Football League on Sky

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A further nine matches have been selected for broadcast to complete a schedule that means 25 Football League games will be shown live during the first two months of the season.

Relegated Burnley’s date with Birmingham on Saturday, August 15 is followed by Cardiff’s trip to QPR in a Championship double-header on the second weekend of the new term, while a Yorkshire derby between Bradford and the Blades in League One on Sunday, September 20 has also been chosen for Sky Sports coverage.

Sky Sports will kick off its biggest ever season of Sky Bet Football League with three live matches across the opening weekend – starting with Brighton’s home match against Nottingham Forest on Friday, August 7 – and will show 21 of the Sky Bet Championship clubs by the start of October. 

Thanks to the start of the new broadcasting partnership between Sky and the Football League, viewers can enjoy more matches than ever before: 127 live fixtures – including the play-off matches and three finals from Wembley.

Sky Sports’ Head of Football Gary Hughes said: “Last season’s Championship was one of the most exciting in recent memory and what you can guarantee with the Football League is competitive games from the opening weekend to the final day of the play-offs.

“With more games than ever on Sky Sports we’ll be able to show more of that story, and cover more clubs up and down the country that the fans are so passionate about.”

From August Sky Sports will be the only place to see the big kick-off with SPFL champions Celtic starting at home against Ross County on Saturday, August 1, before the Premier League gets under way a week later.

As the domestic leagues shape up in August and September, viewers will also be able to follow the climax to UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, with all the home nation sides in contention for a place in France next summer.

Any sides that finish in the top two of their UEFA qualifying groups will be heading to France, while third place teams could also make it via a play-off in November.

Sky Sports’ coverage of the Football League will include the analysis and expert views of Don Goodman, Peter Beagrie and Andy Hinchcliffe, and hosted by Simon Thomas.

Sky Sports’ live Football League fixtures (additions to schedule in bold)

August

Fri 7: Brighton & Hove Albion v  Nottingham Forest (7.45pm)

Sat 8: Leeds United v Burnley (12.30pm)

Sun 9: Preston North End v Middlesbrough (12 noon)

Sat 15: Burnley v Birmingham City (12.30pm)

Sat 15: Queens Park Rangers v Cardiff City (5.15pm)

Sun 16: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Hull City (12 noon)

Fri 21: Birmingham City v Derby County (7.45pm)

Sat 22: Leeds United v Sheffield Wednesday (12.30pm)

Sat 22: Cardiff City v Wolverhampton Wanderers (5.15pm)

Fri 28: Blackburn Rovers v Bolton Wanderers (7.45pm)

Sat 29: Derby County v Leeds United (12.05pm) 

September

Sat 5: Southend United v Peterborough United (12.05pm)

Sun 6: Bristol Rovers v Oxford United (12.15pm)

Sun 6: Burton Albion v Coventry City (2.30pm)

Fri 11: Reading v Ipswich Town (8pm)

Sat 12: Queens Park Rangers v Nottingham Forest (12.30pm)

Sun 13: Fulham v Blackburn Rovers (12 noon)

Fri 18: Ipswich Town v Birmingham City (7.45pm)

Sat 19: Nottingham Forest v Middlesbrough (12.30pm)

Sun 20: Bradford City v Sheffield United (12 noon)

Fri 25: Fulham v Queens Park Rangers (7.45pm)

Sat 26: MK Dons v Derby County (12.30pm)

Sun 27: Middlesbrough v Leeds (1.15pm)

October

Fri 2 Oct: Rotherham United v Burnley (7.45pm)

Sat 3: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Huddersfield Town (12.30pm)

Find all Sky Live fixtures at www.skysports.com/football or via the Sky Sports apps.