complicated process
It is one of the most eagerly-awaited dates of the calendar and the fixtures team are acutely aware of the responsibility on their shoulders.
Compiling the fixture lists is a hugely complicated process which starts from scratch each year and which cannot even begin until after the Championship play-off final when the full line-up is known for each division.
Some of the groundwork though is done in the preceding weeks when questionnaires are sent to clubs for requests and input on dates to avoid. The questionnaires and date requests are also considered by each club's local police force. For instance the Great North run impacts on teams in the north-east.
Neighbouring clubs across the divisions are paired together to ensure they do not play at home on the same dates. For example, in the West Midlands Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers will be at home when Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion are away.
Other criteria include:
*Wherever possible clubs should have no more than two successive home (or away) fixtures, excluding cup draws.
*All clubs should have an alternating sequence of home and away Saturday fixtures at both the beginning and end of the season.
*Any club away on Boxing Day should be at home on New Year's day and vice versa. Local derbies are avoided on these dates but equally distance of journeys should be minimised. If possible, clubs should have an equal number of home and away fixtures on Bank Holidays, if applicable.
*Clubs playing in the Europa League on a Thursday will have the option of moving a Saturday fixture to a Sunday so, where possible, these should be home matches.
