Premier League on YouTube floated as an idea to complete the season

Liam Watson
The English Premier League could have some matches streamed for free on YouTube as a way to conclude the current campaign, according to reports.

As part of ‘Project Restart’, all 20 clubs will discuss how to get the current season done in any way they can, which has been suspended since March 13 due to Covid-19.

More talks and a vote held by Premier League representatives will involve proposals about how to resume the season, following the UK government’s plans to exit lockdown.

There are 92 games still to be played in England’s top flight and all will most likely be played behind closed doors.

Football bosses want fans to be able to watch every game live. According to The Times, there are proposals for games to be shown free on Sky Sports and BT Sport’s YouTube channels. However, not all matches will be shown at the same time to increase audience figures.

Sky Sports, under their existing agreement with the Premier League, were handed the rights to show half of the remaining 92 games before the season was paused.

47 matches are planned to be shown on Sky, which holds the majority of the broadcasting rights. The other 45 will need to be split between Sky, BT and Amazon Prime, however there had been no plans to give the latter more games to stream this season due to the proportion of the games they were contracted to show.

The BBC is unlikely to show any live games, but they could be allowed to feature highlights packages.

The Times suggests broadcasters are opposed to the idea of scrapping relegation as it would risk making TV contracts invalid and rendering many of the games meaningless. Six clubs have so far tried to block ‘Project Restart’ as they want relegation to be cancelled and the season to be made void.

The broadcasters and government will then be left to sort out a deal about how many matches would be shown on free-to-air channels such as YouTube.

As things stand, the Premier League is under pressure to finish off the season to protect the £762 million in TV money that would have to be repaid to broadcasters.

The Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, revealed last month he had spoken to the Premier League over the issue of TV coverage.

“It wouldn’t be the best signal if they were one of the first major sports to resume behind closed doors, and the public at large couldn’t have access to it,” he said.

“I don’t want to be in a position of issuing some blanket mandate or trying to change things round.

“But they do need to be mindful of that, and in fairness they are mindful of it.”

The last time Premier League matches were shown for free was on the opening day of the 2013-14 season when Sky showed Manchester United v Swansea, while Crystal Palace v Arsenal was free on BT.

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Football Victoria recognised in Pride in Sport Index 2026

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Image credit: Parilov / Shutterstock.com

The Silver Status shows Football Victoria‘s commitment to providing Victorians with a safe, inclusive landscape for all to enjoy the beautiful game.

Everyone’s game

Earlier this month, the Australian Pride in Sport Awards recognised several organisations and individuals across the nation who continue to champion inclusive spaces in the world of sport.

Among the nominees was Football Victoria, who received the Silver Status. FV Executive Manager Equity, Programs and Government Relations, Karen Pearce, expressed her pride at the achievement.

“Achieving Silver Status in the Pride in Sport Index is an important reflection of the work being done across Football Victoria to ensure LGBTQ+ people feel safe, welcomed and included in our game,” Pearce said via official press release.

“We remain committed to embedding inclusive practices across all levels of football, and continuing to create environments where everyone can belong, participate and thrive.”

 

Inclusion matters

While recognition is always a positive reflection of successful work behind the scenes, it is important to remember what the work intends to achieve.

Football – and sport in general – is a unique opportunity to bring diverse communities together, and to compete, spectate and enjoy the game on an equal playing field.

Furthermore, as custodians of ‘the world’s game’, governing bodies, fans and players around the world all share the responsibility to empower marginalised groups to feel included.

Two months ago, The Premier League introduced their own initiative – Premier League With Pride – reflecting their own commitment to ensuring football grounds, schools and academies remain welcoming.

 

Final thoughts

There is no place for hate or abuse in football, whether on a grassroots field or professional stadium.

Football Victoria will continue its journey and commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community – at all levels of the game – for many seasons to come.

Football Queensland to celebrate Female Football Week with statewide events, awards and coaching programs

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Brighton women's football motion
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Football Queensland will mark the 2026 Female Football Week with a program of statewide events, competitions and professional development opportunities running from May 8-17, as the governing body continues to push for broader access and representation across all levels of the women’s game in Queensland.

The nationwide initiative, now a fixture on the Australian football calendar, provides a concentrated period of visibility for female participation across playing, coaching, officiating and administration: areas where structural underrepresentation has historically limited both the growth of the game and the opportunities available to women and girls within it.

“Female Football Week provides us with a valuable opportunity to celebrate the contributions of women and girls across our game while continuing to increase the accessibility of football in Queensland,” said Football Queensland CEO Robert Cavallucci. “We encourage our clubs to host their own Female Football Week events and activations for female participants.”

 

Elite Competition Meets Community Access

The centrepiece of Football Queensland’s program is the return of the NPL Women’s Magic Round to Nudgee Recreation Reserve on May 8 and 9, featuring five NPL Women’s Round 13 clashes alongside a Girls United Junior Carnival and family-friendly activations. Each Magic Round game will feature an all-female refereeing panel, a deliberate and visible commitment to developing the next generation of female match officials at a moment when referee shortages are among the most pressing structural challenges facing the game nationally.

A Women in Football networking event will be held on the opening night of Magic Round, bringing together coaches, match officials and administrators. The inclusion of that event alongside elite competition is significant because it positions professional development and community building not as supplementary activities but as core components of what Female Football Week is for.

The Central Coast region will host its own Magic Round on May 16, featuring a Youth Girls game and three FQPL Central Coast Women’s matches, while a Darling Downs Junior Girls Day will take place at Captain Cook Park on the same day, extending the reach of the week’s programming beyond the southeast corner of the state into regional Queensland.

 

Coaching access as a structural priority

Football Queensland will deliver a series of female-only coaching courses around Female Football Week, with clubs also able to express interest in hosting their own. The initiative addresses one of the most persistent barriers to female representation in football administration- its coaching pipeline.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented at all levels of the game in Australia, and the barriers to accreditation, including cost, availability and the cultural environment of mixed coaching courses, compound one another in ways that individual ambition alone cannot overcome. Female-only courses create environments where women can develop without those barriers, and their delivery during Female Football Week signals that the commitment extends beyond celebration into structural change.

The Girls United Carnivals, running in both Metro and Far North and Gulf regions alongside the Q-League Schools program at Meakin Park, extend that access to players at the earliest stages of their football journey.

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