Premier League: 2020-21 season to begin on September 12
The 2020-21 Premier League season will begin on September 12 and continue until May 23, the league has announced.
On Friday, the 20 top-flight clubs gathered for their final shareholders’ meeting of this season, with the final round of games taking place on Sunday.
It is understood Premier League clubs have expressed a willingness to trial fans within stadiums at pre-season friendlies.
Referees are likely to be encouraged to make greater use of pitchside monitors in the next season.
The policy this season has been to use them sparingly and rely on the advice of the VAR, but FIFA, which has taken on responsibility for its worldwide implementation, has called for consistency of application across all competitions.
A statement from the Premier League read: “Premier League shareholders today agreed to start the 2020-21 Premier League season on September 12, 2020.
“The final match round of the campaign will take place on May 23, 2021. The Premier League will continue to consult the FA and EFL regarding the scheduling of all domestic competitions.”
The English Football League season will also begin on the same weekend, it was later confirmed.
The EFL regular season will conclude on May 8 and 9 with the play-offs to follow at the end of the month.
The season will begin behind closed doors, with spectators set to return to venues on a socially-distanced basis from October 1.