EFL releases full Championship fixture list ahead of 20 June resumption

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The English Football League (EFL) has released a full revised fixture list for the 2019/20 Sky Bet Championship season ahead of its resumption on 20 June.

Fulham vs Brentford has been announced as the competition’s first match back following its suspension due to the global health pandemic. The fixture will also be broadcast on Sky Sports along with 11 other fixtures during the campaign’s first three rounds. 

EFL’s restart of the Championship will see the competition’s remaining 108 fixtures be completed by 22 July, as long as all safety precautions and regulations are met. Moreover, season ticket holders will be able to live-stream all of their club’s home and away matches via their team’s iFollow (or equivalent) service, partly due to the organisation’s partnership with Sky Sports.

Rick Parry, EFL Chair, stated: “There is no question that COVID-19 has detrimentally affected all industries and, whilst we have only ever wanted to return when it is safe to do, we have always understood that when we did, we had to balance the requirements of our broadcast partners with the unique and challenging financial circumstances that our clubs face.

“We are delighted to have reached such an agreeable and sensible arrangement that ensures the financial impact to clubs is minimised, Sky Sports are able to get their football business back up with one of the most eagerly anticipated Championship run-ins in years and, importantly, fans get access to games during a period where guidelines prevent them from attending in person.”

As part of EFL’s agreement with Sky Sports, the broadcaster has secured exclusive rights to the competition and will air 45 games in total during the season. Non-season ticket holders will also be able to watch their teams play by purchasing a ‘match price pass’ of £10.

In addition, Quest will provide extended highlights on both Saturday evenings and midweek due to the revised fixture list. Moreover, talkSPORT will provide exclusive national radio commentary on some Championship matches, however, it has not yet been revealed which matches will be made available. 

Whilst the Championship is officially resuming its operations, League 1 and League 2 remain in limbo with regards to conclusion plans. The EFL is set to discuss the future of England’s third and fourth tiers at Tuesday’s general meeting. It has previously been reported that the majority of League 2 clubs are willing to immediately conclude the campaign, whereas in League 1 clubs have varied opinions as to how the competition should end.

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