FA facing battle with EPL over their bid to lift 3pm Saturday blackout for WSL

The FA face a major battle with the rest of British football to get the 3pm Saturday TV blackout lifted for the Women's Super League next season.

Mail Sport has learned that the Premier League, Scottish Premier League, EFL and main domestic rights holder Sky Sports are opposed to lifting the blackout despite calls from government to do so.

In what could become the next big division in the sport following the impending agreement of a new funding package for the lower divisions, the FA want dispensation from UEFA sto lift the blackout for the women's game, which will be relaunched next season with a rebranded WSL and Championships run by the clubs.

The issue is particularly pressing as the WSL's existing TV deal with Sky and the BBC expires in the summer and the tender for the next contract is due to be issued next month, which will require clarity on kick-off times for broadcasters.

The blackout is controlled by UEFA via Article 48 of its statutes, which stipulate that no live football can be broadcast in England and Scotland between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday afternoon. A joint application from the FA and Scottish FA led to UEFA removing the blackout temporarily during the Covid-19 pandemic when matches took place behind closed doors, but it was swiftly reimposed when crowds returned.

In their response to Karen Carney's women's football review published earlier this week the government supported the former England midfield player's calls for a bespoke broadcast slot and described lifting the 3pm blackout as 'viable option' that would 'significantly increase its broadcast and commercial revenue'.

To complicate matters however, the government-backed independent regulator for football that is due to created next year will