FA facing battle with the Premier League and rest of British football over their bid to lift the 3pm Saturday blackout for the Women’s Super League… with Sky Sports also opposed despite government pressure

The FA faces a major battle with the rest of British football to ensure Saturday's 3pm TV blackout for next season's Women's Super League is lifted.

Mail Sport has learned that the Premier League, Scottish Premier League, EFL and major domestic rights holder Sky Sports are against lifting the blackout, despite calls from the government to do so.

In what could become the sport's next major division following the impending agreement on a new funding package for the lower divisions, the FA wants dispensation from UEFA to lift the blackout for the women's match, which will be reinstated next season launched with a new name WSL. and championships organized by the clubs.

The issue is particularly urgent as the WSL's existing TV deal with Sky and the BBC expires in the summer and the tender for the next contract will be called next month, which will require clarity on showtimes for broadcasters.

The blackout is controlled by UEFA through Article 48 of the Statutes, which stipulates that no live football may be broadcast in England and Scotland on Saturday afternoons between 2.45pm and 5.15pm. A joint request from the FA and the Scottish FA led to UEFA temporarily lifting the blackout during the Covid-19 pandemic when matches took place behind closed doors, but it was quickly reintroduced when crowds returned.

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In their response to Karen Carney's women's football review published earlier this week, the government backed the former England midfielder's call for a tailor-made broadcast and described lifting the 3pm blackout as a “viable option” that would “enhance the would significantly increase broadcast and commercial revenues'.

However, to complicate matters further, the government-backed independent football regulator, due to be established next year, will not cover women's football, so it is unclear how much influence can be exerted from Westminster.

The FA has already started lobbying other stakeholders, but faces an uphill battle to win the argument with a joined-up approach needed to convince UEFA to make the historic change.

The EFL and SPL remain staunchly in favor of a complete blackout due to their desire to protect matchday attendances and grassroots football, while there are also concerns that lifting it for the women's game would lead to pressure on the men's game to follow suit to follow.

The Premier League shares similar concerns, and having yesterday announced a new £6.7 billion domestic TV deal with Sky Sports and TNT Sport, they are in no rush to tinker with a model that works. One Premier League source pointed out that no other sport has a protected broadcast channel and questioned why an exception should be made for women's football.

Sky has a similar view and would have little interest in showing WSL matches on Saturdays at 3pm due to the clash with their flagship results and reports programme, Soccer Saturday. However, TNT Sport would be interested in buying Saturday afternoon matches.

The FA believes the 3pm blackout was never intended for women's football when it was introduced in the 1960s as a way to protect attendances, and is having a negative impact on the sport's commercial growth .

If no compromise can be reached, the only other available broadcast for the WSL will be Sunday evenings, although that does not appeal to the family audience that is its main market.