Football Supporters Association hit out at delays impacting Newcastle United and Everton supporters

The Football Supporters Association have hit out at the Premier League and television broadcasters as Newcastle United and Everton supporters await confirmation over two key fixtures next month.

As part of an agreement, Sky Sports, TNT Sports and the Premier League are set deadlines to announce the dates and times of fixtures that have been selected for live broadcast. However, those deadlines have been missed on several occasions during the season and the latest announcement, which involves fixtures held across the penultimate weekend of the league campaign, is now almost two weeks beyond its original deadline of Friday, April 4.

That weekend could prove pivotal in Newcastle’s push for a place in next season’s Champions League as they travel to London to take on Arsenal and there is a historic moment for Everton supporters as their side are set to host already relegated Southampton in the final league fixture scheduled to take place at Goodison Park. Elsewhere, Liverpool, who are likely to be crowned as Premier League champions over the next fortnight, will make the long trip to Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester United head to Chelsea.

The FSA’s advice on the announcement of fixtures selected for broadcast

As per a statement on the FSA website, the Premier League agreed to a new system for announcing the dates of fixtures selected for live broadcast at the start of the 2023/24 season. It read: “Previously the Premier League used to select its TV games in large batches four or five times a season, these would normally cover multiple fixture rounds over one or two months, and have a nominal deadline which the league produced at the start of a season. However, that system was fraught with difficulties as broadcasters, clubs and police squabbled over kick-off times leading to those deadlines being routinely missed.

“Subsequently, the Premier League switched to a rolling six week system at the start of the 2023-24 season. If a game is more than six weeks away, don’t book your travel just yet as there’s a good chance it could be moved for TV. The league says this will come down to a five week notice period in January.

“If a game is less than six weeks away and TV selections for that round have already been announced, you’re generally safe to book the travel and accommodation for the game – but always be aware of conditional picks. If in doubt, the best place to check is the Premier League’s broadcast section on its website.”

The FSA comment on the delayed announcement of the latest broadcast selections

In a social media thread released on Tuesday afternoon, the FSA said: “Supporters are still waiting for the Premier League and its broadcasters to announce the TV picks for the penultimate round of fixtures (game week 37) that were supposed to be announced on April 4th. It's a busy weekend as Newcastle United fans have to plan their travel to Arsenal away when London Kings Cross station is closed for the entire weekend and Everton fans hope for a reasonable kick-off time for their Goodison farewell.

“Liverpool are also travelling down to Brighton and Manchester United are at Chelsea before you even consider that there's an FA Cup final clash to contend with, too. As always, the later competition organisers and broadcasters leave it to sort out their TV selections the greater the headache for matchgoing fans.”

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