There’ll be football everywhere you look.
If, like us, you’ve dreamed of ordering your usual Saturday night half-and-half and settling down to get stuck into West Brom vs. Stoke City (or, y’know, Manchester United vs. Arsenal), you could be in luck.
Premier League clubs have talked about the possibility of holding games on Saturday nights.
From the 2019/2020 season onwards, the league has pledged to broadcast at least 190 live games per season, a sizeable increase on the current limit of 168.
Some of those extra 22 games could be shown at 7.45pm on Saturday evenings, which, let’s be honest, is not the craziest idea in the world for fans who prefer to stay at home.
If it can work for the Champions League final, after all, what’s the harm if it transfers to the Premier League?
There are fears, however, that the move could alienate those supporters who travel to matches as it would mean fewer 3pm matches on a Saturday afternoon.
Another idea put forward at a meeting of top-flight chairmen last week was that of Sunday morning kick-offs at 11.30am, an idea that may prove a harder sell to TV subscribers.
The bids for domestic TV rights for Premier League games – beyond the 2017/2018 season – are set to take place at the end of the year.
A Premier League spokesman said: “The Premier League is more popular than ever due to the fantastic football put on by clubs and the commitment of fans.
“In season 2016-17 stadiums were a record 96.5 per cent full, unique broadcasting reach in the UK was up 2 per cent on the previous season and matches were available to watch in one billion homes in 188 countries.”
