The long, weird Premier League summer is over and out. Almost.
In the good news category, we’re left for 7 weeks with some interesting diversions. An intriguing FA Cup final with an Arsenal angling for Thursday night glories. A mini-feast of Champions League and Europa League action. And, a long wait to figure out when the MLS will resume regular play.
In bad news, well — we’re preparing for a new season behind closed doors (maybe).
One last spot in the EPL is up for grabs. Brentford, Swansea, Fulham and Cardiff City fighting for that last spot in the big time. Wales, or West London. Some of those spots will be better than others to incorporate into a visit (what’s there to do in Wales, I wonder?)
Down for the count: Bournemouth and Watford
The EPL relegations were the sad part of the weekend. Farewell to Bournemouth and Watford.
Bournemouth were very, very unlucky in retrospect, given the gift points Villa took from Sheffield United in that first match back via goal system malfunction.
Watford simply crumbled down the stretch, Having four managers in one session doesn’t bode well for overall success, no matter when you make those changes.
From a travel and watching perspective — you know, the things we really cover in this blog — both clubs played at the smallest, and most well-subscribed grounds in the EPL. Getting in to see either in person was always going to be a tough ticket. That sold-out condition should continue in the Championship, given the size of the grounds and the strong support of each club.
From now on, any traveler’s trip to Bournemouth probably features the beaches of the South Coast as the primary attraction. And your likely holiday excursion into Watford will be more about the Harry Potter Studio Tour Experience (highly recommended!) than a trip to the grounds. Though, I’d have to say, if the scheduling lined up and you could catch a Friday night under the lights on an EPL adventure weekend at either of these grounds — I bet it would be worth the trip…
Those weekday wonders: Chelsea, United, Spurs, and Leicester.
The EPL’s regular slate for Europe was set after the results of the weekend. Chelsea and Manchester United will enjoy that Tuesday/Wednesday action. Spurs and Leicester get ready for lots of Thursday travel (and Sunday matches).
The unpacking of the schedule in the new EPL season is always heavily dictated by the peculiarities of the CL schedule. For example, City and United won’t play at home in that competition in the same week. An additional risk/element if Arsenal happens to best Chelsea in the FA Cup final and steal the last spot from Wolves.
The Europa league sides always see their group stage match weeks feature a Sunday EPL fixture (at the earliest). Spurs and Arsenal never play at home on the same weekend (again, for police and crowd purposes).
The movement to Sunday fixtures for Europa league teams often leads to great opportunities to catch four nights of action on a single trip. The availability of Thursday night matches in either London (or Leicester!) is a great development for anyone lucky to wander over for matches this year. (When will any international travel be open to Americans again?)
The 20-21 season prognosis: fans, delays?
The Premier League announced this week that the new season is set to start September 12 and end generally on time next May, to allow for the playing of the Euros (2020?) as re-scheduled in the summer of 2021.
The Athletic reported that any EPL team is guaranteed 30 days off after the end of their campaign, to include the Champions League and Europa League competitions. This could mean a delayed start to the season for folks like Manchester City.
Any delay in the start of the season will likely mean makeup matches in the early spring, since it will be difficult to schedule additional fall fixtures amidst regular European play on scheduled times and the congestion that is the holidays (we think?).
I’d imagine extra matches will be held on the schedule for some time, until clarity around the schedule can be figured out, Ultimately, it feels like some weekday matches will be in order, which is always good for the traveler. The best times to catch a bunch of matches is during the Festive fixture period and those weird stretches where the EPL goes Tuesday/Wednesday back to back. Short time off for the players. Better availability to maximize a week of watching football across England.
What about the fans in person?
As of now, recent reports indicate some return to the grounds for fans, with the potential for 25 percent capacity from the start of the season.
The challenge in many venues is the relative capacity for attendance vs. the number of season tickets holders who are likely to be first allocated seating in any return.
Twenty-five percent capacity is a big swing between what you can fit at Manchester City (55,097 x .25 = 13,774) and what you might do at Selhurst Park (25,546 x .25 = 6,386). Over the long haul, for most clubs with full season ticket base (85% sold in season packages, I’m guessing?) that’s likely getting everyone through once every 3-4 matches. And that completely excludes the away fan experience (presumably).
Once every other month would be a huge bummer for a season supporter — especially those diehards who have match streaks
This past weekend saw a limited number of supporters allowed in for the Russian Cup, the Coupe de France, and a smattering of USL matches in the US.
As we move into the fall, the general trend decline of coronavirus cases will dictate the further opening of venues and grounds. Of particular interest will be how clubs handle ticket purchasing rights and privileges within a club membership scheme. (Here’s hoping Crystal Palace keep their most excellent International Package with some ticket rights.
What about the fans and TV?
Here in the states, our primary lifeline to all things every grounds will move from the NBC Sports Gold platform to the new streaming Peacock platform. (you wanna shorten that to the first part, or the last part? Up to you, really).
Our ability to see every match here in the US is a privilege compared to the extreme amounts that UK folks pay across multiple TV packages for an incomplete set of matches (not to mention the 3p. ban).
The Athletic reported a few weeks back that universal access to matches (and the appropriate scheduling) in the UK will not persist into the new season. One can only hope that each club has the ability to access the world feed and bring in their club announcers for any club members/season ticket holders who want to watch and can’t attend due to ticketing restrictions.
That seems the only fair and reasonable way to makes sure folks have access to watch their club. I’d hate to see a world where access is completely denied because old rules have to be upheld, especially with grounds at a very limited capacity.
Where to next?
Only the virus knows, Only the virus knows. And maybe sometime in the future — the Premier League schedule makers.
That said, we’re now ready for an amazing 7 weeks of plotting and scheming to go nowhere. Which, frankly, is the same general operating cadence for anyone who dreams of EPL travel and football flyaway weekends. There’s a lot more thinking and dreaming than actual flying.
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