When Sheffield United will discover their Premier League schedule and how it is decided

Paul Heckingbottom’s side, who following Leeds’ relegation on Sunday are Yorkshire’s only top-flight representative, have been informed by officials at the competition’s London headquarters that its latest calendar is set to be published on June 15th. The new campaign’s first set of matches will then be staged on Saturday 12 August, less than a month after United are planning to travel to Portugal for a warm weather training camp where coaching staff hope to integrate several new signings into their first team squad.

MORE: United will bring something special to the Premier League

In the past, launches have often occurred on a Friday in order to satisfy the demands of television backers. But, barring a late change of heart, that will not be the case this summer.

Unlike the Championship, where United were frequently required to compete once every three days, the PL have confirmed the forthcoming campaign will consist of 34 weekend rounds, three midweek slots and one on a bank holiday. However, United’s agenda could be complicated if they progress beyond the third round of the FA Cup. Despite their then EFL status, Heckingbottom’s men progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament last term, where they were beaten by Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.

MORE: Why the R&R list delay

Confirming how its scheduling is decided, the PL website states: “We start when we know the composition of each division, so after the last Football league play-off, which was on 29 May. We place each club in a pairing grid, which defines which dates they will be at home. For every date in the season, the fixture computer knows which clubs are at home and who are away and then it will mix them up randomly to determine the matches.”

“In any five matches there should be a split of three home fixtures, two away or the other way around,” the PL’s explanation continues. “A team will never have more than two home or away matches in a row and, wherever possible, you will be home and away around FA Cup ties.

“A club will never start or finish the season with two home or away matches, because it would be unfair for a team to finish with two aways.”

MORE: United can be standard bearers for Yorkshire

United regained their place among England’s elite clubs by finishing as runners-up in the second tier, 11 points ahead of Luton Town who subsequently went up via the play-offs.

Although Heckingbottom will welcome the bigger break between matches, veterans of the United squad which spent two years at the highest level after being prompted in 2019 have testified that the PL is more mentally and physically draining given the demands of facing some of the world’s most gifted footballers.

United will wait until SKY and TNT Sports, the moniker BT Sport and Warner Bros Discovery have chosen for their new joint broadcasting venture, have finalised their first series of live broadcast picks before making any travel arrangements.

With Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion taking part in the Europa League, coupled with Aston Villa’s involvement in the Europa Conference League, meetings with these clubs could automatically be moved to a Sunday depending upon when they fall.

The final round of PL games all begin simultaneously on Sunday 19 May.