© Alamy
Posted on 22nd September 2023
Reports appeared in the Telegraph this week about the potential for a new Sunday 6.30pm kick-off slot in the Premier League’s next TV deal.
At this stage we don’t know how much truth there are to the reports but even suggesting such a thing has led to a significant backlash already. Sunday evening KOs would cause havoc for the average matchgoing fan’s schedule and the FSA 100% oppose the prospect.
It’s a shocking idea but not one we’re unfamiliar with as fans in the WSL have put up with this for years.
Only last year we wrote that WSL supporters “fear that the range of early and late games, particularly on a Sunday midday or Sunday evening, are driving down attendances and discouraging families with children from attending.”
The football authorities and clubs like to showcase their green credentials too, but this seems to go out of the window for TV. Sunday evening KOs mean more fans travelling by car, as public transport is scarce, which undermines aims to reduce the game’s environmental impact.
One of the most positive steps the game could take is to put far more thought into how clubs and supporters travel to games, maximising public transport options with sensible fixture scheduling and putting on subsidised coach transport where affordable.
We’d encourage all top-flight supporters’ groups to raise this ASAP in their upcoming supporter engagement meetings. Ultimately clubs own the rights and selling out their own supporters is a choice.
This week’s #ICYMI comes to you from the depths of the Norwegian third tier, with relegation threatened Sotra 2-1 down in their visit to Ullern in the 95th minute. The keeper’s gone up for the final minute, and as the ball is sliced up in air Morten Grasmo can’t be thinking about an overhead kick, surely? Well, this Norwegian would…
The FSA works with two organisations, Football Supporters (FSE) and SD Europe, to represent and promote the interests of football supporters at European level. To keep FSA members up-to-date on that work, we’ve rounded up some of the recent highlights from our friends at FSE and SD Europe…
Today it was announced that Arsenal’s upcoming game against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium has been moved with just over two weeks notice in a move described as “insulting” by fan groups.
Leeds United supporters are the latest in the Premier League to criticise their club for entering into an agreement with Socios.com
