Plymouth Argyle latest Sky TV selections to have big Home Park impact

Plymouth Argyle are facing an 11-week spell later in the Championship campaign without a single 3pm Saturday kick-off at Home Park.

It follows the inclusion of four Argyle home games in the latest list of Sky Sports broadcast selections for the period from January 11 until February 25. I think that speaks volumes about the exciting games, and the brilliant atmosphere at Home Park, whenever the Pilgrims have featured on Sky Sports over the past couple of years.

To be fair, it perhaps also indicates that Argyle are potentially not great viewing when they are playing away from home, given their winless run on the road this season.

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READ MORE: Four Plymouth Argyle games among latest Sky broadcast selections

Regardless, the selection of four more games at the Theatre of Greens to be televised live will have a significant impact on the Green Army, who have basically packed out the stadium every single game since the Pilgrims returned to the Championship for the 2023/24 campaign.

When Argyle take on Middlesbrough on Saturday, December 21 it will be their last Saturday 3pm kick-off at Home Park in the league until early March. Yes, you read that right, early March. Check out the list of home fixtures as they now stand:

Saturday, December 21: Middlesbrough 3pm

Wednesday, January 1: Bristol City 12.30pm

Saturday, January 18: Queens Park Rangers Sky Sports + 12.30pm

Wednesday, January 22: Burnley Sky Sports Football 8pm

Saturday, February 1: West Bromwich Albion Sky Sports Football 12.30pm

Tuesday, February 11: Millwall 7.45pm

Saturday, February 22: Cardiff City Sky Sports + 12.30pm

Saturday, March 8: Sheffield Wednesday (H) 3pm

As you can see there are six successive home matches from Bristol City on New Year's Day until the visit of Cardiff City on February 22 without a 3pm Saturday start.

There is the possibility of a 3pm kick-off at the Theatre of Greens in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, January 11 but, even if that was the case, the Green Army are going to have to get used to some very different matchday routines with four 12.30pm starts coming up in January and February.

It is far from ideal but Argyle fans are starting to experience what it is like supporting a Premier League club, whose date of fixtures and kick-off times are repeatedly chopped and changed all over the place for TV requirements.

TV pays the big bucks - remember, the EFL are in the first year of a near £1 billion deal with Sky Sports - and the broadcaster understandably wants to get as much value for money out of that as possible.

At least, the early notification of TV selections up until the end of February, allows supporters to plan with certainty that no other matches will be moved before then but the trend is clear, 3pm Saturday kick-offs are becoming fewer and fewer.

You can read more of our Argyle stories from Plymouth Live by clicking HERE