Has TV coverage short-changed Everton fans following the move to Hill Dickinson Stadium?

Monday night’s fixture with Manchester City is the seventh time Everton have played in that timeslot this season. No Premier League team has done so more often. Many of us are left to feel neglected and detached, as Everton have a limited say over fixture rescheduling.

The final verdict typically lies with the Premier League and major broadcasters, who receive primary choice due to funding. These companies will then move fixtures to maximise their viewership.

The danger of alienating match-going fans

The consequences of rescheduling for us match-goers include reduced stadium atmosphere and travel difficulties, with logistical issues, such as rising costs and timing, collectively reducing accessibility.

Many of us may travel from afar, planning a perfect weekend of football and booking travel and accommodation, all for the fixture to be rescheduled for the sake of television coverage.

Ultimately, this risks damaging the connection between the fans and the club, which may discourage future attendance, reducing the historical matchday culture that has defined Everton for generations.

Perhaps the collective fan frustration stems from the idea that we don’t see an instant benefit from fixture rescheduling. Instead, the progressively increasing revenue from TV broadcasting through so-called Facility Fees provides clubs with essential income to turn potential plans into action over the long term.

More sanitised atmospheres in stadiums and empty seats would undermine the product broadcasters are hoping to sell, as the popularity of Premier League football is rooted in us, the passionate fans.

Due to the institutional advantage of live broadcasting, we are likely to be secondary to TV coverage for the foreseeable future.

Whilst we fans are being pushed out, clubs also risk losing their identity to broadcasters, Everton included.

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I’d just like to post a short word of welcome to Calum, who is the latest addition to our cadre of freelance writers at ToffeeWeb. I’ll let Calum tell us more about himself as he sees fit in the discussion of this important topic, which he and many Everton fans feel increasingly annoyed about.

It’s something that has been picked up by the Everton Fan Advisory Board, who voiced a strongly worded statement condemning the footballing authorities for their clear disregard of fans’ wishes at the end of March, when the change to this weekend’s Manchester City fixture was announced.

That prompted an earlier discussion of these issues here on ToffeeWeb, and clearly it’s an ongoing concern that is not going away anytime soon. And if we were to somehow qualify for European football next season (kinda impossible at this point, I suspect), it would only get worse for Everton, with a lot more fixtures rescheduled away from the traditional 3 pm Saturday afternoon timeslot — and every one of them getting the live TV treatment in the UK.