Southend United have confirmed their newly-formed under-23 team will compete in the first-ever Next Wave Championship this season. The under-21 competition will see the Shrimpers taking on teams based in the south of England. League standing: 4th in National League, 3 pts, 1W-0D-0L from 1 games, recent form W. The under-23s will have a chance to compete against EFL opposition, providing a higher level of challenge for the team. Goalkeeper Josh Barrett, left-back Mitchell Ward, and strikers Nikolay Zlatev and Jack Stone will all line up for the under-23s, alongside younger players looking to follow in their footsteps. The Next Wave Championship has nine founding clubs, including EFL outfits MK Dons, Oxford United, Luton Town, Bromley, and Swindon Town, while closer to home Billericay Town have also entered. A 16-game regular season will be played before a play-off campaign ends with a final to be played at Stadium MK. Each round of matches has a two-week window to be played in, to allow clubs to organise a fixture list which suits their schedule. And Blues' director of football Oliver Gage feels the games will help the club bridge the gap between youth-team football and the first team. "Our Under-23s squad was established to improve the pathway between the academy and first team," said Gage. "The Next Wave Championship helps provide regular fixtures for the team in a competitive environment." The under-23s will have a chance to compete against EFL opposition, providing a higher level of challenge for the team. The team's ambition is to ensure that when Southend United returns to the EFL, their youth system is EFL-ready too. The Next Wave Championship gives us another layer to that pathway and another opportunity to prepare players for what ultimately matters being ready to represent Southend United's first team. The under-19s might not be as strong age-wise if you like because the second and third years who are playing well will play in those 23s games," explained Heath. "It also allows players not in the 23s to get minutes in the 19s. From the players' perspective there's competition to get in the 23s games programme but if not they will get good minutes elsewhere." The Next Wave Championship has nine founding clubs, including EFL outfits MK Dons, Oxford United, Luton Town, Bromley, and Swindon Town, while closer to home Billericay Town have also entered. A 16-game regular season will be played before a play-off campaign ends with a final to be played at Stadium MK. Each round of matches has a two-week window to be played in, to allow clubs to organise a fixture list which suits their schedule. And Blues' director of football Oliver Gage feels the games will help the club bridge the gap between youth-team football and the first team. "Our Under-23s squad was established to improve the pathway between the academy and first team," said Gage. "The Next Wave Championship helps provide regular fixtures for the team in a competitive environment." The team's ambition is to ensure that when Southend United returns to the EFL, their youth system is EFL-ready too. The Next Wave Championship gives us another layer to that pathway and another opportunity to prepare players for what ultimately matters being ready to represent Southend United's first team. The under-19s might not be as strong age-wise if you like because the second and third years who are playing well will play in those 23s games," explained Heath. "It also allows players not in the 23s to get minutes in the 19s. From the players' perspective there's competition to get in the 23s games programme but if not they will get good minutes elsewhere.