The 2021-22 EPL will begin on the weekend of August 14 after clubs were successful in lobbying for the start date to be pushed back by a week.
The season was initially pencilled in to start on August 7, just four weeks after the European Championship final, but Premier League clubs appealed for a longer break given the gruelling nature of the current campaign.
The 2020-21 campaign has been condensed due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the first match taking place on September 12 – a month later than usual.
As a result, there have been more injuries than ever before and clubs were desperate for as long a break as possible after the Euros end on July 11.
Following football’s postponement for three months from March to June 2020, the 2019-20 EPL did not finish until late July, with European matches running into late August – just weeks before the current campaign started.
One club executive told The Athletic: ‘People will say the players had three months off last season during the lockdown but that was cancelled out by a very short summer and intense programme this season.
‘The schedule for the last two years, for reasons out of everyone’s control, has been relentless.’
The season will conclude on May 22, 2022, with all 10 games kicking off simultaneously.