Excitement builds for Mansfield Town fixtures release tomorrow
One of the most eagerly anticipated dates in the football calendar, Football League fixtures officer Paul Snellgrove holds his first fixtures working party meeting in November.
There, clubs get the chance to review a draft schedule and the policies put in place for the compilation process for the following season.
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Hide AdThe working party consists of officers from The Football League, the Premier League and the Football Association; along with a cross section of club representatives – two from the Premier League, two from the Championship, one from League One and one from League Two.
Also, the Football Supporters’ Federation are represented as well as the fixture compilers Atos.
Atos are an outside IT contractor who run the fixture compiling software, which is unique and owned by The Football League and the Premier League.
They then meet again in March, which is when schedules and policies are finalised prior to the compilation. At that point, all clubs are sent a fixtures questionnaire which is their chance to have their say on their fixtures for next season regarding specific dates and pairing arrangements.
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Hide AdAny date requests, for example if they’d like a home or away fixture on a certain date, will go on that form, and are signed off by the police.
There are generally a significant number of police requests for away fixtures due to events such as race meetings, music festivals or political party conferences.
The League also try to ensure that local derbies and the other high profile fixtures are played on the best days possible, so as many fans as possible can attend and maximise clubs’ revenue
Midweek travel is another one of our big issues. The League are aware that clubs and their supporters don’t want to be travelling the length and breadth of the country in midweek, but it can be unavoidable on some occasions.
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Hide AdIt’s a fine balance between making sure clubs have their more lucrative fixtures on prime dates but also ensuring they have acceptable travel on midweeks. Over 72 clubs, this balancing act proves to be a challenge.
Once they’re released, clubs have a 10-day period to request any changes to kick-off times, and minor day changes to Friday night or Sunday, then it’s a case of getting them finalised and re-submitting the finished list.
As previously announced, the Sky Bet League Two season will commence on Saturday, 8th August and conclude a week later than usual on Saturday, 7th May.
There are six midweek League games scheduled for next term – the first of which is pencilled in for mid-August.
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Hide AdCapital One Cup first round ties will take place on week commencing Monday, 10th August, whilst the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy gets underway at the start of September.
The majority of The Emirates FA Cup first round games will be played on Saturday, 7th November.
Next season’s provisional Sky Bet League Two dates are as follows:
Sat 08 Aug: Matchday 01
Sat 15 Aug: Matchday 02
Tue 18 Aug: Matchday 03
Sat 22 Aug: Matchday 04
Sat 29 Aug: Matchday 05
Sat 05 Sep: Matchday 06
Sat 12 Sep: Matchday 07
Tue 15 Sep: Matchday 08
Sat 19 Sep: Matchday 09
Sat 26 Sep: Matchday 10
Sat 03 Oct: Matchday 11
Sat 10 Oct: Matchday 12
Sat 17 Oct: Matchday 13
Tue 20 Oct: Matchday 14
Sat 24 Oct: Matchday 15
Sat 31 Oct: Matchday 16
Sat 14 Nov: Matchday 17
Sat 21 Nov: Matchday 18
Tue 24 Nov: Matchday 19
Sat 28 Nov: Matchday 20
Sat 12 Dec: Matchday 21
Sat 19 Dec: Matchday 22
Sat 26 Dec: Matchday 23
Mon 28 Dec: Matchday 24
Sat 02 Jan: Matchday 25
Sat 09 Jan: Matchday 26
Sat 16 Jan: Matchday 27
Sat 23 Jan: Matchday 28
Sat 30 Jan: Matchday 29
Sat 06 Feb: Matchday 30
Sat 13 Feb: Matchday 31
Tue 16 Feb: Matchday 32
Sat 20 Feb: Matchday 33
Sat 27 Feb: Matchday 34
Sat 05 Mar: Matchday 35
Sat 12 Mar: Matchday 36
Sat 19 Mar: Matchday 37
Sat 26 Mar: Matchday 38
Mon 28 Mar: Matchday 39
Sat 02 Apr: Matchday 40
Sat 09 Apr: Matchday 41
Sat 16 Apr: Matchday 42
Tue 19 Apr: Matchday 43
Sat 23 Apr: Matchday 44
Sat 30 Apr: Matchday 45
Sat 07 May: Matchday 46