pitch through an exciting competition format, strengthening the league administration, profes­si­ona­lising club administration, building brand awareness, engaging communities and enhancing on-pitch quality."