A car leasing company has been announced as the new title sponsor for the controversial EFL Trophy.

Leasing.com will replace Checkatrade as the sponsor for the competition which involves lower-league clubs and under-21 teams from the Premier League.

They have agreed a three-year deal with the EFL.

It will see the competition renamed as the 2019/20 Leasing.com Trophy.

It gets under way for some clubs tomorrow night, although Carlisle do not begin their campaign until next month.

The trophy has been dogged by controversy, boycotts and low crowds since under-21 sides were invited into the competition in 2016, accompanied by extra top-flight prize money.

Leasing.com will also be an official partner of the EFL.

EFL chief commercial officer Ben Wright said the league looked forward to working with Leasing.com in "what we all hope is another successful and memorable EFL Trophy campaign."

David Timmis, founder and MD of Leasing.com, added: “We’re delighted and immensely proud to have secured sponsorship of the EFL Trophy as part of our ongoing brand development campaign for Leasing.com.

“We want Leasing.com to become a household name and what better way to achieve that than to sponsor one of the most high-profile tournaments in English football.

“The EFL Trophy continues to grow every year and has huge potential, so it’s a perfect partnership and we can’t wait to get the ball rolling.”

Carlisle today confirmed their fixture dates for their northern section group games.

They will host Wolves' Under-21s at Brunton Park on Tuesday, September 24.

That is followed by the visit of Blackpool on Tuesday, October 15.

They then go to Morecambe on Tuesday, November 12.

All three games kick off at 7.45pm.