Chelsea and Arsenal will take each other on in the Community Shield next week, having won the FA Cup and Premier League title between them last term, but the clash has been moved by an hour to avoid a clash.
England Ladies have made giant strides in the European Championships this summer, and are currently awaiting a semi-final clash with Netherlands Ladies on Thursday, but with the final set to be staged on Sunday at 5PM, the FA have opted to bring the earlier Community Shield clash back an hour.
The Wembley showdown will now kick-off at 2PM, instead of the previously scheduled 3PM slot, with the latter likely to clash with the Ladies should the game run onto penalties, or even be delayed by injuries somewhat.
Arsenal will be keen to avoid a re-enactment of their friendly defeat to the Blues in pre-season, but will have fond memories of having played Chelsea in the FA Cup final there in May. We dominated the Premier League champions, and they will likely be keen for revenge on that front.
Both our sides will come into the game with some changes however, with Nemanja Matic having been replaced in the squad by Tiemioue Bakayoko, and Diego Costa having been told he can leave, in order to accommodate new signing Alvaro Morata.
This will be an exciting encounter which could set the pace for the league, with the campaign starting the following weekend.
Wembley will of course be the new home of Tottenham Hotspur this season, due to refurbishments being made at White Hart Lane, and that will no doubt give them trouble this term as they look to continue their growth.
Does the time change affect anyone strongly? Will the women’s final catch more viewers than the Community Shield?
Pat J