Why Bournemouth vs Chelsea Premier League clash is set for unusual kick-off time

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Chelsea will face a late night trip to the south coast to face Bournemouth

AFC Bournemouth squad for 2024/25 LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 31: Lewis Cook of Bournemouth celebrates after scoring to make it 2-2 with team-mates Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert, Dango Ouattara during the Premier League match between Everton FC and AFC Bournemouth at Goodison Park on August 31, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
Bournemouth will host Chelsea on Saturday (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Premier League is back this weekend but with a noticeable change to the usual schedule.

AFC Bournemouth host Chelsea on Saturday in a televised clash that will be broadcast to UK audiences via Sky Sports. The game was originally set for 3pm before it was selected for live transmission.

But rather than the usual slot of 5.30pm, the Blues trip to the Vitality Stadium will kick-off at 8pm on Saturday night.

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Why Bournemouth v Chelsea is kicking-off at 8pm?

Once Sky Sports selected the game for live coverage, the original kick-off needed rescheduling.

This is due to UK 3pm blackout rule, which means no football matches can be televised from 14:25 to 17:25 on a regular Saturday during the season.

Sky Sports do, this season, normally have the 5.30pm slot to broadcast games, with TNT Sports taking the Saturday lunchtime window. However, they are already showing Aston Villa’s clash with Everton at that time.

Chelsea squad for 2024/25 LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Cole Palmer of Chelsea controls the ball during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Crystal Palace FC at Stamford Bridge on September 01, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Cole Palmer and Chelsea head to Bournemouth looking for their second Premier League win of the season (Image credit: Getty Images)

As a result, Bournemouth against Chelsea will take place directly after the game at Villa Park finishes, set for an 8pm kick-off – allowing Sky Sports to broadcast both games.

Sky are also showing games in the Friday Night Football slot throughout the season. But that was not an option on this occasion, coming directly off the back of an international window.

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Jack Lacey-Hatton
Jack Lacey-Hatton
Freelance writer

Jack has worked as a sports reporter full-time since 2021. He previously worked as the Chief Women’s Football Writer at the Mirror, covering the England Women’s national team and the Women’s Super League. Jack has reported on a number of major sporting events in recent years including the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on the ground in Australia. When not writing on football, he can often be spotted playing the game somewhere in west London.