Premier League confirms Sept. 12 start for new season

Posted Saturday, July 25, 2020 by ESPN

The new Premier League season will start on Sept. 12, it was announced on Friday.

The 2019-20 season will finish on Sunday, meaning teams that are not competing in European competitions will have seven weeks to prepare before the new campaign begins.

A statement from the Premier League read: "Premier League Shareholders today agreed to start the 2020-21 Premier League season on Sept. 12. The final match round of the campaign will take place on May 23. The Premier League will continue to consult The FA and EFL regarding the scheduling of all domestic competitions."

The EFL has confirmed the Championship, League One and League Two will begin on the same weekend, though there is as yet no confirmed date for the release of the fixture list. Talks will continue over how both the FA Cup and EFL Cup can fit into a shortened season.

The Premier League season will finish on May 23, which means the FA Cup final will have to take place earlier than usual with Euro 2020 beginning on June 11.

The coronavirus pandemic has meant the 2019-20 Premier League season has ended much later than usual. Play halted in March and didn't resume until June 17, after a 100-day break, with no fans allowed into stadiums to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The Premier League organised 92 games over the six-week period to ensure the completion of the league.

The International Football Association Board confirmed last week that leagues would have the option of continuing with the five-subs rule into next season, though it remains to be see if Premier League clubs will vote in favour of this again.

Fans will not be allowed to return to stadiums when the 2020-21 season starts. However, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has targeted October for fans to return to grounds. Other European countries such as Italy are also starting to develop plans to have fans return. Spain, however, has said it is doubtful fans will be allowed into stadiums in September.

South Korea will allow baseball fans to return to the stands beginning Sunday, and fans will be allowed at professional soccer games starting Aug. 1.

Liverpool were crowned champions of the 2019-20 Premier League season on Wednesday. On Friday, Jordan Henderson was named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.