The Community Shield kickoff time has been changed by the Football Association after complaints from fans about “inconvenient scheduling.”

At Wembley, Manchester City will take on Arsenal in the customary season-opening match.

The first schedule for a 17:30 BST kickoff on August 6 caused frustration among City supporters due to worries about travelling by public transportation.

On the same day, the game will now begin at 16:00 BST.

WeAre1894, a group of City fans, has urged supporters to skip the game because to the “significant travel challenges.”

Some fans have even started giving to the neighbourhood food bank in instead of purchasing match tickets.

A representative for Manchester City said, “We are glad that the decision to bring forward kick-off has finally been taken. We have contacted the FA to voice our misgivings and clarify why the kick-off time of 17.30 BST on a Sunday was originally picked.

“We hope that the new kick-off time will make a difference, even though we recognise that this won’t completely alleviate the travel issues for our fans and our preference would have been for an earlier kick-off time still.”

Wembley would witness empty seats, the FSA predicted.
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) has previously stated that it recognised the outrage about the earlier kickoff time.

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A representative for the FSA informed BBC Sport that the game was originally scheduled for early to midday, but was now being played on a Sunday night at the request of the FA’s broadcasters.

“Manchester City fans are understandably furious about the Community Shield’s inconvenient schedule, and some have even called for boycotts. This will force many to make difficult decisions about transport and time off.

This choice to prioritise broadcasters’ demands over the requirements of game-watching spectators will definitely result in empty seats and taint what could otherwise be a spectacular season-opening game.

The Premier League and FA Cup winners from the previous season face off in the Community Shield at the start of the English football season.

Arsenal, who are currently second in the Premier League, will participate in the match because Manchester City won both competitions.