The key detail in the update is timing. Birch is reportedly due to remain in post through 2026-27, giving the EFL space to shape a succession plan over the next year.
That is important for two reasons:
A planned exit allows the league to avoid an abrupt reset at executive level. In a competition structure built on negotiation between divisions with very different priorities, that kind of lead-in is valuable.
Birch has often been associated with the EFL’s push to defend the interests of lower-league clubs. The report also ties his tenure to competition-format changes, including a reported expansion of the Championship playoff field from four to six teams from next season.
Whether that becomes the defining reform or not, the wider pattern is clear: the EFL has been willing to revisit long-standing structures in search of commercial value and competitive tension.
Just as significant was Birch’s reported opposition to the removal of FA Cup replays in 2024. That debate was never only about tradition. It was about revenue, scheduling power and whose voice carries weight when the football calendar gets squeezed.
The next story is not only who replaces Birch, but what kind of leadership profile the EFL wants. A deal-maker, a reformer or a custodian of the pyramid’s traditional balance would each send a different message. With another season still to run before the transition is complete, the focus will now shift to how the league handles its next round of structural decisions - and whether Birch’s successor is asked to protect that course or change it.