Lewes chairman wants Premier League to tell clubs to play non-league neighbours

He wants to see a move away from the big boys jetting off for lucrative overseas tours and exhibition matches in favour of them supporting grassroots football closer to home.

That includes a call for Brighton to make Lewes and other nearby non-league clubs destinations for friendlies including strong squads containing plenty of first-team names.

He feels the Premier League could get the ball rolling by instructing teams to go local, not global.

Fuller revealed his plan in a series of tweets, saying: “Hey @premierleague, how about mandating that clubs don’t jet off for these meaningless pre-season tournaments on the other side of the world for 2020 and instead play their local non-League teams when it’s safe to do so?

“Think of the positive impact that will have on football.

“Would @premierleague fans rather watch their team play at 3am on a subscription-based channel in a meaningless pre-season tournament on the other side of the world, or actually go to a game at 3pm on a Saturday against a local non-league side?

“Even five years ago @premierleague clubs were playing pre-season games against local clubs. Now the financial lure of playing abroad is more important than supporting the clubs in their community. Now is the time and chance to make a commitment.”

Fuller told the Sussex Express his view applied to all top-flight teams. But he said it had been a few years since Brighton sent a strong squad to the Dripping Pan and he would love to see the Seagulls visiting the likes of Lewes, Burgess Hill and Worthing, perhaps a couple of them in each pre-season.

He said: “This is the perfect opportunity for Premier Leagues to boost the community in this way.

“It doesn’t have to be a full first team. A couple of years ago we played a Chelsea development squad and had a crowd of about 2,000.

“A lot of clubs are going to need this sort of help when football returns.”