The SPFL today confirmed that the winter break will be scrapped starting next season as the Scottish Premiership makes moves to accommodate the expanded European competitions that will start in the autumn with the group stages now running through until end January.
In an update, titled Key Dates for Season 2024/25 and posted on their official website, the SPFL release start and end dates that are now confirmed for next season, including the dates for the League (Viaplay) Cup. The update reads as follows:
The SPFL has today confirmed some key dates for next season, which is the first campaign in the new cycle of UEFA club competitions with an associated increase from six to 10 UEFA league phase matchdays.
The Premiership, Championship, League 1, and League 2 will all kick off on the weekend of 2/3/4 August, with the Premiership concluding on the weekend of 17/18 May.
Clubs in the Championship, League 1 and League 2 will finish on the first weekend in May before the play-offs get under way.
The expansion of the UEFA club competitions – the league phase of the Champions League and Europa League each run until the end of January – exerts additional pressure on the domestic calendar and means there will be no scheduled Premiership winter break in season 2024/25.
The group stage of the Viaplay Cup will again begin in mid-July, and to enable the competition to be completed before Christmas, the quarter-finals will be scheduled on a weekend due to the lack of available domestic midweeks in the first half of the season.
SPFL Trust Trophy dates will be confirmed in due course, while fixtures for the 2024/25 League season are likely to be published towards the end of June.
SPFL Chief Operating Officer Calum Beattie said: “There is a huge amount to look forward to across all four divisions of the cinch SPFL in the coming months, followed by Scotland’s eagerly-awaited participation at the Euros in Germany this summer.
“However, we know that clubs and fans alike are always keen to plan ahead, and we are pleased to be able to confirm start and end dates for season 2024/25, as well as the Viaplay Cup schedule.
“It is fair to say that the additional slots required for the UEFA club competitions next season have made scheduling more challenging than usual. In particular, there is very limited flexibility within the Premiership fixture calendar, and we are therefore unable to accommodate a scheduled winter break.”
Here’s Sky Sports reporting on this news this afternoon.
THE CELTIC STAR’S WINTER SALE IS NOW ON! GET A MASSIVE 50% OFF ALL BOOKS AT CELTICSTARBOOKS.COM/SHOP…
More must-reads: