" The Championship is the third most attended division in Europe, behind only the Premier League and the Bundesliga. It remains to be seen just what impact a mid-season break will have on the final outcome at both ends of the table, but Birch feels that makes the competition all the more compelling. "You could say it is the unknown of the Championship, that every weekend, there is a shock, which is the wonderful thing about the Championship - the unpredictability of it all, " Birch said. "So when you add in another dynamic to it (the World Cup break) which we have never experienced before, clubs are all on a mini pre-season again. It is going to be fascinating to watch how they cope with it.
The results are being analysed and come against a background of the EFL's growing fanbase. More than 550, 000 season tickets have been sold this season, the highest total from any EFL campaign in the past 22 years, with an increase across all three divisions, while junior season-ticket sales are up by 29 per cent - helped by City's impressive ticket policy of selling tickets for just £3 to those aged between two and 10.
"We have seen from many of these Netflix series that if you put a narrative around the club, it definitely generates greater interest. It is an additive to the experience of attending games. "We were experimenting. We are obviously out there at the moment with our Request For Proposal and basically saying, 'Look, what would you do to make life interesting for us going forward? ' "Under the current contract, we probably can't do too much more than that because it does actually take time, effort and cost to put something on like that. "I suspect there won't be too many more (before the end of 2023/24), but it was an example of what you could do with a game if you were to apply a little bit more impetus to it.
Lewis Fiorini bidding to be back in Blackpool contention for Birmingham City game Lewis Fiorini is back in Blackpool full training as he bids for a place in
the matchday squad against Birmingham
Free Travel for Birmingham and Wigan! Hull City are happy to announce that coach travel from the MKM Stadium will be FREE for all supporters travelling to the Birmingham & Wigan away fixtures this festive period. With everyone feeling financial restraints at the moment, especially during the Christmas period, the club wants to support our loyal travelling fans by covering the costs of the coach travel for both away games. For ticket details of the Birmingham fixture on Friday 30th December (KO 7. 45pm), please click here. For ticket details of the Wigan fixture on Monday 2nd January (KO 3pm), please click here.
How to Book: Online FREE Tiger Travel can be acquired online by clicking here. Each ticket will show at full price, this will be discounted to £0 when it's added to your basket. Supporters will either have needed to have purchased a ticket for the Birmingham or Wigan fixture already on their ticketing account or have a ticket for the game in their basket for the discount to take effect. Over the phone and in-store FREE Tiger Travel can be acquired over the phone at 01482 505600, and in person at the Tiger Leisure store. Tiger Leisure and Sales Centre opening hours Tap here Tiger Travel information: Birmingham (a) Coaches will depart from the South Stand Car Park at the MKM Stadium at 3pm for the trip down to Birmingham.
Ex-Blackpool, Blackburn & Bolton midfielder Jay Spearing reveals uncommon disease diagnosis READ MORE:How Blackpool took advantage of Liam Rosenior's Hull City
philosophy as Leeds United loanee call
Hull City primed for Championship return after World Cup breakAs the Sky Bet Championship prepares to make a return following the World Cup break with Hull City heading to fancied Watford on Sunday, EFL chief executive Trevor Birch feels the recent experiment of a first 'Innovation Game' can only have helped showcase the league's unique selling point. Coverage of Wycombe's League One win over Portsmouth on December 4 included additional features such as on-pitch audio, dressing-room footage and other behind-the-scenes access like exclusive interviews and club personnel on co-commentary duties.
Blackpool line-up & matchday squad in full vs Sheff United as one change madeBlackpool boss Michael Appleton has made one change to his side to take on Sheffield United this evening. The Seasiders are in action for the final time in 2022 this evening. They host the Blades at Bloomfield Road seeking to go four games unbeaten. Blackpool are 22nd in the table and seeking to climb out of the relegation zone. Sheffield United meanwhile are second in the standings and competing with Burnley to be at the summit of the division. READ MORE: Blackpool vs Sheffield United LIVE: Build-up, early team news, match updates & reaction The Seasiders will be aiming to sign this year off with three points. Appleton has made one change from the Boxing Day draw against Hull City and looks like Blackpool will be lining up in a 4-4-2 again.
Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough Sky Sports TV channel details, how to stream & match odds Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough Sky Sports TV channel details, how to
stream & match odds. The match at Ewood Park can be watched
Birmingham vs Hull Preview & Prediction | 2022-23 English Championship Where can I stream Birmingham vs Hull in the UK? If Birmingham vs Hull is
televised on Sky Sports then the match can be streamed live on
The EFL is currently considering the future direction of its broadcasting. READ MORE: Hull City's Championship restart challenge underlined by two testing fixtures In October, the EFL issued a Request For Proposal (RFP), inviting interested broadcasters and media companies to come forward and suggest new ways of presenting the league on television and streaming platforms from the 2024/25 season, once its current deal with Sky Sports expires.
He has been out of football management since departing the Mariners in December 2020. READ MORE: Blackpool face potential season defining period when Championship resumes vs Birmingham City The 59-year-old would like to get back into a dugout at some stage, believing a job in the second tier would be most suited to him with the knowledge he has of that division. He believes he lacked that in League Two at Blundell Park. Speaking to Kammy & Ben's Proper Football Podcast, he said: "If it was around the Championship, I know that level, and it's all about understanding good value for money, the wages, the scouting network that you've got.
Birmingham City vs Hull City TV channel, live stream and how to watch the Championship Birmingham City vs Hull City TV channel, live stream and how to watch the
Championship. Latest Birmingham City news from BirminghamLive
Norwich City vs Burnley given new kick off time amid Sky Sports selection as Clarets net windfall If the game is only on the red button there is no fee awarded but clubs are
able to live stream their matches, opening up another
Dan Grimshaw starts as goalkeeper this evening. The only change comes in the back four, when Dom Thompson replaces the injured Luke Garbutt at left-back. The rest of the back four is poised to line up as Callum Connolly, Marvin Ekpiteta and James Husband. The central midfield is set to be Sonny Carey and Charlie Patino.
"Unfortunately when I went to the lower league, I didn't have a scouting network that covered that. None of my mates who have worked for me for years knew anything about that level so I was going to have to adapt and take a while. "But Covid kicked in and that really affected what I wanted to do at Grimsby. At the end of the day, I decided to come back home. "So if it was around the Championship, if it was a club who could put up with me, I would love it.
Blackpool line-up vs Sheffield United confirmed as one change made and formation decision made Appleton has made one change from the Boxing Day draw against Hull City and
looks like Blackpool will be lining up in a 4-4-2
" As part of finding solutions which cater for changing viewer habits, lifting the Saturday 3pm screening blackout is one option the EFL could consider in the future. Under Article 48 of UEFA regulations, domestic associations are allowed to impose a broadcasting block which is designed to protect live attendance at matches throughout the football pyramid, although it was temporarily lifted during the coronavirus pandemic. However, Birch stressed: "To be honest, it is too early to add too much colour around that (future plans). We are assessing what we have received and deciding what the next stage of that proposal will be.
As the Championship took a break during the World Cup, the focus on domestic football was centered around the two lower tiers. Birch believes that presented an opportunity to think outside the box in terms of what future viewing experiences might look like. "It added a bit more of an interest to the whole day and gave people a better perspective of what happens on a match day, " the EFL chief told the PA news agency. "Particularly it was things like the little cameo with the referees, seeing the managers before the game, the cameras in the dressing room, and then the on-pitch interviews. I just thought it brought it alive. "Even though it wasn't comprehensive in terms of what you might be able to do, it certainly showed the potential of how telling a bit of a story around the game, around the club, can certainly enhance the viewing of the game.
All fans who book a free seat on Tiger Travel will need to purchase a match ticket. FREE Tiger Travel for this fixture will be available until Wednesday 21st December at 11. 59pm. After this point, the cost will revert back to full price. Please note, if you have already booked Tiger Travel for the Birmingham fixture, please get in touch with our Sales Centre on 01482 505600 or visit Tiger Leisure at the MKM Stadium to claim your full refund*. *Refunds are unavailable at Tiger Leisure on home matchdays.
Ex-Blackpool boss Holloway pinpoints job he'd take for management returnrFormer Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has said that he would get back into football management if a job in the Championship became available. Legendary former Seasiders boss Holloway took the Bloomfield Road club to the Premier League for the 2020/11 season. He spent just over three years in the dugout at Blackpool. Holloway has since taken jobs at Crystal Palace, QPR, Millwall and most recently with Grimsby Town.
Fortunes tipped for Burnley, PNE, Blackburn & Blackpool as At the other end of the table, Blackpool ended a run of four straight
losses with a goalless draw at Bloomfield Road against Birmingham