Fans group vows to fight plans to scrap football’s 3pm blackout

The Football Supporters’ Association will resist moves to scrap the 3pm blackout that prevents Saturday afternoon matches being broadcast live in the UK.

Following reports that senior figures in the game believe it could be ditched when the next round of TV deals end in 2029, the FSA warned that doing so risked harming clubs outside of the Premier League and their supporters. 

“It should come as no surprise that the erosion of a full 3pm fixture list is putting the TV blackout under question,” said FSA chair Tom Greatrex.

“The FSA supports retaining the blackout for the health of the entire game, putting that above the whims of broadcasters.

“As so often seems to be the case, the impact on lower league and non league clubs is barely considered.”

Removing the 3pm blackout would also risk the “Portugalisation” of English football, the FSA said – shorthand for scheduling all games at different times. 

European football rules allow individual associations to impose a broadcast blackout during Saturday afternoons in order to preserve attendances lower down the domestic pyramid. 

England is one of the few countries to exercise it but it is believed it could come under pressure if leagues make more games available for broadcast in order to sustain media revenues.

The Premier League and EFL are understood to consider the discussion premature, given that there are almost five years to go until it could be scrapped. Both declined to comment.

TV chiefs would be expected to welcome the move, however, as the unavailability of 3pm games in the UK is a major driver of piracy.

“I think they really need to show every match live. I think it is going to change, I think we’re going to see the necessary rights,” one executive at a broadcaster told CityAM.

“There’s going to be a lot more football and it is growing all the time. Without getting legislation that takes forever, we need to make it possible to watch every Premier League game live.

“Customers find a pirate link instead. The ease of use of piracy will force the hand of competitions that are not showing all games.”

The Premier League’s next domestic TV deals, starting in 2025, will see all games except Saturday 3pm kick-offs broadcast live, taking the total from 200 to 270 per season. 

English football fans overseas, however, already have access to all 380 games as the blackout only applies to audiences in the UK.