The 2023-24 Premier League playlist has been released this morning, with clubs already looking ahead to the new season… but how were they decided?
The Premier League fixtures have been released and all 20 clubs are already looking forward to the new season.
Manchester City will be looking for their fourth title in a row after finishing five points above Arsenal. The Gunners, Manchester United and Newcastle will all try to close the gap on Pep Guardiola’s side.
Liverpool play Europa League football alongside Brighton. Aston Villa secured a place in the Europa Conference League next season after their win against Brighton on the final day.
Burnley and Sheffield United earned automatic promotion to the Premier League, while Luton Town defeated Coventry City in the play-off final in May.
With the Premier League fixtures released this morning, many will be wondering how they were decided. Mail Sport provides the answer below.
The 2023/24 Premier League schedule will be released this morning
Vincent Kompany’s Burnley was one of three teams to be promoted from the Championship last season
How are Premier League fixtures decided?
With the new season just around the corner, many fans will be wondering how the matches are decided.
The man in charge of the task is Glenn Thompson. Thompson has collected over 60,000 games since 1992.
Speaking about when work will start on putting together the new fixtures, Thompson said: ‘For me it’s at the beginning of the year when I get the Premier League game dates. The whole thing is built up, entering the international dates of FIFA and then the European club competitions. Then the football association adds the dates for its competitions. You are left with the dates on which you can play league and League Cup matches.
“We are also consulting representatives of fans, the Football Supporters Federation and other stakeholders to get their views.
Around March, the Premier League sends its clubs a form asking questions such as whether there are any dates they don’t want to be home – which are answered in conjunction with local police – and whether there are any teams they don’t want. want to play at home on Boxing Day.
Matches are then compiled after the Championship Play-off Final. Premier League clubs are then put into a link grid, which determines the dates they will be home.
The match computer knows for each date in the season which clubs are home and which are away. It will then randomly mix them up to determine the matches.
In every five games there should be a split of three home games, two away games, or vice versa, with the process reversed.
Premier League fixtures are compiled after the Championship Play-off Final
What are the rules applied to the Premier League fixture list?
There are a few rules to keep in mind when compiling the Premier League fixture list.
Clubs are not allowed to start or end the season with two home or two away games. This rule was introduced to avoid a disadvantage.
Some clubs have a partner club and cannot clash on the same day, such as Manchester City and Man United, as well as Liverpool and Everton.
If a club is home on Boxing Day during the Christmas period, they will play out on New Year’s Day.
Some clubs have a partner club and can’t clash on the same day – things get a bit more ‘complex’ when it comes to London teams though