Dan Ashworth has warned football could be heading back towards B teams, feeder clubs and ground sharing.
Brighton's technical director fears the financial implications of the coronavirus could have devastating effects all the way down the football pyramid.
Football League clubs angrily rebelled against proposals to put Premier League B teams into the lower divisions when they were put forward six years ago to help the development of home grown players.
But Ashworth, who was the Football Association’s director of elite development at the time, believes it could be “back on the table” to help bail out lower division clubs with EFL clubs struggling to survive during the prolonged lockdown.
Ashworth said: “Everyone starts by looking at their own house. Our budgets, what our outgoings and incomings are.
“A few years ago, we explored strategic loan clubs, B teams, partner clubs, those sort of things.
“Maybe things like that come back on the table because if there is a shortage of money and everybody has to cut their cloth accordingly.
"Maybe there’s some ways we can form partnerships that we can share resources and help one another.
“Ground sharing has been looked at, artificial surfaces that can be used for numerous things from concerts to training and women’s and men’s games in the same venue.
“Maybe we become more resourceful and share those resources accordingly.
“There’s a great phrase… the more resources you have, the more resourceful you become. I wonder whether we’re in that state with football at the moment.”
Ashworth had a hugely successful time at the FA, overseeing St George’s Park and the dramatic improvement of the national team.
But he believes football is heading for a reboot while also facing problems over the June 30 contract situation.
He said: “Maybe there is a correction in the market with what we pay for wages, transfer fees, agents’ fees etc, that may be more short term than looking at the whole wide governance of the game.
“There’s two parts to June 30, in that players out on loan in the majority of cases are until June 30. Then you’ve got players who are potentially running out of contract or the option part.
“If the player doesn’t want to extend then you can’t make them extend and you can’t want to make them carry on.
"I think the majority of players would because I don’t think they could sign for anyone else.”
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