Supporters’ Trusts of Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham, Manchester United and Newcastle have backed a petition against broadcasting companies’ fixture changes.

As of writing, nearly 3,000 fans have signed a petition that is calling for TV companies to give more notice when they reschedule fixtures.

The petition has been backed by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, the West Ham United Independent Supporters Association, the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust, the Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust, the Spirit of Shankly and the Football Supporters Federation.

Supporters have been at the mercy of Sky and BT as more and more fixtures are rescheduled for TV coverage.

These late changes can prevent fans from booking the necessary time off to attend games, and miss out on more affordable travel fares.

Abroad, sudden fixture changes can affect fan parties, where fans gather to watch their team play, as well as those who make the trip to the UK to see their team.

The petition reads:

“In 2016, following requests from fan groups, the Premier League committed to provide a schedule for confirmation of broadcast picks at the start of each season. We note that these dates are now missed more regularly than they are adhered to.

“December and January selections were over a fortnight late, with one match – Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham – over 3 weeks late.

“The latest example of this being that televised games for February 2018, due to be announced on Tuesday 12 December 2017, have still not been announced with no public apology or acknowledgment of this delay and no indication of a new announcement date.”

While the likes of Sky and BT will want to maximise their TV coverage and get as much of a return on their investment as possible, it would earn them more good will to work with the fans, rather than always going against them.