Next season

[bender]

Sorry if this has been asked before but the PL are saying next season will begin on the weekend of 8 August.  With the end if this season backing more or less onto the beginning of next, won't the players be fatigued given that we're having a pretty much a 47 game season from June to June not to mention 2 lots of champions league conclusions and so forth !!

Also, so when do we actually get to buy the shirt for next season ?  

[for_heaven's_Saint]

Where have they said that? Pretty sure it is starting the weekend of September 12th. 
 

I think August 8th was the original start date before the lockdown. 

[John Boy Saint]

Also if you look at the Season Ticket details on the OS the purchase of your existing seat deadline is the 1st Sept and general sale 2nd Sept - they ain't going to leave all those seats hanging in the air with the season kicked off, especially if the social distancing comes down to 1m.

[SaintBobby]

I've heard "late August or early September". Didn't know they'd agreed to Sept 12th, if they have.

Gets tricky if they leave it too late as Euros are in June, right?

[Charlie Wayman]

Will they play behind closed doors again next season if restrictions on mass venues are not lifted because of fears of a second wave of infections?

With the chaos engulfing Track & Trace and the illusive phone App can't see the government easing up on mass venues.

[beatlesaint]

46 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Will they play behind closed doors again next season if restrictions on mass venues are not lifted because of fears of a second wave of infections?

With the chaos engulfing Track & Trace and the illusive phone App can't see the government easing up on mass venues.

I saw somewhere....oh I think it was on Saints season ticket info......that there is a possibility of (greatly) reduced capacity in stadiums. If that happens I would think it will be like that until the New Year IF there is the concern of a second spike when we get into Autumn and early Winter. 

[igsey]

5 hours ago, SaintBobby said:

I've heard "late August or early September". Didn't know they'd agreed to Sept 12th, if they have.

Gets tricky if they leave it too late as Euros are in June, right?

They have a few options to reduce game congestion - no cup replays, mid-week cup rounds, scrap the winter break. Of course, if there's another spike and it all gets called off again, I can see the season being scrapped or reduced to 19 games if it happens early enough in the season.

[stevegrant]

5 hours ago, SaintBobby said:

I've heard "late August or early September". Didn't know they'd agreed to Sept 12th, if they have.

The EFL has a target start date of 12th September, which is the weekend immediately following the first international break. Reasonable to assume that the PL will be aiming for the same weekend, I think.

There's talk that the European qualifiers will not participate in the Carabao Cup next season to ease the congestion, although that would seem to be a slippery slope to devaluing that competition even more and then removing the Europa League qualifying round place that goes with winning that trophy. Although of course for next season it gives clubs of our ilk a very realistic opportunity to actually win something...