SPFL confirms 2024-25 season starts on 3 August

Scottish Premiership teams return to league action after the summer break on the weekend of 3 and 4 AugustThe 2024-25 SPFL season will start on the weekend of 3 and 4 August, with no winter break in the Premiership for the first time in four years.

The top flight last went without a mid-season hiatus during the Covid-affected 2020-21 campaign.

The league’s final games will be on 17/18 May, with the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2 ending on 2/3 May before promotion play-offs take place.

The Premiership play-off finals will be played over 22 and 25 May.

The SPFL-organised Viaplay Cup first round will take place over the final three weekends and final two midweeks of July, with the final on 15 December.

The second round will be played on the third weekend in August, the quarter-finals over the third weekend in September and semi-finals on the first weekend in November.

Prior to next season, the Euro 2024 finals featuring Scotland take place in Germany from 14 June to 14 July and the qualifying rounds of the Champions League will be played in June and July.

The Europa and Conference League qualifiers will be played in July and August.

“It is fair to say that the additional slots required for the Uefa club competitions next season have made scheduling more challenging than usual,” said SPFL chief operating officer Calum Beattie.

“In particular, there is very limited flexibility within the Premiership fixture calendar, and we are therefore unable to accommodate a scheduled winter break.”

Meanwhile, the SPFL say the draft report of an independent review of the league’s operations shows it complies “with significant elements of the UK Code of Corporate Governance”.

The review was commissioned in July after the SPFL’s chairman Murdoch MacLennan apologised to Rangers as a dispute over sponsorship was concluded.

The SPFL agreed a deal with car firm cinch in 2021 but Rangers did not promote the deal and took the matter to court, citing a prior agreement with rival car retailer Park’s of Hamilton.

“I am reassured but not complacent,” said MacLennan of the review.

“We will now take time to consider Henderson Loggie’s detailed recommendations before bringing suggested changes back to the 42 SPFL member clubs for their consideration.”

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