Sky Sports and The Football League today (Monday) announced the first live televised matches for the 2007/08 Coca-Cola Football League season.
In consultation with The Football League and the Clubs, Sky Sports have scheduled an initial 24 live games featuring 36 different clubs over the first four months of the season.
Further live matches will be confirmed shortly. Matches from all three divisions will be shown in the first month of the season.
Wolves meet Watford in the opening televised match of the season on Saturday 11 August (kick-off 5.20pm), followed by Stoke City vs Charlton Athletic on Saturday 18 August (kick-off 5.20pm).
Other live fixtures confirmed today include:
-Blackpool vs Hull City - The famous Lancashire club, returning to the second tier of English football for the first time in 29 years, face Hull at Bloomfield Road on Monday 3 September (kick-off 7.45pm).
-Scunthorpe United vs Leicester City - 'The Iron', newly promoted, take on one of the Championship big-guns now managed by Martin Allen on Saturday 20 October (kick-off 5.20pm).
-Coventry City vs West Brom - A Midlands derby at The Ricoh Arena on Monday 12 November.
Vic Wakeling, Sky Sports' Managing Director commented: "It was only a month ago, so the drama of the play-offs - even the final days of the regular season with so many crucial issues being decided - is still very fresh in the memory, but these opening games are fascinating.
"We shall all be watching to see how the relegated teams fare, along with those who have just come up or those who went so close last season.
"We are aiming to provide a mix of games over the next months which will capture all the drama at both ends of the various league tables.''
Also in August, Sky Sports will screen two live games from the First Round of the Carling Cup with Peterborough vs Southampton on Monday 13 August and Rotherham vs Sheffield Wednesday on Thursday 16 August.
This season, Sky Sports will screen 70 live matches from the Coca-Cola Football League, plus the end of season Play-Offs, including all three Finals from Wembley Stadium.
Sky Sports will also show 92 live matches from the Barclays Premier League - more than ever before -the UEFA Champions League; live ties from the Carling Cup, FA Cup and Tennent's Scottish Cup, Spain's La Liga, the Carnegie Premier League from Northern Ireland (new to Sky Sports) and live internationals including European Championship Qualifiers featuring England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Updated live fixtures can always be sourced at www.skysports.com, Sky Text page 220 and via the weekly Sky Sports Media Bulletin.
The confirmed live fixtures are:
AUGUST
Sat 11 - Wolves v Watford (5.20pm) Championship
Sat 18 - Stoke v Charlton (5.20pm) Championship
Sat 25 - Sheffield Utd v West Brom (5.20pm) Championship
SEPTEMBER
Sat 1 - Coventry v Preston NE (5.20pm) Championship
Mon 3 - Blackpool v Hull (7.45pm) Championship
Sun 9 - Wycombe v Brentford (1.30pm) League 2
- Swindon v Yeovil (4pm) League 1
Sat 15 - Plymouth v Cardiff (5.20pm) Championship
Sat 22 - Ipswich v Coventry (5.20pm) Championship
Sat 29 - Norwich v Sheffield Wed (5.20pm) Championship
OCTOBER
Sat 6 - Bristol City v Sheffield Utd (5.20pm) Championship
Mon 8 - QPR v Norwich (7.45pm) Championship
Sun 14 - MK Dons v Lincoln (1.30pm) League 2
- Doncaster v Huddersfield (4pm) League 1
Mon 15 - Luton v Northampton (7.45pm) League 1
Sat 20 - Scunthorpe v Leicester (5.20pm) Championship
Mon 22 - Hull v Barnsley (7.45pm) Championship
Sat 27 - Burnley v Southampton (5.20pm) Championship
NOVEMBER
Sat 3 - Colchester v Leicester (5.20pm) Championship
Sat 10 - Stoke v Sheffield Utd (5.20pm) Championship
Mon 12 - Coventry v West Brom (7.45pm) Championship
Sun 18 - Yeovil v Gillingham (1.30pm) League 1
- Carlisle v Nottm' Forest (4pm) League 1
Sat 24 - Preston v Charlton (5.20pm) Championship
