How much notice Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United fans will get in case of derby day fixture changes

By Alex Miller
Published 26th Jun 2024, 10:03 BST
Updated 26th Jun 2024, 16:59 BST
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The fixtures are out and Sheffield football supporters now know on which weekends the return of derby days to the Steel City will now take place.

Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United have not met one another since March 2019, a wet and sleepy goalless draw at Hillsborough. The last three fixtures between the two sides have ended with the same result.

The release of the 2024/25 EFL fixtures on Wednesday morning scheduled the first clash for Saturday November 9 at United’s Bramall Lane - the week before the November international break - while the return leg at Hillsborough is scheduled for March 15.

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The broadcasting commitment on Sky Sports has been widened ahead of the season, with over 1000 EFL matches set to be broadcast over the course of the campaign and each team shown live at least 20 times. Some 328 Championship fixtures will be broadcast live across existing Sky Sports channels or on the new Sky Sports+.

The increase in coverage - at least five second tier outings will be shown each weekend - means some matches will be moved to less traditional kick-off times. The new deal allows for 'Article 48', the blackout broadcast period between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturday afternoons to remain, meaning that main broadcast fixtures will be scheduled for outside of this time.

It seems likely that the Sheffield derbies will be broadcast, meaning they will need to be rescheduled from their current 3pm scheduling. Other Wednesday and United fixture dates and kick-off times are also likely to be changed in due course.

The commitment of Sky is that they will announce fixture changes up to the point of the FA Third Round in January within the next week. Fans are advised to delay the booking of travel and hotels until after this period has passed.

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In a statement, Sky Sports said in part: “Within seven days of today’s EFL Fixture Release, all matches selected for broadcast for the period to the end of September will be announced, and before a ball is kicked of the 2024/25 season, all TV selections will be confirmed for the period up to the FA Cup third round in early January. This is a landmark commitment, providing fans and clubs up to five months’ notice, an increase from the five weeks' notice given across the majority of the 2023/24 season.”