FA faces battle to lift 3pm Saturday blackout for WSL
The FA wants to show Women’s Super League (WSL) football games on TV at 3 pm on Saturdays, but many are against it. Right now, there’s a rule that no live football games can be on TV in England and Scotland from 2:45 pm to 5:15 pm on Saturdays.
The FA thinks this rule shouldn’t apply to women’s football and wants permission to change it. They say it’s stopping the women’s game from growing and making money.
A review led by former England player Karen Carney suggested creating a special time on Saturday afternoons for women’s football on TV. The UK government agrees, saying it could make more money for the sport.
But, the Premier League, Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), and English Football League (EFL) don’t like the idea. They want to keep the blackout to protect grassroots football and attendance at their clubs’ games.
Sky Sports, which has TV rights for all three leagues, doesn’t seem interested in showing WSL games at 3 pm on Saturdays because it clashes with their Soccer Saturday program. Another broadcaster, TNT Sports, might be interested in buying the rights for Saturday afternoon games. The decision about this is expected to come next month when the current TV deal ends.