Chris Davies is preparing for a huge challenge in his first job as a manager as he takes on the task of hauling Birmingham City back to the Championship.
Davies has taken over at St Andrew's following relegation to League One and will welcome players back for pre-season at the start of July ready for a huge few months ahead.
It is guaranteed to be a very different season in the EFL in another respect too due to a new deal struck with Sky Sports, meaning that Birmingham will be shown live on TV at least 20 times. Five games from League One and League Two will be broadcast live every weekend, as well as all opening day, final day and mid-week fixtures, plus matches played on Bank Holidays including Easter, Boxing Day and New Year's Day and all fixtures during international breaks.
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The campaign will run from the weekend of August 10 until May 3. There will be 46 rounds of league matches, held over 33 weekends, nine mid-weeks and four Bank Holidays in the Championship. Leagues One and Two will play on 36 weekends and six mid-weeks. The League Cup and Football League Trophy will continue with the same formats from last season. The Carabao Cup will launch in mid-August. The play-off finals, meanwhile, will take place over the 2025 May Bank Holiday weekend.
The new fixture list will be announced on Wednesday, June 26 at 9am. It will be published live on BirminghamLive.
Television selections for all matches to be played before the end of September will be confirmed by July 1, within seven days of the fixtures being announced.
Selection of all other matches scheduled to be played before the FA Cup third round, in January 2024, will be confirmed before the start of the season. Selection of all matches to be played between the FA Cup third round and the first weekend of March will be confirmed by November 1.
Selection of all matches scheduled after the first weekend of March will be made on a four-week rolling basis starting from February 1. Sky use the example that a match picked for TV coverage in the first weekend of April will be announced by the first weekend of March. It adds: "This is almost six month’s notice provided to fans and clubs, a significant increase on the current deal, which sees five weeks' notice given across the majority of the season. By selecting TV picks early and giving much more notice, fans will be able to plan with certainty when making travel and hotel arrangements."
The summer transfer window officially opened on Friday, June 14 and will close on Friday, August 30 at 11pm. The winter transfer window will run from January 1 through to 11pm on Monday, February 3 in 2025.
Key dates for League One 2024/25 season
- Fixture release day – Wednesday 26th June 2024, 9am
- Blues players return to training Monday July 1st
- Start date – Weekend of August 10th-11th 2024
- Carabao Cup first round – August 13th-14th 2024
- Carabao Cup final – Sunday 16th March 2025
- Season end - Saturday 3rd May 2025
- Play-off final weekend – May 24th-26th 2025
Who is in League One next season - and very early promotion odds
Birmingham 10/11, Bolton 11/4, Huddersfield 3/1, Rotherham 3/1, Wrexham 4/1, Peterborough 9/2, Barnsley 5/1, Reading 5/1, Charlton 11/2, Blackpool 7/1, Lincoln 7/1, Stockport 7/1, Wigan 7/1, Wycombe 7/1, Mansfield 11/1, Stevenage 11/1, Bristol Rovers 14/1, Leyton Orient 14/1, Exeter 16/1, Burton 18/1, Cambridge 18/1, Northampton 18/1, Shrewsbury 18/1, Crawley Town 40/1
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